Join us for the inaugural session of our new series on Climate & Culture. This year’s World Tourism Day theme- Tourism and Sustainable Transformation-sets the stage for a dynamic conversation at the crossroads of art, heritage, and economy, moderated by Premjish Achari, Curator at KNMA.

Panelists:

1. Dr. Abira Bhattacharya

Assistant Curator (Anthropology)

National Museum, Delhi

Dr. Abira Bhattacharya has been the Assistant Curator of the Department of Anthropology at the National Museum in Delhi since 2016, where she curates and manages a vast collection. She earned her PhD in Art History from the Indian Institute of Heritage, focusing on Buddhist goddess sculptures from the 8th to 12th centuries in Eastern India and their interaction with Southeast Asian Art.

In her role, Dr. Bhattacharya has conceptualized and curated exhibitions, fostering international collaborations. Notable projects include the Digital Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage and the International Museum Expo, connecting her to a global network. She also curated the travelling exhibition, "The Indo-Siam Connect," as part of the Bihar Biennale.

Her commitment to the field is evident through her travel and research, bridging tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Her interdisciplinary approach has earned her recognition and grants for workshops and presentations worldwide.

2. Ashish Kulkarni

AVGC-XR Forum FICCI

 Ashish Kulkarni embarked on his journey in the field of arts and media in 1995, and since has immersed himself in the pursuit of conceiving sustainable careers in film, animation, visual effects, gaming, visual arts, and graphic design in India. Ashish's presence in the field of the arts commenced with the animation industry, the seed of which, had only been planted in the fertile grounds of the Indian economy at the turn of the century. At this early stage, Ashish jumpstarted the sprouting of the animation industry in India by facilitating outsourcing projects in the country with animation giants such as Disney, Warner Bros., Sony and Dreamworks. By introducing India as a new outsourcing platform for animation, Ashish had created the opportunity for Indian animation services to grow to international standards. During this stage, Ashish produced ad films for All Out, Flying Machine, Max Candy & Max Ice cream for HLL, Nestle, Veneta Cucine and Kelloggs. As the sapling of the Indian animation industry grew, Ashish envisioned a future in which, India was not caged in the confines of outsourcing, but competed as a global player in the arena of original IP creation. What followed was the development of iconic character brands and shows such as Little Krishna, Krishna Aur Kans, Big Bees and Shaktimaan, by Ashish and his creative team while he served as CEO of Reliance Animation. Currently, Ashish is working on properties such as War Heroes of India, Mary Kom Jr., Amazing Kids, Monkey Creek and Map Jacket.

3. Rakshanda Jalil

Author and Writer/Editor for IHCL Taj Magazine

Rakhshanda Jalil is a multi-award-winning translator, writer, and literary historian. Dr. Jalil has published over 25 books and written over 50 academic papers and essays. She runs an organisation called Hindustani Awaaz, devoted to the popularisation of Hindi-Urdu literature and culture. She was awarded the Kaifi Azmi Award for her contribution to Urdu, the First Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-Hindi Translation and the Distinguished Translator Award by Vani Prakashan at the Jaipur Lit Festival. She writes regularly for major newspapers such as Hindustan Times, Indian Express, The Hindu as well as magazines such as Outlook, Scroll, The Wire, etc. She is the Editor of the Taj magazine, a bi-annual book-length journal of the Taj group of hotels.

4. Dr. Diksha Tiwari

Director

Chinhaari Cultural Foundation

Dr. Diksha Tiwari Singh is the Director of the Chinhaari Cultural Foundation, an initiative inspired by her roots in Chhattisgarh and dedicated to reviving the overlooked cultural heritage of states. Her initiative is underpinned by a conviction that India is not just a nation but a living epic, one whose richness cannot be measured only through its well-known monuments or celebrated art forms. Much of India’s cultural wealth still lies in silence in its remote villages, tribal knowledge, oral histories, and local crafts. To unlock the country’s true cultural potential, she is building an ecosystem that documents oral traditions and ancestral knowledge, curates immersive cultural showcases, and creates sustainable platforms for artisans and storytellers to thrive. Her vision is to restore dignity, identity, and economic opportunity to communities whose traditions have long remained at the margins.Diksha is also a public health professional with expertise in equity-driven health systems. She has worked in venture capital, where she led health-tech investments and supported startups addressing critical challenges in healthcare. Bridging culture, health, and innovation, she brings a unique lens that positions heritage not as the past, but as a powerful driver of India’s social and economic future.

5. Navina Jafa (7 mins Video byte)

Cultural Activist and Academician

Navina Jafa is a cultural activist, an academician, and a renowned performing artist. Having pioneered academic cultural tourism, her work has reached out to academicians, high-level political and economic delegates, students, corporate executives, and children. She has designed and executed academic tours all around India, including Ladakh, Spiti, Sikkim, Central India, South India, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and West Bengal. She was a Fulbright Scholar on Cultural Management and Representation at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington DC, USA. She also taught a program on Performance, Culture, and Development at Brandeis University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She has contributed to development programs for artisans at the Foundation for Arts, a nonprofit organization based in Delhi. She is currently a lead consultant with the Asian Heritage Foundation and the Director of Indian Cultural Heritage Research, a pool of researchers looking at creating dossiers on the cultural heritage of South Asia. She has recently been appointed as a Heritage Consultant by the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, Government of Delhi, where her role is to strategize a heritage movement program among citizens of Delhi, to develop heritage activities with citizens groups, working with over 500 schools on heritage and education, and to assist in creating public awareness on keeping heritage landscapes clean. Dr Jafa is also responsible for the project on cultural mapping of intangible heritage for the organization. She has recently been invited by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Government of India, to develop an exhaustive program and website on Heritage Education. Her work on heritage presentation has been recently reviewed in the Financial Times as “Gatekeeper of the Spectacular!” Along with her work on heritage she continues to perform Kathak as a concert artist. She has recently been appointed as the “Convener of the Committee ” of the courses on Heritage Education by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), a prime government educational agency in India in the field of school education for a term of three years.

6. Abu Sufiyan

Founder and Director- Tales of City

(Culture Futurist)

Abu Sufiyan Khan is an engineer-turned-cultural entrepreneur, ex-Googler, and the founder of Tales of City, a platform that builds a new economy around heritage and culture through immersive walks, salons, and curated experiences. After starting his career in technology, he transitioned into culture to create people-driven models of storytelling and revival.He began his journey with Purani Dilli Walo Ki Baatein in 2014, which grew into one of the largest digital communities celebrating Old Delhi’s heritage. Over time, his work evolved into Tales of City, which has engaged over 30,000 people through cultural walks, literary gatherings, and artistic collaborations.His initiatives have been featured by Natgeo, BBC, The Independent, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and Conde Nast Traveller . Under his leadership, Tales of City has been selected for the Culture Catalyst Cohort by PCP Foundation, NICEorg, and AIC–ISB, recognizing it as a pioneering model in creative entrepreneurship and cultural innovation.Recognized as a culture catalyst, Sufiyan’s work bridges communities, institutions, and audiences—creating sustainable pathways for safeguarding traditions while reimagining them for the future and culture economy.

Image credits- “Jama Masjid, Delhi, c. 1860s–1870s. Photographer unknown (possibly Samuel Bourne or ASI Collection). Courtesy: Public Domain / British Library Archives.”