About us

The first Living Lightly exhibition took place in 2016 in New Delhi at the IGNCA. It spotlighted pastoralism in Kutch and was a result of a range of partnerships and collaborations, over infinite cups of chai and many hot meals. Herders contributed their stories and songs, children from the community photographed their own lives, pastoral families reconnected with old friends in artisanal households recounting the nuances of traditional pastoral practices and beliefs. new and unfamiliar, and it became a source of inspiration for our creative impulses. Photographers, filmmakers, painters, musicians and designers joined us along the way and Living Lightly grew into a story with many strands.

After its journey through Kutch, in its next phase, Living Lightly will move to South India, bringing together the narratives of pastoralists in the Deccan Plateau, following which the exhibition will spotlight stories of pastoralism from the Himalayan regions over the coming years.

Centre for Pastoralism

Living Lightly is a part of the Centre for Pastoralism. The research and documentation leading to the exhibition and its accompanying events serve to generate ideas that help inform and shape the work undertaken by CfP and its partners. Living Lightly, serves both as a platform of outreach and as an incubator of ideas and programmes.

The Centre for Pastoralism (CfP) is a Sahjeevan Initiative that seeks to undertake research aimed at enhancing our understanding of pastoralist ecosystems, develop collaborative programs to enhance
pastoralist livelihoods, recognize and conserve breeds developed by pastoralists, facilitate the
restoration of grazing lands, and undertake outreach with policy makers, media, students and society
at large on a wide range of issues relating to pastoralism.

The Creative Commons – Our Team

Carole Douglas

Carole Douglas

Carole Douglas is an Australian artist, curator and environmental advocate with a long engagement with the textile crafts of Kutch, Gujarat. She co-curated the section on pastoral crafts in LivingLightly – Kudrat Ji Kalayi.

Sanjay Barnela

Sanjay Barnela

Sanjay Barnela is a documentary film maker, co-founder of Moving Images Films, and lead faculty at Srishti Films. Sanjay curates Someplace else, the Living Lightly film festival.

Ooron Das

Ooron Das

Oroon Das is a multidisciplinary designer, actor, theatre artiste, singer and scenographer, working in diverse contexts and sectors. He is the lead exhibition designer of Living Lightly.

Shabnam Virmani

Shabnam Virmani

Shabnam Virmani is a singer, documentary film maker and leads the Kabir Project as an artist in residence at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore since 2002. She curated Rooh ji Rehan -the poetry and music installation in Living Lightly.

Vipul Rikhi

Vipul Rikhi

Vipul Rikhi is a poet, story teller, singer, and translator immersed in the oral traditions of Bhakti and Sufi poets. He curated Rooh ji Rehan -the poetry and music installation in LivingLightly.

Sharada Mushti

Sharada Mushti

Sharada Mushti is a rudra veena player, an architect and is a co-director at Design Habit. Design habit mentored the curatorial team in its formative phase and designed the 360 degree immersive film installation for LivingLightly.

Amardeep Behl

Amardeep Behl

Amardeep Behl is the founder of Design Habit, a Delhi based design studio. He has worked with diverse museum and exhibition projects across India. Design habit mentored the curatorial team in its formative phase and designed the 360 degree immersive film installation for LivingLightly.

Meera Goradia

Meera Goradia

Meera Goradia has been working with the craft artisanal sectors across India for more than 3 decades. She co-curated the pastoral crafts store at the Living Lightly exhibitions in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

Surajit Ranjandas

Surajit Ranjandas

Surajit Ranjan Das, trained as an architect, is a design consultant and scenographer based in
Delhi. He is a core member of the exhibition design team for Living Lightly.

Smriti Chanchani

Smriti Chanchani

Smriti Chanchani is a Bangalore based visual artiste and story teller. She has designed the LL logo, created key art works for Living Lightly, and directed the films for the 360 degree film installation called Heddan Hoddan.

Nipun Prabhakar

Nipun Prabhakar

Nipun Prabhakar is a photographer and community architect. He supports Living Lightly
with his photo documentation of pastoralist communities.

Sandeep Virmani

Sandeep Virmani

Sandeep Virmani is an architect and environmentalist who founded Sahjeevan and Hunnarshaala Foundation. Sandeep has been an advisor to the curatorial team of Living Lightly and developed the stories for the film narratives in Living Lightly.

Sarah Kaushik

Sarah Kaushik

Sarah Kaushik is an exhibition designer, collage artist and scenographer. She is a
graphic designer and a core member of the exhibition design team for Living Lightly.

Arvind Lodaya

Arvind Lodaya

Arvind Lodaya is trained in product design and has worked extensively in innovation, design and
branding, both in the academic world and with civil society institutions. He has been an advisor to the curatorial team of Living Lightly.

Paresh Mangalia

Paresh Mangalia

Paresh Mangalia Paresh Mangalia has been engaged with the craft sector in Kutch for more than 2 decades, playing varied roles in Khamir. He facilitates the production and conservation of the craft narratives for Living Lightly.

Shouryamoy Das

Shouryamoy Das

Shouryamoy Das is an engineer who quit corporate work to pursue his interest in
pastoralism, ecology and craft conservation. He anchored Living Lightly through its first two editions, and
has coordinated the LL website design.

Aarati Halbe

Aarati Halbe

Aarati Halbe is trained in economics and political science. She also makes hand crafted books. Aarati anchored the Living Lightly documentation, the exhibition preparations and got the ball rolling!

Priyashri Mani

Priyashri Mani

Priyashri Mani is trained in social development and has been engaged in work with indigenous communities in Tamil Nadu. She anchors the Living Lightly exhibition and Utsavs and is the chief herder of the LL team.

Sushma Iyengar

Sushma Iyengar

Sushma Iyengar is the lead curator of the exhibition ‘Living Lightly – Journeys with Pastoralists’ – an outcome of her longstanding interest, work and experience with indigenous communities, including nomadic pastoralists..

Khyati Vinod

Khyati Vinod

Khyati Vinod is an artist and architect. As a member of the Living Lightly team, she leads the visual design work, holds the archives and supports the documentation team. She designed the LivingLightly website with the LL team and designers.