Chef
Prateek Sadhu

You could say that the hills changed his life. He went back to them, to get a bit of quiet away from the world and ended up with what is definitely one of India’s best destination-dining experiences. NAAR, his 16 seater restaurant in Darwa, Kasauli celebrates Himalayan cuisine, the culture and its people. The menu at Naar is as traditional as it is inventive, at times it is even radical- ripe banana and fish eggs? But it works because Chef Prateek Sadhu is one of India's finest chefs who was last in the limelight for his noteworthy work at Masque in Mumbai.

Artist
Aradhana Seth

Having worked on 15 feature films, made 20 documentaries, put up solo exhibitions and even compiled a book, Aradhana seems to have done it all. Filmmaker, production designer, visual artist, producer, she switches hats flawlessly. Primarily inspired by the visual language of the everyday locale, she has worked with notable directors such as Wes Anderson, and Mira Nair with whom she did the adaptation of her brother Vikram Seth’s novel, A Suitable Boy. Her book SADAK has photographs of hand-painted street signs in India since the last two decades. Selections of these fading relics were showcased at Bengal Biennale 2024.

Chef
Regi Mathew

After 3 years of researching and working with over 265 housewives and 70 toddy shops across Kerala, Chef Regi has definitely covered ground in his home state to preserve traditional regional recipes. Kappa Chakka Kandhari, his current venture is a tribute to his mother’s culinary legacy and the cherished flavors of his childhood. Her kitchen was his first classroom, he says. 30 years of culinary experience in the F&B industry has included commanding kitchens at prestigious establishments such as Taj Hotels and creating food concepts that celebrate regional Indian cuisines.

Artist
Vinu Daniel

In 2007 he started his company 'Wallmakers'. He didn’t know then that he would become one of India’s most sought-after and radical architects. Local materials are at the core of his practice which involves sustainable, cost-effective architecture. He has designed energy-efficient buildings with brick, mud, scrap, waste and even clothcrete (fabric draped with cement).  For him questions like ‘Why should we build and what?’ were answered when he met his hero, the pioneering British Indian architect Laurie Baker, in his formative years. Respecting the cultural history and context of the building sites, he crafts extraordinary structures out of materials that are available in the vicinity.

Chef
Auroni Mookerjee

A fearless palate has steered him through life so far, from the curious kid who developed a taste-first instinctive way of cooking under his father’s encouraging eye. Right through his creative career as a copywriter in advertising, back into the kitchen creating food that spoke to people in their own language. Known for his inventive take on Bengali food that developed after years of exploring the local bazaars, he believes in making menus that reflect the story of the current environment.

Artist
Sonal Sawant

Being a production designer requires you to bring an idea to life. For Sonal, you could say it’s in her blood, her dad having worked as an art director in Bollywood. But she has carved her own path having worked on popular films like Lakshya, Kai Po Che and The Fall. When it comes to ad films, she has a list of both Indian and international productions on her CV. She earns praise even when the films  do not receive commercial success, being recognized for recreating Bombay of the 1960s for Anurag Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet with such clarity is one such example.

Chef
Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar

What is a research scholar with a PhD in Cognitive Linguistics doing in the kitchen? Keeping things simple, really. For Chef Anumitra every taste becomes an edible archive. The experience of it gets stored as a memory in the body. Thus, Edible Archives, her restaurant in Goa, has an ingredient-driven approach. This venture started out as a food project at Kochi Biennale in 2019 highlighting indigenous strains of rice that have been disappearing since the Green Revolution of 1960. Now, friends say her house smells like an ingredient museum. Who wouldn’t love that?

Artist
Archana Hande

A creative force who uses diverse mediums such as installation, drawing, and video in her work, she originally trained as a printmaker at Santiniketan and MSU Baroda in 1993. Meticulous and thoroughly researched she has sometimes even taken 8 years to develop a project. Through her work, she brings out themes of power, industrialization, caste, class and gender. Her most recently showcased mixed-media work- Weaving Light (2021–2023) examines transformations of labour, materiality and technology within Bengaluru’s textile industry.

Chef
Vanika Choudhary

With a library that houses 250 ferments at any given time, Chef Vanika is well-versed in the art of food preservation. She has trained with legendary Chef & Monk Jeong Kwan in South Korea to be able to do so, but the inspiration to use these methods as building blocks of flavour comes from her early childhood in Kashmir, watching her grandmother preserve the locally grown produce. Her life now involves extensive research and development, working with the local communities in her native Himalayan region of Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh. She is known for creating distinctly Indian ferments such as rajma miso.

