Testimonials

Thank you for your words of appreciation!

It is a matter of great privilege and pleasure for The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation to be associated with the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation from it’s very inception. It is by the untiring and extraordinarily motivating efforts of the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation at every step of the way that The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation has reached the remarkably elevated position it now holds. Both in a monetary as well as in a creative sense the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation has assisted The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation in forming and planning and in overcoming hurdles to rise to its present status. In doing this the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation has meticulously adhered to its lofty principles as a completely non profitable organisation while funding The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation to help scale remarkable heights in performance and in reputation. Today, the Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation is therefore immensely indebted to the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation for not merely its functioning but for its very being.


Bharani Thirunal Rukmini Bayi Thampuran

Chairperson, The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation

As a recipient of a research grant from the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation, I can attest to the commitment the SGMF has made towards promoting not only performative and visual arts but also writing and historical inquiry in India. It was thanks to the SGMF's generous support that I was able to complete my research on the early modern kingdoms of the Deccan and publish what has been described as the "first history of the Deccani Sultanates written for a general audience" (Studies in History, Vol. 35, No 1, February 2019). The book, Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji, has received endorsements not only from the general press and its readers but also from senior academics like Rudrangshu Mukherjee, MuzaffarAlam, and Sunil Khilnani, as well as historians like William Dalrymple. What was long an idea in my head was realised and published after a long research journey chiefly with the support of the SGMF, for which I remain most thankful. I hope the Foundation continues its work in the fields of art, literature, and culture, and supports emerging talent and ideas in the years to come."

“[Rebel Sultans] is dazzling storytelling. Pillai has employed an extraordinarily powerful imagination and a prodigious talent with words to write a genuine thriller that is near impossible to shut before reaching the end.” - The Indian Express

“…this fine book…(is) nuanced…convincing when assertive…(this) is scholarship.”- The Business Standard

“…Rebel Sultans is a remarkable, daring book.”- The Hindustan Times

“…a fascinating book, with delectable minutiae in practically every page…”- Outlook

“Rebel Sultans provides the much-needed bridge between the isolated world of academia and wider public audience...Writing in an eloquent and lucid style, Pillai holds his readers spellbound…”- The Hindu

“…in an elegant and lucid style…Pillai brings together a wide range of sources to weave a fascinating narrative of a historically important and understudied region and period in South Asian history…Pillai’s book is significant not only because it is the first history of the Deccani Sultanates written for a general audience, but also because of the breadth of sources it integrates…(which) gives the work a notable sophistication…Rebel Sultans is an excellent contribution…from which both scholars and the general public will benefit.”- Studies in History


Manu S. Pillai

Author & Historian

They say that it takes being at the right place at the right time and a bit of luck to realise success, but in my opinion, it takes more than that. And being the most talented person doesn’t quite cut it either. You need emotional and economic support, someone to promote and find the right clientele to buy your work and to help navigate you when you take your first baby steps. In other words, you need a patron, in the truest sense of the word. The Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation has been all of that and more. I am deeply grateful and very happy to have them on my side.


Jay Varma

Artist

The support that we have received from the Sandeep & Gitanjali Foundation over many years has been invaluable in enabling us to continue presenting striking stage performances for Bangalore and national audiences.

Time and again as our artistic endeavours were undertaken, Gitanjali and Sandeep have stood by us and given us strength and support in every aspect.

Thanks to the contributions from the foundation it has become possible to revive Girish Karnad's CROSSING TO TALIKOTA in Bangalore as well as Mumbai in March of 2023.

It is an absolute honour and privilege to be associated with the foundation. We remain grateful for this continued support and wish the foundation more success for the future.


Arjun Sajnani

Director, Sight and Sound Performing Arts, Bangalore

I wish to place on record the unstinted support extended by Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation for artists like us, in particular, me. Being a sculptor they have extended support and have accommodated artistic liberty, this is something that I would sincerely acknowledge. Patronising art fraternity is a huge encouragement and an avenue for artists to pursue their passion and keep alive art, heritage and culture of our country. I wish the foundation success in all its endeavours.


