New beginnings at the India Culture Lab

Soma Das

20 December 2018

Dear Culture Lab family,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Soma and I am the newest member of the Godrej India Culture Lab team J. I joined during a really hectic but exciting time – bang in the middle of Urban Lens Film Festival 2018. And the week after that was the launch of A Manifesto for Trans Inclusion, our white paper on transgender inclusion in the workplace.

Learning on the job took on a whole new meaning when the first day was spent arranging artworks till late at night for Urban Lens. And on day one of Urban Lens, I also got the opportunity to speak on stage to introduce the post-lunch session, which was nerve-wracking but was a good way to familiarise myself to the audience. I have also been involved in handling the newsletter, media outreach and learning new things on a daily basis. Since I come from a media background, there is a lot that I need to learn about cultural programming.

The Lab is one of the best places to do so as there is a lot of scope to just choose something that you want to work on and get started. Everyone is very helpful and there is always the motivation to experiment and try something new. 

Over the weeks, the Culture Lab has become more of a home, especially because the team at the Lab are a warm bunch. Proof: on day one, I arrived at my desk to find a chocolate brownie waiting for me. A big shout out to Parmesh, Dianne, Saniya, Mukta and Nayanika who gave me such a warm welcome.

Joining in December means I have a glimpse of what happened earlier, and now I am all set for the coming year. It promises to be an exciting time with a range of events lined up – Queeristan on January 18 and 26; and So Many Feminisms on February 16 and 17 -- and many more that are being planned all through the year.

You will be hearing a lot more from me on the newsletter. Stay tuned and I hope to meet you all soon at the Godrej India Culture Lab.

Cheers,

Soma.