2018

CURATOR

Sneha Khanwalkar has played a significant role in changing perceptions of Hindi film music by digitally mixing disparate noises, sounds of local instruments and voices to produce a track. Thriving on taking the composition of music beyond the studio, Sneha conceptualised and hosted the MTV mini-series ‘Sound Trippin’. Some of her key projects include Gangs of Wasseypur, Khoobsurat, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Love Sex aur Dhoka in her repertoire. She won Filmfare’s R.D Burman Award for the best music director for the film Love Sex aur Dhoka (2011) and was nominated in the Best Music Director category at the 58th Filmfare Awards for Gangs of Wasseypur Part 1 & Part 2. She has composed the music for the acclaimed film, Manto (2018).

2018

CURATOR

One of India’s leading tabla players, Aneesh Pradhan is a disciple of the maestro Nikhil Ghosh from whom he inherited a varied repertoire. Aneesh is the recipient of awards such as the Aditya Birla Kala Kiran Award (2000), the Natyadarpan Award for ‘Best Background Score’ (1998), the Vasantotsav Award (2012), and the Saath Sangat Kalakar Award (2013). He is also a frequent participant in cross-cultural musical collaborations both in the capacity of performer and composer. He has been awarded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations Chair in Indian Studies at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University. He is also the Director of Underscore Records Pvt. Ltd which he established with vocalist Shubha Mudgal. He co-curates an international music festival ‘Baajaa Gaajaa: Music from 21st Century India’.

2018

CURATOR

Prahlad Sukhtankar is a restaurateur, sommelier, and culinary curator deeply rooted in Goa’s evolving food landscape. An alumnus of Les Roches and César Ritz, and a certified sommelier from the International Sommelier Guild, Prahlad is the founder of The Black Sheep Bistro Panjim and Aguada and co-founder of Melt Pizzabar. His work blends sustainability, storytelling, and regional pride. As a returning curator at the Serendipity Arts Festival, he brings a fresh, mindful lens to India’s diverse culinary traditions, focusing this year on The Salt Routes of India—a journey through the heritage, history, and cultural importance of salt.

2018

CURATOR

Rahul Akerkar’s culinary practice is about mixing his passion for life, food and science, and he has succeeded in blending these key ingredients into a career as one of Mumbai’s leading restaurant moguls. Regarded as the pioneer of the independent chef-restaurateur-run eateries in Mumbai, he has shifted the focus on fine dining away from the five-star hotel domain. Akerkar co-founded deGustibus Hospitality with his wife, Malini, in 1996. They operate six restaurants in Mumbai, including the much-acclaimed Indigo, a bar, an event/banqueting space and a catering business. Akerkar’s newest restaurant, Qualia, opened in Mumbai in April 2019.