Abhayalakshmi began her Odissi traning in 2008 from Sanjali Centre of Odissi dance founded by Guru Sharmila Mukherjee. She is currently working as a teacher and senior performer at Sanjali Center for Odissi Dance, actively performing throughout India.

Kuchupudi dancer at the Shambavi School of Dance

Ananya Kasaravalli is a Kannada actor and filmmaker known for her work in the movies Kurmavathara, Oggarane and Parole, among others. As a young director Ananya has won many awards for her short films wasiyat nama, and documentary on transfeminity – beyond binary and Kappu kallina shaitan. Harikatha Prasanga  is her first feature film.

Anjolie Ela Menon is one of India's leading contemporary artists. Her paintings are in several major collections. In 2006 her work 'Yatra'  was acquired by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, California. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2000.

An Indian Sitar maestro, Anupama Bhagwat plays in the Gayaki style, a lyrical and subtly nuanced style modelled upon the human voice. Her technical virtuosity has been lauded by the connoisseurs world wide. She has been awarded the title "Surmani".

Anuradha Nalapat is a professional artist based in Bengaluru and has exhibited her paintings throughout India.  She is a published author and poet and her stories and poetry have been published in journals like the Sahitya Akademi journal of Indian Literature and the South Asian review. She works with children and conducts art and science based workshops through projects like ‘Stillnessandme’ and ‘Anointing the Unseen’.

Anuradha Vikrant is a new generation dance artiste dedicated to promote Indian dance. Anuradha imparts training in Bharatanatyam to many aspiring students through her dance institute Drishti Art Centre in Bengaluru.

Aparna founded Timbuktoo Publishing to represent children's free, unhindered, individual aspect of imagining and self expression. Aparna Raman says she wants to build up a database of stories written entirely by children throughout the world.

Arathi. H. K. completed her MFA specializing in Painting from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru. Her works have continued to portray the impact and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi alongside an exploration of her inner journey as an artist. She has received the Karnataka State Lalitkala Academy Annual Award (2010) and is an active member of Sameeksha Art Research Media, Bengaluru.

Arundhati Raja is the Artistic Director of Jagriti, Co-Founder of the Artistes Repertory Theatre and Curator of the Theatre segment of this Festival.

Established in 1992, Attakkalari is a registered, public charitable trust formed by artistes from different disciplines to help create contexts for contemporary movement arts. A key objective of the Centre is to demystify the art form, making it accessible to all sections of society.

Bharati Sagar graduated from School of Fine Arts and Architecture, Hyderabad, India and is trained in Commercial Art from B.I.E.T. Bombay, and in ceramics from Lalitkala Parishad, Kolkata. She has
held solo shows and participated in select group shows since 1979 held in Bengaluru, Vishakapatnam, Machalipatnam, Kolkatta, New Delhi, Italy, Muscat and New York.

Bhavana Rajendran is a theatre actor who is known for her role in the play 'Fate Of A Cockroach'.

Bhavani G.S. completed her postgraduate degree in Painting from Chitrakala Parishat Bengaluru, Karnataka. She has participated in select group shows and artist residencies in Munich and SriLanka, Holland besides other places. Recognised for her contribution to video art, her solo work, ‘Journey with the River Cauvery’ continues to inspire the artist in particular. She is a recipient of the Arnawaz Vasudev Scholarship(2005) besides others.

Bindu Subramaniam is an Indian/American singer-songwriter and pianist. She began performing at the age of 12, and has since collaborated with Al Jarreau, George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Larry Coryell, Ernie Watts, Corky Siegel, Matthew Santos, Pandit Jasraj, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Pankaj Udhas, Hariharan, and Remo Fernandes. SubraMania (world music) will perform at the festival featuring Bindu Subramaniam (vocals), Ambi Subramaniam (violin), with Mohini Dey (bass), Frijo Francis (keyboard), Karthik Mani (drums/percussion), Suraj Gulvady (guitar) 

Bindhumalini Narayanswamy from Bengaluru is a singer-composer, trained in Carnatic Music under eminent musicians. ‘Sunol Bhai’, a collection of Kabir songs, is her first album. Bindumalini also co-created music for the Tamil feature film, Arvis.

