Current Trustees
Raj Chauhan, President
Deeply committed to promote larger progressive ideas through arts and culture, Raj Chauhan is a well-respected local resident living with his family in Khampur village for several generations. An alumnus of Springdales School, Pusa Road and Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and later running his own business, Raj always remained close to Delhi’s cultural circuit. A freethinker with keen interest in theatre, Raj personally knew Safdar and has seen Jana Natya Manch’s (JANAM) work since 1970s. This association grew profounder when Studio Safdar and May Day Café and Bookstore were built in Shadi Khampur in 2012. Since then his contributions to Studio Safdar has been multifaceted. Raj has become a neighbour, regular audience member, local resource person and a very close friend of Studio Safdar. He played a crucial role to facilitate Janam’s engagement and research on local community during collaboration with Dr. Ambedkar University for Shadi Khampur Neighbour Museum Project. Always keen in social outreach activities, Raj played a key role in mobilizing local people for recent events as part of Not In My Name campaign to foster secular values among the communities living in the area.
Ram Rahman, Trustee
Ram Rahman is a noted contemporary Indian Photographer and curator based in Delhi. He is one of the founding members of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) in New Delhi, a leader in the resistance to communal and sectarian forces in India through its public cultural action.
Surajit Sarkar, Trustee
Surajit Sarkar is currently Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Centre for Community Knowledge at Ambedkar University Delhi. He is the current President of the Oral History Association of India (OHAI), Executive Member of the International Association of Agricultural Museums (AIMA) and is on the Public Advisory Board of the Society for Cultural Anthropology (USA).He has been a Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Study, University of Durham (UK), and at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden (Netherlands). Prior to an academic career, he worked as a photocopier salesman, a bank officer and primary school teacher, films and TV director. As a video artist, he has worked in theatre and dance productions, museums and galleries in India and abroad.
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Praveen Vadhera, Trustee
Sanjna Kapoor, Trustee
Sanjna Kapoor is co-founder of Junoon, a social enterprise that aims to create platforms for theatre in India. Sanjna is well known for her passionate work with theatre over two decades, and for having built Prithvi Theatre into one of India’s premier cultural hubs. She is responsible for having brought to Indian audiences some of the finest of world and Indian theatre, being the first to introduce a touring theatre festival into the Indian scene. She has also played a key role as catalyst for theatre for children. Her vision, commitment and enthusiasm ensure that she keeps bringing the richness of theatre into people’s lives in multiple ways. She currently spearheads Junoon’s school programme, and continues the legacy of both the Kapoors and the Kendals to take theatre to people across the country. Sanjna has also been responsible for initiating the India Theatre Forum network for theatre practitioners. Her current focus is working towards an all-India theatre alliance, based on a practical sharing of resources and ideas, as well as consolidating and strengthening theatre practice in India. She is one of the core team member and facilitator of SMART India, Strategic Management in the Art of Theatre a theatre management training programme.
Joyoti Roy, Treasurer
Joyoti Roy is an arts manager and museum consultant. She has a Masters in art conservation from the National Museum Institute and was heading the Outreach Department of National Museum as a consultant until August 2017. She has worked with Intach, the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, CSMVS Museum (formerly Prince of Wales Museum), Mumbai, National Culture Fund, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India and National Museum, Ministry of Culture, Govt of India. She is the India Clore Fellow to UK in 2017. Joyoti is also a Trustee of the Tram Arts Trust and has worked as an actor and singer with Jana Natya Manch from 2001 to 2014. She has worked with leading international museums such as the British Museum, London, Tate Gallery, London, SOAS, university of London and the J Paul Getty Trust, USA. She is also the Director of Achi Association India which is a company managing conservation of Himalayan Buddhist Heritage in Ladakh. Joyoti has been nominated by the Ministry of Culture on a national committee for devising a policy for conservation of artefacts in India. She advises on the Amar Mahal Museum, Jammu and Itihaas, New Delhi.