Showkeen Speakers
Bringing together distinct voices across disciplines, this panel features Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar,Shalini Passi, Parmesh Shahani, Radhika Bhalla, Anish Gawande, Vaishnavi Kumari, and Brijeshwari Gohil . From advocating LGBTQ inclusion and shaping public discourse to supporting emerging artists and curating cultural narratives, their work reflects a deep engagement with contemporary India.
Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar
Sri Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, Scion of the Royal House of Mysore and the Wadiyar Dynasty, is a compelling blend of tradition and modernity. An English and Economics graduate from the United States, Sri YKC Wadiyar is passionate about music, literature, sports, and tennis.
Sri YKC Wadiyar’s key endeavor revolves around the preservation and promotion of Mysore’s rich history, culture, and traditions. As the custodian of a legacy dating back to the Vijayanagar Empire, he fervently upholds and illuminates the vibrant customs and practices of the palace.
Princess Vaishnavi Kumari
Vaishnavi Kumari pursued Accessory Design at NIFT, New Delhi, before earning a diploma in
Asian Art from the British Museum and a Master’s degree in the History of Art and Archaeology
from SOAS, University of London. In 2010, she founded Studio Kishangarh, inspired by the
historic Tasvir Khanas (royal ateliers), to revive and reinterpret the Kishangarh school of miniature
painting. Combining academic research with artistic practice, she explores ways to sustain and
adapt traditional techniques for contemporary audiences. As a custodian of a rich cultural legacy,
she is committed to fostering the arts, ensuring that Kishangarh’s artistic heritage remains relevant
within global discussions on heritage, craftsmanship, and cultural sustainability.
Princess Brijeshwari Gohil
Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has a BA Joint Honors degree in Archaeology and History of Art from the University of Nottingham, U.K., an MA in Heritage Management and Conservation from Durham University, U.K. She has worked as an archaeologist, researcher and conservator for UNESCO in Lumbini, Nepal, prior to which, she worked at CSMVS Mumbai in the art conservation department.
Born into the erstwhile royal family of Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Brijeshwari has been interested in the field of heritage from childhood where she was exposed to an environment of art and historically significant objects and artifacts. The exposure to her family trust, which maintains heritage hotels, historical temples and schools, led her to start the Bhavnagar Heritage. An organisation that is working to create a digital information portal on Bhavnagar’s heritage as well as generate employment for local artisans to promote the region’s arts and crafts. Six months ago, she started a print and digital magazine, featuring the region’s people and places.
More about this can be found on www.bhavnagarheritage.com
Shalini Passi
Shalini Passi is a Delhi-based Art collector; Art, Design, and Fashion Patron; Philanthropist; Art and design advisor, and Artist. She has been sitting on the Khoj Studios Advisory Board since 2012 and continues to serve as a longstanding patron of the annual Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
She is the founder of MASH, a digital platform that explores the intersection of architecture, art, craft, design, and fashion in an accessible and engaging format, and also founded & conceptualised the Shalini Passi Art Foundation. Her keen interest in the evolving vocabulary of Contemporary art is predominantly translated into her practice as well. She has provided a platform for emerging talents with initiatives like Young and Emerging Artists’ Award.
Parmesh Shahani
Parmesh Shahani is an award-winning author, culture curator and LGBTQ inclusion activist. He presently heads the Godrej DEI Lab, an experimental think-do space that aims to empower inclusion ecosystems both within and outside the 127-year-old Godrej Industries Group of companies. Prior to this, between 2011-2021, he founded and headed the Godrej India Culture Lab as a multi-year inter-disciplinary project which examined the ever-changing nature of Indian society. Parmesh is a passionate advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in corporate India and has guided many of the country’s leading companies on their inclusion journeys.
His first book Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love and (Be)Longing in Contemporary India (Sage Publications) was released in 2008 and his second book Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace (Westland) was released in August 2020 and won the 2021 CK Prahalad Prize for Business Book of the Year and the 2021 Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity. Parmesh holds an MS in Comparative Media Studies from MIT. He is a TED Senior Fellow, a Yale World Fellow, World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and a board member of KHOJ International Artists’ Association and Breakthrough.
Radhika Bhalla
Radhika Bhalla is the Content Director of The Word. Magazine and an award-winning journalist with an extensive background in luxury, fashion, and lifestyle journalism.
She has held senior editorial roles at Harper’s Bazaar India and Brides Today, and been the Editor of Bridal Asia, shaping narratives at the intersection of art, culture, and design. Her work has also been featured in leading publications such as Cosmopolitan, Robb Report, and India Today. With a deep understanding of visual storytelling and cultural discourse, she offers a nuanced perspective on art and its evolving influence.
Anish Gawande
Anish Gawande is a writer, translator, and politician currently serving as the National Spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). A Rhodes Scholar, he holds degrees in comparative literature from Columbia University and in intellectual history and public policy from the University of Oxford.
Anish is the founder of Pink List India, the country’s first archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and a recognised advocate for inclusion and equal rights.
As a translator, he has brought the poetry of Ramchandra Siras from Marathi to English. He continues to write and speak on contemporary art and literature, while also curating exhibitions at prominent art galleries across India.