Kuchupudi dancer at the Shambavi School of Dance

Dimple Shah is a multidisciplinary artist who continues her art practice in painting, printmaking, installation and Performance art. Her pursuit is also to blend these mediums into an interdisciplinary language. After completion of her studies in Bengaluru and at MS University, Baroda, she has held solo shows, worked in various national and international residencies and Performance Festivals.

Dimpy Menon graduated in Fine Arts from the College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai and majored in Sculpture. Working in Bengaluru since 2003, her magnificent bronze sculptures are seen in various private and public places across India. She is the first Indian sculptor to win the prestigious Lorenzo il Magnifico award for Sculpture, Florence Biennale (2015).

A visual artist based out of Bengaluru and Kerala, India. Her work comprises understanding feministic stands which gives way to performances, installations and video art. She has exhibited in various spaces and galleries and is a recipient of the Toto funds Award for photography for the year 2011.

Jane De Suza has been called one of the funniest writers in India today. Her books have hit the Nielsen charts, including Happily Never After and The Spy who Lost her Head, and the SuperZero series for kids. She writes a column for the Hindu, has been Creative Director across advertising agencies in India, and is one of those Top Management School grads who has turned impoverished writer.

Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh is India’s torch bearer worldwide for Saraswati Veena, the National Instrument
of India. An artiste, collaborator, composer, researcher, creator, pioneer, and educator – Dr. Jayanthi’s
life achievements over 30 years, truly embodies the rich musical heritage of India - making her one of
the legendary Veena masters that India has ever produced.

A doctor-turned-entrepreneur, An economics professor who is an adventure sports enthusiast with and also a penchant for wildlife conservation. Film Making is one of the things she does. She directed 'Project Papa', dedicated to her father.

Odissi dancer from the Sanjali Center for Odissi dance

An international and national award winning film director, Kavitha Lankesh directed and produced more than fifty films. She is the curator of the cinema segment of this festival.

Khyati Raja, 21, lives for a living, death is not her thang. She believes being popular on social media is as useless as being rich in Monopoly (please follow me on Instagram). She also enjoys doodling on clean walls.

Lakshmi Ramappa popularly recognised as Chittāra Lakshmakka is from Siddapura taluk and the eldest daughter in her family. She cultivated the art of Chittara by watching and learning the art from her grandmother and mother. Works by Lakshmakka have been exhibited in Kolkatta, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. She is a recipient of the Karnataka State Rajyotsava award and Karnataka Lalitkala Academy award (2014).

Actor, producer, script-writer, theatre-columnist and an acclaimed translator, Laxmi Chandrashekar has been involved in theatre for over 5 decades.  She uses theatre as an instrument of social change. A bi-lingual artiste, she has acted in over 35 plays, in her mother-tongue, Kannada and English. She won the Aryabhata Award for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in ‘Grihabhanga‘, a path-breaking television serial.

Madhu Nataraj was chosen as one of India’s 50 young achievers by 'India today. She has received many awards, recent amongst which are the Mohan Khokar award for excellence in dance and the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar from the central Sangeet Natak Akademi, Govt of India. She is the curator for the dance segment of this festival.

Kuchupudi dancer at the Shambavi School of Dance

Mamta Sagar is a poet, playwright and translator writing in Kannada language. She is a recipient of poetry residency, an official project of the India Wales Season and the UK India Year of Culture (2017-18), Charles Wallace India Trust fellowship UK (2015) and AUROPOLIS Poet in Residence at Belgrade, Serbia (2012). As a practicing poet she has collaborated poetry performances with visual artists, poets and musicians from different parts of the world. She is actively involved with international poetry translation projects like Literature Across Frontiers, Poets Translating Poets, Melding Voices etc. Mamta curates KAAVYA SANJE, a community poetry event performed in public spaces involving people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. On invitation, She has participated in poetry festivals and facilitated poetry workshops in India and abroad. Mamta Sagar presently works as a faculty of Creative Writing Programme at the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Bengaluru.

