Aleya Chakravarty
Aleya Chakravarty's artistic journey is deeply influenced by her upbringing in Calcutta and Bombay, India. Now residing in California, she draws inspiration from childhood memories, the beauty of nature, and the simple joys of life, infusing her work with optimism and resilience. Her art is a vibrant tapestry of color and emotion, weaving together poetry and personal reflection to explore themes of existence and human consciousness. Aleya aspires to spark meaningful conversations and forge connections that transcend cultural, social, and geographical divides.
Devi S. Laskar
Devi S. Laskar is a poet, novelist, artist, photographer, former newspaper reporter and lifelong TarHeel. She is the author of the award-winningThe Atlas of Reds and Blues, and recently, Circa. Her third novel, Midnight, At The War is forthcoming from Mariner Books. She holds degrees from Columbia University, University of Illinois and UNC-Chapel Hill. She now lives in California.
Indranil Chandra
Indranil Chandra is a nature and wildlife photographer of South Asian origin, dedicated to capturing the rich and diverse palette of colors that nature offers. From the ochre reds of the American Southwest to the alpenglow on the majestic peaks of the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, he showcases the beauty of these vistas. Indranil is equally captivated by the grace and ferocity of wildlife, found both in the dense jungles of the Indian subcontinent and the vast forests of the American landmass. He considers himself fortunate to share his vision with the world through his lens.
Kundan Baidwan
Kundan Baidwan received her BA in Visual Arts at University of California, San Diego in 2001. During her education she was twice selected for the Honors Studio program. While in San Diego, Kundan showed both on campus and with galleries such as Social Club & Gallery and 838, and was selected for Regional Artists Show by the Art Institute, Balboa Park. She briefly worked as mural restoration assistant in Paris under the tutelage of Bruno Poirier. While living in Brooklyn, she continued to paint, assist fellow artists and began working on private commissions. Since her Bay Area debut at Heart in 2011, where she was heralded as their most successful artist, Kundan has continued to show in San Francisco, Pacifica, Los Angeles and her hometown of Fremont.
Meghna Sharma
Meghna Sharma is an artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Though she works with several mediums she now specializes in oil painting with a penchant for portraits. The human form and face interests her immensely and she loves to observe people in their natural settings. Her painting ‘Lazy Afternoons’ was selected for The DeYoung Open 2023 and displayed at The DeYoung Museum, San Francisco. She has previously exhibited her paintings at the Cupertino Library, The Gallery House Palo Alto, The Mohr Gallery Mountain View, Sunnyvale Senior Center. She is currently a member of The San Francisco Women Artist (SFWA) gallery.
Her work is available for view on her Instagram account https://instagram.com/artbymeghnasharma
Najeeb Abdulrahiman
Najeeb Abdulrahimanl is fascinated by the fluid realm of impressionism, where the essence and feeling of a place take precedence over precise replication. His paintings feature loose, sweeping strokes capturing cityscapes and rural landscapes but also the very movement of life within them. In his work, he strives to embrace the spontaneity and unpredictability of watercolors to add another layer of complexity. Each piece is a celebration of the moment, a fleeting glimpse into the underlying vibrancy and dynamism that animate the bustling streets of urban centers and the expanses of the countryside.
Salman Alam Khan
Salman Alam Khan is a Los Angeles-based Pakistani filmmaker and photographer, skilled as a writer, director, and cinematographer. His work revolves around themes of cultural diversity and identity. Khan has exhibited his work at numerous film festivals and photography exhibitions worldwide. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy.
Nikhil Sharma
Born and Raised in the Silicon Valley, Nikhil Sharma began his career not as an artist, but as a software engineer. Conditioned to value career and financial success by his south asian immigrant community and the surrounding tech culture, Nikhil found himself questioning his path soon after beginning full-time work. Catalyzed by self-reflection, Nikhil’s artistic journey began with furniture art before quickly expanding to include painting and sculpture. Through his practice, Nikhil explores the journey of self-growth and how it is discussed in our society.
Rajesh Relan
is a self taught visual artist who began his artistic journey as a young boy in India. Rajesh is inspired by the spectrum of bright colors that Mother nature provides, his art work is classified as "Indian Contemporary". Rajesh's work is popularly known as "Body Language", where main expression and mood is shown through body gestures and not facial expressions. Some of his works can be seen at:
Sajuti Haque
Sajuti Haque was born in Bangladesh and raised in Little Bangladesh, Los Angeles. Captivated by colors and canvases from a young age, she pursued a minor in visual arts at UC San Diego, where she began building her portfolio. Now a San Mateo resident and an urban planner in local government, Sajuti balances the precision of planning with the fluidity of painting. Her artwork often features scenes inspired by her Bangladeshi heritage, blending memory with imagination.
