Overcoming the Demons in Kolkata, India

  Kolkata, formerly called Calcutta, is often synonymous around the world with the misery of poverty, conjuring up images of Mother Theresa giving refuge to the destitute and dying. While even today this characteristic of the city does exist, it is unfortunate that the world is often unfamiliar with another Kolkata, one that is more well-known to Indians: the nation’s capital of arts and…

Combatting Human Trafficking Through The Arts

Looking at a map of India’s eastern state West Bengal, one will notice that it has an unusual shape. At the top, a tiny sliver of land shoots hundreds of kilometers north, like a little tree growing out of rest of the state, which includes the capital city of Kolkata and the iconic Ganges River. This sliver pushes up into the Himalayas, and borders…

Art for Gender Equality in Mumbai, India!

After a jam-packed month of arts-based social projects in slum communities in Delhi and Mumbai through the Shanti Arts for Action project, it was time for new adventures through a program organized by the Meridian International Center, based in Washington, DC. The program began in South Bombay’s Sitara Studio, where my wife, Karla-Jayne Thomas (aka CJ), and I joined forces with local artist Krishna…