Maya Lalchandani has been a journalist for more than a decade, contributing to magazines such as Mercedes-Benz India and Global Gujarati. She has travelled the world to interview professionals in top positions and subject experts. She currently travels extensively as a travel consultant with FWD Life and continues to write autobiographies and memoirs. 

An award winning singer, actor and filmmaker, MD Pallavi trained in Hindustani classical music under the Kirana Gharana and has also learnt Sugama Sangeeth. She is the curator for the music segment at this festival.

Meenakshi is a contemporary artist and completed her art education with MFA in painting from MMK College of Visual Art, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, Karnataka. She was awarded the Regional centre Ghari, Lalitkala Akademi, New Delhi (2015) and Karnataka Lalitkala Academy Fellowship, Kannada and Culture, Karnataka, (2016). She has participated in regional, national and international, shows and camps since 2003 in terracotta, glass etching, traditional painting, lithograph and painting.

Mohini Dey lives, breathes and sleeps music. The accomplished bass guitarist, who is all of 21 years old, has been described as a prodigy by many musicians.

Acclaimed author of several Kannada novels such as Hudhugalarada Dukkha, Naarikelaa and Uri Chammalige.

A merger of two highly acclaimed institutions namely the Natya Institute Of Kathak & Choreography and the STEM Dance Kampni, NSDK showcases high standards of performances in Kathak, traditional dance forms and the contemporary Indian dance idiom.

Kuchupudi dancer at the Shambavi school of dance

NOOR ZAHEER is a writer and researcher, writing in English, Hindi and Urdu. Her important published works include My God is a Woman, Silent Dunes, Raging Forests, Mere Hisse ki Roshnai, Surkh Karavan ke Ham safar, Ret Par Khoon, Patthar ke Sainik, Aaj ke Naam, The Dancing Lama . Noor Zaheer’s latest book is Denied by Allah. A committed theatre worker Noor Zaheer writes and directs plays, conducts theatre workshops and adapts and translates plays by well-known playwrights.

Padmavati Rao has been an actress since she was 15 years old (Ondanondu Kaladalli, Geeta, Naga Mandala, etc). She has worked as an assistant director on Shankar Nag's Malgudi Days. Story-telling and process work facilitation are her other areas of specialisation.

A Jagriti theatre artist, Paramita has acted in plays such as 'Societal Woes'.

Pavitra Chalam is an independent filmmaker to make films on topics ranging from drug addiction, cancer, women and children’s rights, sports and the environment. One of her films ‘Anamika- Her Glorious Past’ about the Devadasi tradition in India has won several awards and received critical acclaim in film festivals overseas.

In 2012 she set up CurleyStreet Media, as a film production company and creative agency that specializes among other things in the creation of films for change, documentaries, advertisements and corporate films.

An award winning playwright in English, Poile Sengupta is also an acclaimed children’s author, poet and novelist.

With nothing but sheer love for comedy, Pragya is a newbie who loves taking the stage to vent out her emotions. She also works as a digital marketing expert and a copywriter for a living.

Dr. Pramila Lochan is an art historian by profession, and nurtures a keen interest in Hindustani classical music. She is engaged in research, documentation and writing since 1992. Her research interest and contribution is in the area of ragamala painting, mural painting, folk, contemporary art and musicology. She is the curator of the art segment of this festival.

Prateeksha is an Indian Kuchipudi dancer and was initiated to dance at the age of five. With a keen interest in spreading Kuchipudi and to inspire the youth towards it, she coaches aspiring dancers in Bengaluru.

Odissi dancer from the Sanjali Center for Odissi dance

Rani Rekha hails from a family of hereditary court painters of Mysore and Vijayanagar. After completion of Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath she continues to participate in several national and international shows and residencies since 2003. She is a recipient of the Karnataka Lalitkala Academy anuual exhibition award (2003 and 2006) and the ‘Ventipertrenta’, Jury and Public International awards, Italy (2010).