Selected Artists
Supported by Neev Curations
Join sculptor Priyanka Rana for an art activation at SALA 2024!
1:00 -2:00 pm at Encina Lawns.
Participants are invited to create "memory pods" using spare fabric, including saris. All materials will be provided on-site. Rana embellishes her sculptures with these pods, which explore her transnational upbringing across three continents. Each resin-dipped pod captures a tangible memory, reflecting the ephemeral moments we carry with us.
In collaboration with Museum of Design and Craft.
Join sculptor Priyanka Rana for an art activation at SALA 2024!
Participants are invited to create "memory pods" using spare fabric, including saris. All materials will be provided on-site. Rana embellishes her sculptures with these pods, which explore her transnational upbringing across three continents. Each resin-dipped pod captures a tangible memory, reflecting the ephemeral moments we carry with us.
In collaboration with Museum of Design and Craft.
Devi S. Laskar
Devi S. Laskar is a poet, novelist, artist, photographer, former newspaper reporter and lifelong TarHeel. She is the author of the award-winningThe Atlas of Reds and Blues, and recently, Circa. Her third novel, Midnight, At The War is forthcoming from Mariner Books. She holds degrees from Columbia University, University of Illinois and UNC-Chapel Hill. She now lives in California.
Dr. Jyoti Bachani
Dr. Jyoti Bachani translates Hindi poems and has published four multi-lingual anthologies of Poetry of Diaspora in Silicon Valley, a community she founded. A Fulbright Senior Research Scholar, an Outstanding LaSallian Educator, she professes using the arts to humanize management.
Lalit Kumar
Lalit Kumar writes a regular column in 'India Currents magazine' sharing his passion for adventure and travel. He is author of two poetry books, 'Yosemite of my Heart -Poems of Adventure in California' and 'Years Spent - Exploring Poetry in Adventure, Life and Love' that was among Top 3 Selects in Indie Poetry genre by BookLife. www.lalitkumaronline.com
Monica Korde
Monica Korde, Poet Laureate of Belmont, is an artist and advocate for youth engagement in the arts. She curates literary & multicultural events spotlighting poets and collaborates with Southeast Asian artists to blend poetry with visual arts, dance, and music. Project POETRY 360, her community-wide initiative, fosters inclusivity and amplifies diverse voices. Her poems have been recognized online, in print and on radio.
Nirbhay Pratap Singh Purewal Legha
Nirbhay Pratap Purewal Legha is a poet and student completing a bachelor's in Physics. Born to a Punjabi Sikh family and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. His Debut collection Awake at Dawn addresses social issues and every-day life.
Neha Bagchi
Neha Bagchi writes fiction and poetry. She translates poetry from Bengali and Hindi/Urdu into English, studies translation theory, and is working on a critical analysis of Tagore’s “Gitanjali” in translation. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University.
Reena Kapoor
A techie for 25+ years, Reena now focuses on writing plays, poetry and fiction, published in numerous anthologies, and literary journals. Her plays have been produced by EnActe Arts. Reena holds an undergraduate degree from IIT Delhi. She can be found at https://arrivalsanddepartures.substack.com/
Shiraz Anand Srinivasan
The work of Anand Srinivasan reflects the voice of a young, burgeoning South Asian poet raised and living in the West, and captures the complexity of the identity formed under such diverse circumstances and factors as class (the experience of growing up middle class surrounded by affluence), religion (the experience of being Indian and being raised Christian) and culture (the experience of being a part of numerous sub cultures in America yet never feeling fully belonging to any one). Anand graduated from American University with the class of 2019 with a B.A. in creative writing poetry and a minor in transcultural studies.
Siddharth Mehrotra
Siddharth is a prolific writer of poetry and fiction and holds a master’s degree in Critical Comparative Scriptures from Claremont University. He lives in Southern California immersed in his study of ancient texts and mythologies, the search for planets in outer space, and a lifelong practice of Tae Kwon Do. He is currently working on a soon to be published collection of poems Songs of Going South.