Artist
Punit Jasuja

Being known for throwing a fabulous party can turn into a full-fledged career. Just ask Punit, who juggles multiple roles like creative director, interior designer and event planner at Second Floor Studio his creative lair from which he runs his empire.  He thinks that the job of an artist is that of an alchemist- to transform events or spaces into reflections of personal experiences for clients. For example, at the Jindal wedding in 2016, he used 300,000 flowers and customized steel in the colours of champagne, gold, bronze, and rose gold to add a personalized touch to the celebrations.

Chef
Amninder Sandhu

Who says fine dining and food cooked over an open fire can’t go together? When Chef Amninder is around, the cooking techniques and practices of ancient India come alive. Her passion for traditional cooking has given her an exhaustive knowledge of traditional Indian recipes and methods. Fun fact: she was entrusted with heirloom recipes from the Royal Kitchens of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala as part of her effort in reviving and safeguarding the country’s past through elaborately prepared or skill sensitive food.

Artist
Ekarth Studio

Can you imagine a two-storied luxury villa crafted mainly from bamboo? Firefly House in Assam is a reality, thanks to Ekarth Studio. They construct architectural poetry with epic bamboo spaces/structures making them frontrunners in sustainable luxury. Their work prioritises well-being and tranquility with eco-friendly development to meet the standards of urban living without damaging the environment. They want to push the boundaries of what is possible with natural building, frequently organizing workshops and seminars on alternative construction materials at their studio in Amsing.

Chef
Viraf Patel

The food industry has been home on multiple counts for Chef Viraf. From his dad working in the hospitality industry, to later, himself working at their family-owned restaurant in Zurich. Later, studying culinary arts at Les Roches was only the cherry on the top in this culinary affair. It’s not surprising that he has been behind names such as Indigo, Touch, Cafe Zoe, Smoke House Grill, The Tasting Room and more. The Gathering will showcase his most recent musings, his innovative approach to modern cuisine and his love for honest, true-to-soul cooking.

Artist
Alex Davis

“India fascinates me and will always be my muse”, says Alex, whose engineering and design education allow him to push the limits of materials and technologies for the desired effect. A contemporary Indian sculptor, artist and designer, he transforms the ordinary into the exceptional, by a use of scale, proportions and materials. He is known for his masterful work with high-grade stainless steel, turning it into pieces of sculpture. The Champa Tree, the Olive tree or massive florals from The Valley of Flowers that are true to life but rendered in the hard reflective metal are proof of his aesthetic skill and technical abilities.

Chef
Adwait Anantwar

Aam papad tuna starts off the 14 course tasting menu at INJA, so Chef Adwait gets full points for creativity.  INJA, widely loved for its innovative twist on Indo Japanese food, is unlike any other restaurant on Delhi’s fine dining scene. Uniting the minimalistic traditions of the Japanese mindset with the bold complexity of Indian cooking shows his unconventional approach towards food. He is leaving a mark on the Indian culinary scene by going beyond recipes and experimenting by sense of taste and curiosity.

Artist
Devika Narain

From humble beginnings in Lucknow to reinventing the landscape of the wedding industry, Devika Narain has had a dream journey. Hailing from a family that just needed an excuse to celebrate, she is well-versed with the psychology of spaces that bring people together and the happiness that has always been a part of celebrations. Devika has received many accolades for her creative interpretations of occasions that are bespoke and employ the varied crafts of the Indian subcontinent. “I've dedicated my entire life to the appreciation of things that are made by hand and of the people who make them!” she says.

Chef
Gresham Fernandes

With Bandra Born, Chef Gresham Fernandes returned to his roots, but loaded with culinary achievements. East Indian crab curry is a gift that belongs to the world, and so it's on the menu along with a list of dishes representing the rich culinary heritage of his Catholic upbringing.  1n 2013, a residency at Noma in Copenhagen gave him the idea to combine his cooking origins with global influences, which eventually led to his current restaurant. He knows how to keep patrons coming back for more having previously run the famous Salt Water Cafe, in the same place.

Artist
Elsewhere in India

Does INDO FUTURISM sound interesting? That’s what you get with Elsewhere in India - the country’s speculative future, filtered through a South Indian lens. Using tools like game engines, motion capture, and AI, they craft vivid realms where cultural legacy meets futuristic scenarios. A mix of music, simulation and installations created by music director Murthovic (MSR Murthy) and media artist + creative director Thiruda (Avinash Kumar), represent the new wave of Contemporary Asian Art reversing the narrative of colonisation that views eastern creative projects as inferior or lacking.