Supported by JSW and curated by independent researcher and curator, Shaleen Wadhwana, the 2026 Talks Programme– Rising to Challenge, brings together artists, curators, thinkers, and cultural leaders to address the overarching question: What Makes Art Happen? Each panel responds to this question with a “challenge”— from long-standing issues of access, accountability and social difference, to urgent contemporary concerns such as Artificial Intelligence and indigenizing cultural spaces.
All talks are conducted in English and Indian Sign Language (ISL), with some talks in Hindi, Punjabi, Odia, and Saura* live translated for the audience.
*Saura (also known as Soura or Sora) is recognised as one of the oldest Indigenous languages of the Indian subcontinent
THEMATIC PREMISE
Removing colonial connotations from the terms ‘tribal’ ‘folk’ and moving towards the usage of indigenous living traditions and communities, is merely lip service if we do not address the deeper systemic changes required to integrate craft, art, and design into a rooted contemporary reality.
Indigeneity remains our answer. It was always the answer – be it intangible cultural heritage in the form of skills, knowledge or the climate crises that has led to recent recognition of environmental practices rooted in indigeneity. With that in mind, the contemporary impact of indigeneity lies across academia, mass appeal, cultural enterprise, international representation and exchange, popular everyday knowledge, and the oral histories yet being documented.
This panel addresses the challenge – do we reframe the term ‘grassroot’ when it comes to craft? In doing so, how do we create systemic changes to create a more integrated art-makers’ reality without the division of art vs craft, artisan vs artist and honor that the indigenous identity is pluralistic and so is its multigenerational impact?
SPEAKERS
PROF. G.N. DEVY
Cultural Activist, Literary Critic, and Institution Builder
Founder of Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Adivasi Academy
Prof. G.N. Devy is a cultural activist, literary critic, and institution builder, he founded the Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Adivasi Academy, and led the People’s Linguistic Survey of India, documenting over 700 languages in 50 volumes. He was Professor of English at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (1980-1996) and has authored over 100 books across literary criticism, anthropology, linguistics, and philosophy. His landmark book After Amnesia (1992) is considered a classic in literary theory. He received the Padma Shri (2014), Prince Claus Award (2003), and Linguapax Award (2011) for his work preserving linguistic diversity and supporting indigenous communities.
MILLO ANKHA
Poet and Artist, Founder of AAMA Collective
Millo Ankha is an indigenous poet, multidisciplinary artist, and storyteller from the Apatani community in Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh. A former dentist, she now works with photography, texts, videos, drawings, performance exploring themes of gender, ecology, and indigenous worldviews. She is founder and member of Aama Collective and a member of Indigenous Photograph. She has been a fellow with the Himalayan fellowship with Foundation of Indian Contemporary arts, 2023-24. She is an alumna of Angkor photo workshops, Cambodia.
DR. SUSHREE SANGITA MOHANTY
Director (R&D), International Institute for the Inclusive Museum (IIIM), USA/Australia
UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab (IPL) Expert
Applied anthropologist, educator, and researcher with over 14 years of experience in Indigenous education, language revitalisation and cultural sustainability, and the integration of emerging technologies for social impact. Her work bridges academic research, grassroots engagement, and policy innovation—particularly in the revitalisation of endangered Indigenous languages through AI-enabled tools, multilingual curriculum design, and culturally grounded pedagogy. She has led award-winning initiatives at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), like the UNESCO King Sejong Prize-winning Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programme. Her interdisciplinary approach cuts across anthropology, museum studies, heritage tourism and digital humanities to connect Indigenous representation with global platforms, advancing community-responsive and culturally rooted education through international collaboration.
SMT. LAXMI SABAR
Prof. of Practice, Lanjia Saura Painting (Idital) and Traditional Healing
Smt. Laxmi Sabar – from Rayagada district, located in the southern part of Odisha – is a prominent artist of Saura art and a traditional healer. Saura painting, also known as Lanjia Saura painting, is a traditional tribal indigenous living tradition art form practiced by the Saura tribe in Odisha. The Saura tribe, also known as Sora or Sabara, has been practicing this art form for centuries, deeply rooted in their cultural and spiritual traditions. Saura paintings hold significant religious and ceremonial importance, often created during festivals, harvests, marriages, and other pivotal events. These paintings are believed to invoke the blessings of deities and ancestors, serving as a bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. She offers prayers to her divinities for the health and well-being of her community. She was felicitated for her contributions to Saura Chitra Kala by IPCA and RIACE in 2016. She was honoured for being a female artist in this prominent style, raising awareness of this art form and for training many artists.
SHRI BIRABHADRA DALABEHERA
Painter, Lanjia Saura Painting (Idital)
Shri Birabhadra Dalabehera a native of Rayagada district, is an exponent of the Lanjia Saura Idital painting. In childhood, he loved to watch the walls of his community adorned with beautiful murals. Since childhood, he made up his mind to be a traditional painter. In the good old days, the Idital painters and muralists were held in great esteem. On the walls plastered with ochre-coloured earth, figures of the sixty-two divinities and their vehicles are painted in white with the powder of pounded rice. Sabara painting is a ritualized act, and Sri Dalabehera is an accomplished painter and conversant with the traditional pieties and rituals. As a cultural practitioner, he has trained and participated in various cultural festivals like State Level PVTG Dance Festival organized by ST & SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha; Kandhamal Mahotsav and Pallushree Mela (2024), PARAB 2019, State Level Tribal Festival, Siris Saras Mela 2020 among several others.
MODERATOR
HIMANSHU MAHATO
Art Historian and Curator
Himanshu Mahato is from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, holding a Certificate in Pali from Vishwabharti University Santiniketan (2018), BA in History with Archeology from Indira Gandhi National Open University (2020), and BVA and MVA in Art History from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda (2022, 2024). His curatorial practice bridges past and present, bringing Indigenous traditions together with contemporary artistic expression. Rooted in storytelling, his work makes visible histories, struggles, and resilience of overlooked communities. His vision centers Indigenous narratives—how they are preserved, transformed, and reimagined. With the Neo Baroda Collective, he curated Tapi Art Fest 2024 and When Art Wears a Party Hat, incorporating short-form content, social media, and interactive installations for diverse audiences. As part of the Immerse Fellowship 4.0, he co-curated “Sach Kahe Toh… Truth Be Told…”.
