Who We Are
The Art and Culture function takes the purpose of the Foundation to the people of India through a storytelling approach. We believe that people internalise positive ideas and stories. Storytelling, therefore, has the potential to inspire meaningful changes in social attitudes and beliefs. We articulate the Foundation’s vision of a just, equitable, humane, and sustainable society in conversational ways through stories that enhance public understanding. Our work articulates ideas relevant to the times we live in, and we appreciate them through the redeeming lenses of joy, love, harmony, compassion, dignity, and reconciliation. We build, support, and distribute these timely, necessary, and relevant stories to everybody — from our immediate communities to the people of India. We deliver these stories via the media of radio and podcasts, art, music, film, and illustrated books.
What We Do
Art on Campus at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru
India’s artistic traditions encapsulate its diversity and pluralism. However, unlike contemporary art, folk art forms are often distant or dissociated from urban spaces. It is this lacuna that we strive to bridge with the Campus Mural project. In a space designed for fostering learning and experience, contemporary and traditional artists come together for a dynamic expression of ideas on a shared canvas. Through this collaboration, the artists develop an appreciation of each other’s outlook, expressive styles, and cultural capital, and they articulate and bring to life the noble ideas enshrined in the Constitution of India. The common spaces at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, including seminar halls and hostels have been turned into a canvas for artistic expression. Through two iterations of campus murals initiated in 2022 and 2023, we have enabled collaboration among traditional and contemporary artists. Their murals depict the diversity and pluralistic harmony of India, juxtaposing tradition and modernity, while being a strident expression of constitutional values. Murals have also been painted on the walls of our health centres in Bengaluru. We hope they spark many conversations.
Radio Azim Premji University
Radio, one of the earliest modes of communication to bridge distances, is a powerful medium for storytelling and education. Listening to stories over the airwaves creates a sense of shared experience and belonging. While visual and tactile media may have overshadowed the aural intimacy of radio, it has withstood the test of time, reinvented itself, and found currency and popularity in the internet age as podcasting. Our internet radio station, Radio Azim Premji University, harnesses the energy, expertise, and creative expression of students, faculty, and experts to deliver thoughtful, nuanced, and relevant radio shows to a public audience. RadioShaala, an open elective course, was introduced in August 2023 under the aegis of the School of Arts and Sciences to train students from various streams in writing, editing, and production for internet radio.
Read more about Radio Azim Premji University >>
Film
Film is a powerful medium for engaging, entertaining, and inspiring people. Its pervasive history and popular reception in our country demonstrate that it is equally an effective instrument for celebrating social action as well as for sowing the seeds of positive change.
We have several upcoming projects to create compelling and credible films on themes, people, and topics germane to our areas of work and the times we live in.