Jaya Ramchandani is an educator, editor, and curator discovering the universe, through science, philosophy, and looking inward. She’s studied physics (bachelor’s) and astronomy (master’s) and is a certified secondary general science and physics teacher. She’s been involved in and regularly works with several innovative science platforms like Universe Awareness (by Leiden University, The Netherlands), which illustrates the multicultural origins of modern astronomy in an effort to broaden children’s minds, awaken their curiosity in science and stimulate global citizenship and tolerance; Sterrenlab, which organizes science laboratories, field trips, games, DIY activities, and maker spaces; Open Science Center,  an engaging learning space based on open standards: open architecture, open education, open technology & open science; and AstroEdu (by International Astronomical Union), a peer-reviewed astronomy education platform. She co-founded The Story Of to see science and philosophy share the same space and inspire discussions between scientists, philosophers, artists, and the public so that the abstract in our universe can be brought under the public eye.

Reach her at jaya@thestoryof.org

Shaira Sequeira Shetty is an independent media and cultural research professional with experience in diverse fields including documentary research, script writing, video shooting and editing; book editing and more recently working in the alternative arts space. She has a Masters in Media and Cultural Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and has taught ­­­­undergraduates. Her preference is to work in the non-profit and social space. Human relationships and their interconnectedness to the universe is a preoccupation that fascinates her. The inexplicable mysteries and secrets of our cosmic world and the sheer labyrinth of undiscovered knowledge about our existence drive her passion for this project. More precisely the subtle links that connect humankind as also the space between us where the beauty and magic happens have always been unanswered questions. So whether it’s science, philosophy, art or culture that assist us in catching a fleeting glimpse of something colossal or of something microscopic, there can only be a new world to see; and perhaps then we can begin to understand this world. Reach him at shaira@thestoryof.org

Shrini is a creative visualiser. artist & experimenter based in Goa, India. He finds the creative process extremely satisfying, perhaps even more than the final form. His current scope of work includes graphic design, illustration, paper engineering, environmental graphic murals, documentary films and photography.
“An Artist’s task is to bear witness to the universe…”– Mark Strand

Reach him at shrinivas@thestoryof.org

Rahul is a mixed media artist and curator based in Bangalore, with a history in practice from the polarities of robotics and photography. He brings a pluralist perspective/voice into his curatorial work. Bridging extremes of forms and practices like those of mechatronic art that contrast or merge with traditional forms and practices and merge their supposed experiences, he works to bring together artists of disparate disciplines and media —and artists of varying experience within their media, seeking inspiration from all forms of cultural, political, human and social stimuli.

He has contributed to various public art projects, both as an artist and as a curator, and from these experiences, has explored the value of geo-cultural contexts, the physicality of the spaces themselves, their inhabitants, and the collective history they represent. Through this footing, he approaches ideas or observations of congruence in notions of identity and perception, and also multi-formal communication across these various participants and their subjective experiences. He also engages with ‘The White Cubes’: working and developing pieces and processes across artistic mediums, to re-engage with these arenas and prosceniums; break rigid notions of expectations, definitions, boundaries and aspire to experientially introduce critique, commentary or dialogue between the content, context, form and audience.

Reach him at rahul@thestoryof.org

As an independent curator with a focus on experimental practices and processes across human endeavour, Shazeb’s explored several questions he’s had as an individual by searching for answers within original frameworks of inter-disciplinary artistic research and production. He’s been actively involved in public space projects and has been researching and developing sub-cultural practices to explore the relationship between art and culture. Most of his work is based in spontaneous creation and expression and usually involves fusing new people to create unknown situations and engineering new collective imaginations of beauty and its future.

With diversified, almost schizophrenic, interests, his projects are usually designed as long-term impact programs but even then, most of them have come to meet each other. The value of ‘experience’ is the corpus of his life and through all his attempts, this objective remains sacrosanct for himself, the artists he works with and the audience.

As a curatorial process, his projects are the canvas and the multidisciplinary artists he works with are the colours, tools, or chemicals that blend differently in different situations and combinations to produce differentiated experiences. And so the chemistry between different artists and practices urge him to play blind, as unlocking the true potential of the unexpected is what he loves the most. And maybe, this way, we will actually find the future in the present tense.

Lina Vincent Sunish is an art historian and curator currently based in Goa. In the last fifteen years her professional experience has been mainly in the areas of research, design, curation and public art programming. She is committed to interdisciplinary and socially engaged arts practice that reflects in the diverse projects and associations she has developed and participated in.

