THE BRIJ Cultural Leaders Fellowship
The THE BRIJ Cultural Leaders Fellowship is a nine-month leadership development programme for mid-career cultural practitioners and cross-sector professionals across India, delivered by Serendipity Arts.
The Fellowship is built around the belief that meaningful leadership begins with a meaningful question. Fellows spend nine months developing an intellectual inquiry rooted in their own practice, context and curiosity through structured learning, expert dialogue, peer exchange and reflection. The programme culminates in a Research Inquiry Proposal, a written articulation of the question each Fellow is pursuing and why it matters.
Why Serendipity Arts?
Serendipity Arts works at the intersection of arts, education and institution-building. Its flagship Serendipity Arts Festival, held annually in Goa, brings together practitioners, thinkers and audiences across disciplines and geographies.
The Fellowship is delivered by Serendipity Arts and culminates at the Festival, where Fellows present their work publicly through a Work in Progress Presentation. The Festival forms an integral part of the Fellowship’s curriculum, offering Fellows an opportunity to encounter practices, ideas and people across the cultural field.
The Three Pillars
Perspectives
Curated talks, framing notes and conversations introduce Fellows to new ideas and perspectives, encouraging reflection and critical engagement.
Practice
Guided exercises, journalling prompts and research tools help Fellows develop self-awareness, clarify their vision, map networks and deepen their central question.
Participation
Live sessions, fireside conversations, peer learning circles and collaborative activities create opportunities for dialogue, community-building and shared knowledge.
What Fellows Receive
- Six-day residential programme in Goa, including accommodation, meals and programme costs
- Individual senior mentor from the cultural sector with monthly one-to-one sessions
- Psychometric assessment to support self-awareness and mentor matching
- Six expert-led fireside conversations with practitioners, thinkers and cultural leaders
- Weekly live sessions with the Course Director
- Three days at the Serendipity Arts Festival, including Festival accreditation, accommodation and meals
- Curated reading materials
- A peer cohort of mid-career practitioners from across India
Programme Structure
Phase I: Self & Context
June–July 2026
The Fellowship begins with a six-day residential in Goa, bringing the cohort together for the first time. This foundational phase focuses on community-building, personal reflection, self-awareness, strengths, storytelling, research orientation, goal-setting and network mapping. The phase continues online through July.
Phase II: Ecosystem & Region
August–October 2026
This phase expands the Fellow’s perspective to engage critically with the wider arts and cultural ecosystem. Delivered virtually, it features expert-led fireside conversations exploring themes including cultural theory, cultural equity, regenerative practices, cultural entrepreneurship, cultural diplomacy and crisis management.
Phase III: Leadership & Futures
November 2026–March 2027
The final phase focuses on leadership, future thinking and the public articulation of each Fellow’s central question. Fellows participate in the Serendipity Arts Festival in December before developing and submitting their final Research Inquiry Proposal, a 1,500–2,500-word articulation of the inquiry they are pursuing and why it matters.
Programme at a Glance
Duration: Nine months, June 2026 to March 2027
Format: Online learning with two compulsory in-person moments in Goa
Cohort: Approximately 10–15 Fellows
Opening Residential: Six days in Goa from 20 June 2026
Festival Moment: Three days at the Serendipity Arts Festival in December 2026
Online Commitment: Maximum six hours per week of structured engagement
Final Deliverable: Research Inquiry Proposal
Who Is It For?
The Fellowship is designed for mid-career cultural practitioners and cross-sector professionals across India seeking to deepen their leadership practice, expand their understanding of the cultural ecosystem and develop a research-led inquiry rooted in their own work.
Cohort 2026–2027
Following the close of the application process in May 2026, the selected Fellows are:
Cultural entrepreneur, heritage curator and storyteller. He is the founder of Tales of City and Purani Dilli Walo Ki Baatein, working at the intersection of heritage, storytelling, urban memory and the creative economy.
Works in event technology and is interested in cities, museums, markets and neighbourhoods, with a focus on how shared cultural experiences connect people, places and ideas.
Works across cultural heritage, archives and community-based documentation, with a focus on preserving material culture, oral histories, performance traditions and indigenous knowledge through research and collaborative archival practices.
Independent curator and writer working across Indigenous, contemporary and diasporic art and culture. Her practice focuses on amplifying marginalised voices and creating more equitable and inclusive spaces within the arts.
Arts administrator and programme manager working across operations, systems, curation and programme development. She currently leads the team at the Prestige Centre for Performing Arts in Bengaluru.
Archaeologist, educator and founder of Vratya Foundation, using comics and illustrated storytelling to make Indian cultural history accessible to younger audiences. His practice spans archaeology, cultural education and comics pedagogy.
Theatre practitioner, cultural programmer and facilitator based in Bengaluru. Her work spans theatre, cinema, children’s programming and vernacular cultural forms, with a focus on performance, community and cultural infrastructure.
Researcher and art market specialist working at the intersection of scholarship, valuation and market intelligence. His practice explores provenance, artist trajectories, collecting trends and the construction of value within the Indian art ecosystem.
Author, editor and cultural researcher whose work explores memory, institutions and contemporary cultural life in South and Southeast Asia, spanning fiction, criticism, archival inquiry and interdisciplinary research.
Works in artist travel, accommodation and logistics for the Serendipity Arts Festival, coordinating the movement and stay of artists, curators and participants across the Festival.
Works across education, arts and cultural practice, with experience spanning museums, schools and community spaces. Her practice explores art, craft, intangible heritage and inquiry-driven learning.
Cultural producer and arts manager with experience across festivals, performing arts, curation, production and sponsorship. Her current work explores the role of arts, culture and heritage within urban development and policy.
Digital marketer at Serendipity Arts, working at the intersection of storytelling and technology to build digital experiences and outreach for the institution.
Textile artivist, social designer and human rights practitioner whose work brings together feminist making, participatory design and rights-based advocacy, using textile practices as a language of repair, witness and collective memory.
Cultural practitioner working across India and the UK, designing programmes and platforms that support sustainable and connected creative practices. Her work engages with decolonisation, accessibility, peer exchange and community-rooted cultural ecosystems.
Museum professional and Consultant in the Museums Division, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Her interests include digitisation, institution-building and developing museums as financially sustainable and socially relevant community spaces.
Cultural producer and arts manager focused on participatory, process-driven and community-rooted cultural programming. Her experience spans exhibitions, public programmes, operations and strategy across leading cultural institutions.
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