Happenings at the Museum!

The young awardees and recipients of the prestigious Kala Sakshi Scholarship visited the Sehgal Private Collection to spend time, engaging deeply with the life and work of Amar Nath Sehgal. Many left feeling inspired and many related to him, which kept the dialogue interesting and vibrant.

The Sehgal × CHI Initiative, launched in 2023, is rooted in a shared belief that art is a powerful tool for self-expression and should be an integral part of every child’s learning journey. Through thoughtfully designed workshops for students and art therapy sessions for educators, the initiative fosters creativity, emotional well-being, and imaginative thinking in under-served communities. With over 25 workshops conducted so far, we’re proud to be building a nurturing, inclusive space where children can explore, express, and grow one brushstroke at a time.

Twin artists Rohan & Roshan Anvekar, recipients of the Amar Nath Sehgal Inception Grant, joined us for a conversation with curator Priyal Pall. Known for a practice that merges satire, surrealism, and socio-political critique, the Anvekar brothers shared insights into their journey, their collaborative process, and the ways their individual practices complement one another. With Priyal Pall’s expansive understanding of contemporary art and culture guiding the exchange, the discussion focused on emerging talent and their contributions to the growing community. 

Amar Nath Sehgal Inception Grant awardee Abhishek Chakraborty participated in Open Studio hosted by Top Floor Studio. Following a month-long residency supported by the museum, he was awarded the opportunity to showcase his works created during his residency program. 

Hosts Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das created magic with Amba Sanyal, a renowned costume designer and theatre artist at the museum. The evening narrated stories of her childhood with her father, the legendary B.C. Sanyal, who was also a mentor to Amar Nath Sehgal, shared a strong bond since pre-partition days in Lahore.  Amba’s lifelong dedication to theatre, her deep insights into Indian art, personal anecdotes, and songs of patriotism and nation-building took us back to the 1950s, a time of national unity and cultural resurrection that she was at the centre of. 

On the occasion of World Earth Day, the museum, in collaboration with Ritika Kochhar and Jaipur Virasat Foundation, hosted a conversation on Rajasthan’s ancient water systems. Comic creators and architects Anuj Kale and Shreya Khandekar of Leewardists, in conversation with Ritika, shared their comic-based stories from Jaipur, Udaipur, and Jaisalmer that blend humor, research, and design to make traditional water wisdom accessible. The evening highlighted how intelligent storytelling can inspire awareness, promote sustainability, heritage, and community for the future of our shared planet.

An evening of poetry at the museum, curated by Alishah, featured talented poets Abhay K, Maaz Bin Bilal, Achingliu Kamei, and Jonaki Ray, along with Chirag Thakkar as the moderator. The event explored the many dimensions of belonging—both physical and emotional—through powerful poetic voices that reflected themes of identity, memory, and migration. 

Hosts Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das, in conversation with Padma Shri awardee Dadi Pudumjee, founder of Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. Pudumjee’s lifelong contributions to Indian culture and puppetry globally brought together an evening of storytelling, deep insights into innovation over the years, and a lasting impact on lives. He founded India’s first contemporary puppet company, pioneering large-scale performances worldwide, conducting workshops across continents, introducing audiences to diverse puppetry forms, and shaping a new generation of artists, all while preserving and evolving India’s rich cultural heritage.

Our annual ‘Patron’s Evening’ was organised on the artist’s 103rd birth anniversary to celebrate our journey and work with all our collaborators and partners.  In partnership with the Embassy of Luxembourg, the evening was thoughtfully curated around the theme “Land of Roses”, honouring Luxembourg’s culture of growing roses and their renowned wines to highlight Sehgal’s deep connection with Luxembourg. The event featured a musical performance by duo Sayan Sinha and Saniya Dhawan. 

The young awardees and recipients of the prestigious Kala Sakshi Scholarship visited the Sehgal Private Collection to spend time, learn about the artist’s work, and understand the travails of an artistic journey.

Chef Prima Kurien cooked traditional and contemporary Kerala cuisine that was served to our guests in the museum. The dinner included some of her famous and celebrated dishes that complemented the work of our artist.

Interviewers Sujata Prasad and Oroon Das, in conversation with Jaya Jaitley, a craft revivalist, activist, and politician, she is known for founding the Dastakaari Haat Samiti and her work with Dilli Haat.

To celebrate the artist’s birth anniversary at the museum, we organized our annual ‘Patron’s Evening’, to celebrate our journey and work so far with all our collaborators and partners. It brings us immense joy to have our collaborators celebrate the artist’s legacy.

That’s right! As a part of our celebrations for Amar Nath Sehgal’s birth anniversary and the Jangpura Project, we opened our space to public, specially for everyone in the locality, for the entire day. We had various new faces, lots of conversation and much enthusiasm. This event gave us the opportunity to give full access to people to look at the entire collection in their leisure, with friends, at their own pace. Archives, photographs and hot cups of tea kept us all going through the day.

Kala Sakshi Memorial Trust’s annual grant and workshop – residency program included a visit to the museum. As a part of our Young Artist Program, these young artists were invited over to the museum to view and understand the artist’s work and legacy and hopeful spark some inspiration. Their visit allowed us to discuss various aspects of the artists life, such as the struggle to create and innovate or promote their own work, that many resonated with.

Celebrating the bond between India and Luxembourg, the event of the award of the “Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg” was held at the Private Collection. Hosted by the Ambassador, His Excellency, Jean Claude Kugener in honour of the Honaray Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Mr. Rajat Dalmia from Kolkata. The event has various dignitaries from the government of India as well as other diplomats who were a part of the celebrations.

In the 80’s and 90’s Amar Nath Sehgal collaborated with a weaver in Panipat to create a unique concept of woven tapestry inspired from the artwork of Sehgal. A master collaboration of two mediums, arts and culture.

A story full of surprises, the uncanny intersections of the past that revisit us in the present. Dating back to 1946, the meeting of Mrs. Deepti Naval who is the daughter of then artist Himadri Gangahar, with Mrs. Shukla Sehgal. A relation lost to the Partition of India, Amar Nath Sehgal and Himadri Gangahar were studying art at the Lahore College of Art, Lahore till they fled with their individual families to different cities in India. Thanks to our archives and stories from the past there was an important part of two histories that were reconnected, and rekindled a friendship, 75 years later.

Visit from the Director General, Advaita Gadnayak and his wife, artist Nivedita Mishra visited the Private Collection, over an afternoon to look at the collection, and archives and learn about the work we are planning to do for the future. It was an important discussion on the responsibility of society to protect the legacy of an artist.