This conversation examines how grassroots organisations outside privileged urbane centres are bringing deeper changes through community-led initiatives. Palani Kumar (Photographer & Curator, Chronicles of the Tides: Migration, Conflict, and Climate, Tamil Nadu), along with Mahalakshmi (Photographer-Artist, Tamil Nadu), Mallika Das Sutar (Co-Founder, Chander Haat, Sarsuna, West Bengal), Dr. Dipti Tamang (Co-Founder, Confluence Collective, Kalimpong, West Bengal), Aarti Bisht (Senior Program Officer, Henvalvani Community Radio, Chamba, Uttarakhand) and Natasha Jeyasingh (Founder, Carpe Arte & Co-Founder, IMMERSE Fellowship) who moderates this, unpack how intersectional social differences have a role to play in this very important process.
Generously supported by JSW, the IAF 2025 Talks Series, Growing Focus, curated by independent researcher and curator Shaleen Wadhwana, examines the increasing prominence of South Asia within contemporary art, design and culture. The series highlights the efforts of People of the Global Majority — comprising more than 80 per cent of the world’s population, with roots in Indigenous, African, Asian and Latin American cultures — who are asserting their presence across arts and cultural ecosystems. Amid the ongoing decentering of dominant ‘Global North’ narratives, it frames this moment not merely as a response to decolonisation but as landmark, historic self-determination. We explore this impact for audiences today and every day.
*The talk will be translated live in Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali.
Palani Kumar: Palani Kumar is the Staff Photographer at People’s Archive of Rural India, focusing on documenting the lives of working-class women and marginalized communities. He has received the Amplify grant (2021), Samyak Drishti and Photo South Asia Grant (2020), and the Dayanita Singh-PARI Documentary Photography Award (2022). Palani was also the cinematographer for Kakoos (2021), a documentary on manual scavenging in Tamil Nadu.
A. Mahalakshmi: A. Mahalakshmi, 34, was familiar with many stories about fishermen but initially struggled to capture them. Encouraged by Palani Anna, who urged her to tell these stories through photographs, she found the courage to begin. Although her husband initially opposed the idea, her family, including her husband and children, later offered unwavering support. Despite initial resistance from people when she approached them for photos, she explained her intentions and gained their permission. Photography transformed her life, helping her overcome fears and gain confidence. Through her camera, Mahalakshmi not only documented fisherwomen’s stories but also discovered her own strength.
Mallika Das Sutar: Through her drawings and paintings, videos, soil works, site specific installations, and performances, Mallika Das Sutar tries to question the popular notion of modernity, which is largely backed by inordinate consumerism. Her works are often rooted in the mundane– the everyday life and the surroundings– and develop through exchange and collaboration with the local communities. Mallika is currently working with the local community in her neighbourhood; together, they are trying to restore the lost knowledge and practice of identifying, scavenging, cooking and eating saag, the edible herbs, which has once been an essential part of the daily meal in a Bengali household. She is an active member of the collective Chander Haat, Sarsuna, West Bengal.
Dr. Dipti Tamang: Dr. Dipti Tamang is a feminist IR scholar with expertise in gender, politics, governance, and social movements, focusing on the Eastern Himalayas/South Asia. A Fulbright post-doctoral fellow at Cornell University, she explores citizenship, democracy, and exclusion. She publishes widely and is a co-founder of the Confluence Collective, Kalimpong, which was born out of a deep-rooted conviction to curate a space to preserve, archive and retell the histories of the Darjeeling – Sikkim Himalayan region.
Aarti Bisht: Aarti serves as the Programme Officer, Radio Jockey and Editor at Henvalvani Community Radio. Aarti joined the team as a young volunteer in 2008 and continued to take on more and more responsibilities with time. Aarti is a farmer, cook, washerwoman, mother and activist. She is a passionate storyteller, script writer and editor. She is the most popular RJ from Henvalvani station.
Natasha Jeyasingh: Natasha Jeyasingh is a consultant with 18 years’ experience in Indian art and design, working across private and public sectors on collections, exhibitions, restoration, and archiving projects throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Former COO of The Upside Space, she founded Carpe Arte to democratize contemporary art and co-founded the Immerse Fellowship supporting emerging Indian artists and curators.