Her most recent curatorial consultancies are with ‘Tabiyat: Medicine and Healing in India’ (January-March 2016, CSMVS Museum Mumbai) part of Wellcome Trust’s ‘Medicine Corner’ http://medicinecorner.in/; and ‘Morphology of Archive: Connected Histories of Goa’, at Museum of Goa (MOG – February – May 2016). Selected independent curatorial projects include MEMORABILIA, Gallery Sumukha Bangalore (2014); ‘under my skin…under your skin’ selected video works by Baptist Coelho (2013-ongoing); ‘Between the Lines: Identity, Place and Power – Selections from the Waswo X Waswo Collection of Indian Printmaking’ NGMA Bangalore and Mumbai (2012-13); ‘I am Here’ an exhibition of video self portraits at Jaaga Creative Common Space, Bangalore (2011). As Associate Curator with ARTPORT_making waves (www.artport-project.org) since 2014 she has coordinated educational screenings on climate change and is developing project proposals around ‘GOOD FOOD India’.She is a curator with Artist Pension Trust (APT Global) and has designed an educational exhibition on India’s medical heritage for Trans-Disciplinary University (TDU) Bangalore, where she is adjunct faculty. Her ongoing research is on Arts Education in India, and she worked on the students section of the Kochi Muziris Biennale (2014-15). Her essays have been recently published in “Pages of a Mind: Raja Ravi Varma, Life and Expressions” (Piramal Art Foundation 2016, ISBN 978-81-930668-0-5) and “20 Indo Pak Painters You Should Know” (Millennium Media, Karachi ISBN 9789 699 976025). She currently contributes to Art & Deal (Delhi) and Nigaah Arts and Culture (Karachi/UAE).

Lina Vincent completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts (specializing in Graphic Printmaking) from the Chitrakala Institute of Advanced Studies (CIAS), at Bangalore University and a Post Graduate Degree in Art History from the same institution (2001).

Growing up in different cities in India, absorbing and appreciating various cultures has been a way of life for Sanjana. As an individual as well as a designer, she draws inspiration from her interaction with people and spaces. At present she is working with a Mumbai based design and publishing studio, Anugraha, that primarily focuses on working in the cultural, social, medical, educational and environmental zones. She is a travel enthusiast with a passion for film and photography and aims to tell stories through her words and images someday.

Abrar is a human-centered interaction designer by day, and a tinkerer and creative coder by night. 

His interests range from design research to service & systems design, social innovation and more. Simply put, systematically identifying, articulating and addressing problems of varying scales is what he likes to do. 

With a prior background in visual communication, he can also be finicky about typography and all that comes with it.

A knowledge seeker, Niketa believes learning can happen anytime. All one needs is awareness and an open mind. She is an impact assessment practitioner with a passion for gardening and fitness. The convergence of the human mind and body fascinates Niketa and she is pursuing it through Vipasana meditation and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Inspired after meeting Rta Kapur Chishti, Niketa has recently initiated a project to don 100 Saree drape styles (& more) that are worn by women across India. The aim of the project is to revive the traditional drapes of India and help them find a place in everyday wear. You can reach her on twitter @nikaytaa.

Dr.Madhulika. S has a PhD in Molecular and Environmental Plant Science followed by a Master’s with triple emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction, Social and Leadership development from Texas A &M University, College Station, Texas. Her innovation in English learning using local language, culture and way of life has been listed among top 10 innovations in Asia and Africa in Secondary Education (Results for Development Institute, Washington D.C., supported by Rockefeller Foundation).  Dr.Madhulika.S has been a TEDx IIM Ranchi speaker on “Teaching with a difference” and TEDx IIT BHU speaker on “Arts based learning”.  The focus of her innovation is on the importance of education for human development with perspectives on transforming self, ideas and surroundings, and creating interdependence through an understanding of the connected world using progressive approaches such as constructivist pedagogy, Place based learning, Arts based learning and spiral learning.  Madhulika has designed and implemented Science education programs for 25,000 children in Hyderabad integrating arts based learning with Science and Mathematics. She has also developed pedagogy to accelerate learning for children especially focused on enhancing the pace of emotional development to reach age appropriate levels. The pedagogy focused on accelerated learning enables the learner to reach age appropriate levels and standards according to grade level expectations along with the required emotional development.

Soumi Roy Chowdhury is at present, exploring the avenues of curation, especially in the fields of art and its influences in developing sustainable cultural practices. She completed her graduation with a Bachelors degree in Liberal Arts, majoring in Anthropology along with Psychology and English Literature as minors. She writes, and as an individual with interest, she enjoys documenting everyday life, understanding patterns of animate and inanimate existence, and harbinging on music from other people. She has been exploring avenues of gendered occupation of public spaces with her photography. As an independent, visual ethnographer sans formal training, she is comfortable in alien ecosystems and hopes to adapt varied systems of enculturation as her own.

Mohini dropped out of an English literature course and is now a self-taught visual designer and artist. She likes for her work to take her to unexplored skills and disciplines and to help foster collaborations across disciplines. Her pet projects have ranged from music festivals to browser games, with bold, effective communication that doesn’t lose its wit. Her free time is spent underwater, or buried in a book, and some day she would like to pet every dog in the world. She lives in Mumbai, India but is always looking for collaborations and work that will change that.

Namrata Ganguly is an aspiring vagabond with a keen interest in Interdisciplinary Arts & Design with experience in Human Resources, Change Management, Strategy & Branding and Arts Administration. She is always on the look out for new interesting things and is perennially “treasure hunting”.

Noel is serendipitously well-trained at hosting visitors. He dabbled in a bunch of degrees, only to find himself back to square one. He loves languages, but is trying to be a little less promiscuous and stick to just one. His life goal is to raise dogs and pigs under the same organic roof.

Jocel Souza is currently pursuing a career in social entrepreneurship in the Arts and Culture sector. He also develops and designs websites on WordPress for local start ups. Previously, he studied civil engineering, and has worked in Operations and Project Management for corporate events at Direct Edge, in Oman.
He is interested in Goan heritage art and passionate about making the arts inclusive to people all age groups, and all walks of life.