Rebecca Spurgeon is an actor, singer, teacher and director. She has a degree in English Literature from St. Xavier’s, Mumbai and has trained in Western Vocals and Western Classical Piano in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Romicon Revola is a contemporary visual artist based in Bengaluru. Trained as a sculptor, she has experimented with a variety of media. Her work encompasses monumental public sculpture, installation, painting, and video. Romi has appropriated the stainless steel material, often considered either industrial or masculine, to weave narratives engaging with feminine musings. She is involved in several art initiatives and community art programs.

Roohi Dixit and Ziba Bhagwagar founded their production house Zero Rules in 2003. Together they produced and directed TV Commercials for various national and international brands. In 2010 they embarked upon the quest to explore different genres of filmmaking.

Samhita Arni is the author and illustrator of The Mahabharata – A Child's View, and, in collaboration with Moyna Chitrakar, created the New York Times bestselling graphic novel Sita's Ramayana. Her third book, The Missing Queen, was published by Penguin and Zubaan. She writes regularly for The Hindu, and teaches at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Her fourth book, The Prince, will be published by Juggernaut early next year.

Sandhya Mendonca is a writer, editor and publisher, and the Festival Director of Under The Raintree women's cultural festival. A native Kannadiga, Mendonca is a chronicler of the cultural history of the state of Karnataka through books published by her media company, Raintree Media. 

Sangeeta is a Chartered Accountant turned storyteller. With the belief that stories have the power to transform, she has been using stories with children with special needs, to raise awareness about Mental Health issues, with teachers to help them use stories to enable conversations on sexuality education in classrooms. She has been telling stories to children and grown-ups at various festivals and cultural spaces in the city.

Established in 2004 by Sharmila Mukerjee, Sanjali Centre for Odissi Dance provides a complete education in the form - the technique, the skills, the tradition, the sadhana and the fulfilment.

India's only dedicated and fastest growing short film club is passionate about showcasing the finest shorts from India and all over the world.

Shan Re, a contemporary modernist, is a dynamic and prolific artist and is known for her mesmerising and spontaneous live painting on various occasions. The intensity and frequency of her creative output is enormous including her powerful free association drawings.

Shanthamani Muddaiah is a sculptural artist who uses ephemeral natural materials in her visual art work such as paper and charcoal to create, install and display exhibits. Her sculptures have been exhibited at the Kochi Muziris Biennale in 2014 and select art shows in India and at many international centres.

Sharda Ugra is senior editor for ESPNcricinfo.com and ESPN.in, ESPN’s newly-launched multisport website. A sports journalist for more than 25 years, she has worked with Mumbai tabloid Mid-Day, national daily The Hindu and India Today magazine before joining ESPN. She has written and spoken about issues around Indian sport at home and abroad.

Shamala Nandesha is a well known sculptor, video art, performance and installation artist. Her site specific works focusing on the element water is much recognized. She completed her MVA in sculpture from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath and is the founder of Bangalore Artists Centre, an artists in residency programme since 2008. She is a recipient of the Karnataka Shilpakala Academy sculptors award ( 2014) and senior fellowship under Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Ministry of Culture , Govt . of India with effect from 2017.

An established name in the world of Odissi dance, Sharmila has been performing for almost 30 years now and is a Grade A artist of Doordarshan.

Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, Shonali is known for the biographical social drama Amu, which was based on her own novel of the same name. Her next film, the drama Margarita with a Straw, was a major critical and commercial success as well.

Shrirupa Sengupta is a stand up comedienne, improviser and theatre based facilitator who believes life must be laughed at. She burst into the comedy scene in 2014, winning the Bengaluru finals for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival RAW Heats - a stand up comedy open mic competition. Her sense of humour is confused, quirky and unabashedly self centred.

Smitha Cariappa, artist and curator based in Bangalore, has a M.F.A in Painting from Chitrakala Parishath, Bangalore University. Later went on a Commonwealth Arts Award to Newcastle, North England. Since, 2002 she has been doing performance video and live/ performance art. She has participated artist in residence program, Live art festivals/Biennale and workshops for performance in public and indoor spaces in different cities in India , Asia, Israel, Turkey, Europe, Caribbean islands, South America.

