Team

Vaibhav Chauhan is Head of Special Collections and Assistant Director of the Jio Institute Digital Library (JDL). He is trained in the management and promotion of both Tangible and Intangible Heritage and specialises in steering and managing multi-stakeholder cultural projects. He has been associated with renowned institutions like Sangeet Natak Akademi, Tata Consultancy Services and National Mission for Manuscripts, to name a few. He has co-founded cultural enterprises like Sahapedia.org, India Heritage Walks and Museums of India in the non-profit space. He takes a special interest in developing tools, technology and policies for the GLAM sector to embrace digital change.

Dr Pushkar Sohoni currently holds the position of Associate Professor and Chair, in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune. He pursued training as a conservation architect and subsequently completed his PhD in the History of Art from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. He specialises in Indian architecture and art, and is known for his extensive contributions to the study of the material culture of the Deccan sultanates including The Architecture of a Deccan Sultanate: Courtly Practice and Royal Authority in Late Medieval India, Jewish Heritage of the Deccan: Mumbai, the Northern Konkan, Pune and Aurangabad with Daulatabad, Khuldabad, Ahmadnagar. His ongoing works delve into the Maratha period temples. Beyond these achievements, his diverse interests encompass archaeology, numismatics, and socio-linguistics.

Dr Savita Kumari currently heads the Department of History of Art at the Indian Institute of Heritage (formerly the National Museum Institute), Noida, Uttar Pradesh. She has been actively involved in research and teaching since 2006 and specializes in Indian art and architecture. She has authored several publications and received national and international fellowships. Her most recent project was documenting the temples of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor. Dr Kumari worked for the UNESCO Dossiers on Intangible Cultural Heritage prepared by the National Museum Institute in 2009. Some of her notable publications are The Cham Sculptures of Vietnam, Tombs of Delhi: Sultanate Period and Heritage of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan: Art and Architecture.

Mr Deepak Gahlowt is a senior architect with over three decades of diverse experience in design, historical conservation, sustainability, energy efficiency, standards writing and building bye-laws drafting, advocacy, training, research, sketching and writing. He is the Director of Xebec, an integrated design-build-manage company that has delivered projects over more than 240 cities across India. Besides this, he has advised a range of corporations on building materials and construction processes; worked in the field of tradition and arts; and has consulted with governments, NGOs and International Agencies. He has contributed a chapter on 'Viceregal Lodge, Shimla', and 'The Retreat, Mashobra' for the Rashtrapati Bhawan Publication The President's Retreats in India. He has published and edited a professional journal and written for mainstream magazines and newspapers.

Meenakshi Vashisth is a Curator in Special Collections, JDL and Project Lead of the Temples of India project. With a background in history and historical archaeology from the University of Delhi, Meenakshi is a culture and heritage management professional with over eight years of experience working in the field being associated with organisations like the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, UNESCO New Delhi, Sahapedia and CulTre. She co-founded Resource Helpline Bridge for Weavers, a volunteer-led initiative to support the weavers’ community during the times of COVID-19. She is interested in the promotion of heritage education through different endeavours.

Ayan Ghosh is a Curator and Visual Researcher in Special Collections, JDL. He has a postgraduate degree (M.Des) in Communication Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), and an undergraduate degree from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi. Ayan previously worked for Getty Images, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and Sahapedia. He takes a special interest in built heritage, visual arts and photography.

Tushar Ayyar is a Curatorial Assistant in Special Collections, JDL. A commerce graduate, he pursued a master’s degree in ancient Indian culture and archaeology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He has completed a certificate course in archaeology from the Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, University of Mumbai and a PG diploma course in Museology and Conservation from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai. He brings an experience of seven years working in different institutes like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and the Coin Museum at the Indian Institute of Research in Numismatics Studies. He has a keen interest in the fields of archaeology, history, numismatics and iconography.

Kirtipal Singh Parmar holds a Master’s degree in Medieval Indian History and Museology and Conservation from the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. He began his career as a Curator at Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II Museum, at the City Palace in Jaipur, handling collections including sculptures, weapons, textiles, and miniature paintings. He has published two books in Hindi on Indian paintings, Prachin Bharatiya Chitrakala Ka Itihas and Madhyakalin Chitrakala Ka Itihas. Currently, he serves as a Project Coordinator in the Conservation Division of Indira Gandhi National Centre For The Arts, New Delhi, overseeing the digitization of over twenty thousand antiquities from various museums of Rajasthan.

Dr Nikita Rathore is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Palaeography, Epigraphy & Numismatics at the Indian Institute of Heritage (IIH), Noida; formerly the National Museum Institute (NMI). She holds a UGC-JRF and received the Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship in 2018. Her Doctoral research focuses on the temple art of the Paramaras in western and southwestern Madhya Pradesh. After graduating with Honours in History from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, Dr Rathore completed her post graduation in History from Delhi University, followed by a second postgraduate degree in History of Art from the National Museum Institute. Her professional endeavours encompass research, presentations at national and international conferences, and publications in esteemed platforms such as Critical Collective, Sahapedia, Cultural Heritage of Varanasi, and Art and Deal Magazine.

Swapna Joshi is a Doctoral Student in the Humanities and Social Sciences department at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in History from Mumbai University and a Master’s in Ancient Indian History, Culture, and Archaeology from Deccan College, Pune. With a keen interest in temple architecture, religious studies, oral narratives, mythology, and folklore, Swapna's research explores the historical significance of architectural forms, particularly focusing on the Lonar crater for her doctoral dissertation.

Swapna has contributed essays on various aspects of the Lonar crater and medieval temples in Maharashtra. Her academic pursuits extend beyond her dissertation, as she has collaborated with institutes like Sahapedia and Living Waters Museum to research drinking water fountains in Mumbai and Pune. Through her diverse academic initiatives, Swapna endeavours to uncover and elucidate the rich historical and cultural heritage of India.

Srija Sahay is currently a PhD research scholar at the Department of History, University of Delhi, specializing in ancient and early medieval history of India. Her research interests focus on studying connected histories of regions through an art-historical perspective, as well as exploring the history of gender and environment. She also holds a position as an assistant professor at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIP), Delhi.

Anchit Jain is an Assistant Professor at the Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, and a doctoral candidate at the Department of History, University of Delhi. His research interests correspond to fields of art history, history of camel domestication, Jain monasticism, medieval expansion of castes, and Swaminarayan intellectual and cultural traditions. Currently, he is engaged in two major projects focusing on the early medieval histories of Jainism in central India and redefining the caityavasin (temple-dwelling) traditions of Jain monastic history. He has recently contributed to the book Conversations with the animate 'other', edited by Prof. Aloka Parasher Sen.

Mrunal Nidadavolu is an architect from Pune, Maharashtra. She specialized in architectural conservation and urban regeneration from the Faculty of Architecture at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. During her time at Ahmedabad, she undertook a directed research project on 'Humanitarian Practices Towards Adopted Heritage: Narratives of Displacement, Grievances and Impact'. Mrunal currently works in New Delhi with Ar. Praveen Vashisht and Ar. Deepak Gahlowt. She has worked on projects involving architectural heritage documentation, urban revitalization, and conservation of heritage structures. Besides her profession, Mrunal enjoys stage theatre, film appreciation, photography, and watercolour painting.

Sohini Rajiyung is a social impact strategist with over seven years of experience. She also possesses extensive editorial and publishing expertise, having collaborated with organizations such as Zubaan, CulTre, and Sahapedia. Beyond her professional engagements, she provides mentorship to young women leaders and refugees across Asia and the Pacific through her association with Wedu and ChatLoop. With a background in Literature and Human Rights, she is passionate about promoting knowledge dissemination and advocating for social justice through her work.