Sowmya Aji is a political journalist and the author of two novels, Delirium and The Wall, both published by HarperCollins. She holds a theatre diploma from NINASAM and a Vidhwath in Bharatanatyam. She loves books, movies, music and knitting. And spends a lot of her time day-dreaming.

Sreejita aka Solo is a comic book writer and co-founder of stripteasethemag.com. She has been a comics and pop culture columnist with Bangalore Mirror, the Art Director for Gaysi: A Queer Graphic Anthology, a graphic novelist for Conde Nast and a mangaka. She also makes cartoons about mental health, feminism and being queer. 

Storywallahs is a storytelling organisation that believes that stories are the best way to inspire, motivate, and teach. Driven by this belief, they conduct storytelling sessions for children and adults and also train parents & teachers on how to tell stories. They also work with organisations and help them discover and use the power of stories in their personal and professional lives.  

The Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa) was started in November 2007 in Bengaluru. This global institute for the performing arts is the brainchild of India’s foremost violinist, Dr. L Subramaniam and vocalist Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam.

Sumana Chowdhury completed her MFA (1993) in painting from Kala Bhavan, Visva Bharati, Santiniketan and was artist in residence at Kent Institute of Art and Design, Canterbury, England, 1996-1997. She has had a number of solo shows and participated in numerous select group exhibitions. She is presently visiting Associate Professor at SJBIT-SAP TOSOA, Impact School of Architecture Bangalore since 2013.

Odissi dancer from the Sanjali Center for Odissi Dance

A closet writer, closet singer, and a closet performer, Trupti came out as a storyteller. She believes that stories have the power to entertain, educate, heal and influence change. Driven by this belief, she not only tells stories to entertain, but also to enable conversations and raise awareness on subjects like Mental Health, and works with schools to help teachers harness the power of stories in the classroom. She enjoys being amidst children and can become one among them in a matter of minutes. You can catch her playing raconteuse to children and adults alike at various cultural spaces, schools, and literature festivals across the city.

Urmila V.G. is a nationally renowned printmaker artist. She has held solo shows in Bengaluru and participated in select regional, national and international exhibitions, camps and workshops. She is a recipient of FICCI, FLO Women Achievers Award, Bengaluru  (2016), Karnataka Lalithakala Academy Award, Bengaluru  (2007), National Lalitkala Akademi Scholarship, New Delhi and Arnavaz Vasudev

Scholarship, Bengaluru  (2006). She holds an M.F.A. in Printmaking, (2006) Kala Bhavan, Visvabharati University, Santiniketan (W.B) and B.F.A. in Painting, (2003)College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Bengaluru.

A Bengaluru-based actor, Urvashi is currently a part of several theatre productions.

Among the early woman journalists in Kannada, Dr. Vijayamma lived her life with a rare courage. A writer with many books to her credit, she has worked in several, diverse fields

Popuri Lalita Kumari, popularly known by her pen name Volga, is Telugu poet and writer. One of the most highly regarded Telugu writers today, Volga is generally acknowledged to have introduced a feminist perspective into the literary and political discourse of Andhra Pradesh. Her novel Sveccha marks a watershed in women’s writing in Telugu. She edited the first volume of feminist philosophy in Telugu, Maku Godalu Levu, and an anthology of Tamil poems, Neeli Meghalu.

Vrinda started as an assistant director in Trends Ad Films and has worked on many national and international campaigns and feature films.  She went on to direct independently for Meditech, Kettles Talent PVT Ltd and Blot Picture Company and has also acted in Kannada regional film Aidondla Aidu. Limitless is her first feature documentary as a Director.

Vyjayanthi Kashi is a reputed Kuchipudi dancer,a celebrated performer and choreographer and artistic director of a dance school Shambhavi School of Dance where she teaches this traditional dance form.

Roohi Dixit and Ziba Bhagwagar founded their production house Zero Rules in 2003. Together they produced and directed TV Commercials for various national and international brands. In 2010 they embarked upon the quest to explore different genres of filmmaking.