Sunita Lamba

Sculptor

My heartfelt appreciation to Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation for encouraging traditional artists like us. I wish to reiterate that even as the second wave of Covid was on, the foundation spared no efforts to move our artists to Bangalore in order to speed up the process of the commissioned work. Given the heavy rains in Koppal it was impossible to finish the required work art that time and hence it was extremely thoughtful of SGMF of getting the artists down to Bangalore.

I wish to specially place on record Ms. Gitanjali Maini's gracious act of putting us up at Bangalore and extending all facilities to our artists during their stay. People like Mrs. Maini and her gallery g are a huge encouragement and motivation for traditional artists like us.

We wish Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation all the best and hope it goes from strength to strength in the promotion of art and culture.


Santoshkumar Chitragar

Kinnal Artisan, Chitragar colony, Kinnal village, Koppal

Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation came as a blessing in disguise to see visual art through lenses. My association as a photographer gave me glimpses of master painters. My experience of decade and half exposed me to multi-dimensional art forms.

Their continuous patronage honed my conceptual strength and made my work visible.


Hemant Mishra

Photo Journalist

It's a long path together with you that showered rose petals for the art fraternity of Bengal. The concern and warmth of understanding of contemporary painting of Kolkata is praiseworthy. I again feel proud of my Bengal origin which gave birth to the modern Indian Art scenario.

Your deep admiration towards the Bengal school of painting has led to many curated shows of this genre from the pioneers to contemporary artists.

I'm extremely grateful to you, wish our association paves way to a brighter future.


Kallol Bose

Janus Art Gallery, Kolkata

It is always heartening to work with partners who share our vision and commitment for the arts and culture. We appreciate the efforts of the Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation to nurture a diversity of artistic and cultural initiatives in the country; and we are delighted to have had them on board as a philanthropy partner on Past Forward: Celebrating Critical Practices - the IFA Festival in October 2019. Their support enabled the city of Bangalore to experience the work of over 43 IFA art projects. We look forward to our continued association with them.


Arundhati Ghosh, Executive Director

Menaka Rodriguez, Head - Resource Mobilisation and Outreach

India Foundation for the Arts

Aristotle says, 'The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance... ' ...and this is what SGMF also stands for me. This foundation helped me to nurture a thought, aided me with an authentic research and yet gave me my chosen freedom of expression. The courage to revisit strong ‘panchkanyas’ came solely from SGMF’s belief. The platform they provided made my journey of this monodrama a smooth glide. The audience they got truly lifted my spirit as a performer of this kind of lost art.

SGMF doesn't compromise with the presentation quality. These performances under their umbrella have far reaching social change ripples.

Feeling Fortunate to be with SGMF...


Anjana Chandak

Performance Artist

It has always been my belief that there are very few places in the world which are ripe with artistic subjects than India. That being so, the nuanced understanding required to faithfully portray those subjects, let alone to interpret them, is immensely daunting, even for artists who have lived in this country their whole life.

The creation of my photo art series ‘Mallaah’ has been a richly rewarding artistic milestone for me. The entire process came about due to the Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation’s decision to commission me for such an idea, from a belief that I could create something that would be truly unique.

It is often the entities that commission artistic work who decide the concept or approach or there is simply an expectation that an artist deliver something similar to a referenced piece of work.

My series ‘Mallaah’ in its final rendition and form is truly a result of the complete freedom of approach, concept, and every artistic decision in between. And without that wisdom and belief from the SGMF, the series might never have been created at all.


Shibu Arakkal

Photo Artist

The Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation has been our staunch supporter since the second edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, back in 2014. Since then, they have offered us their constant and unwavering support. It is not just support that is extended towards the realisation of our exhibition, but SGMF has also meted out support towards the publication of our catalogue, supported our various verticals, and have also provided us with a buggy service to ferry visitors from venue to venue for the duration of the Biennale. The relationship that the Kochi Biennale Foundation has been able to build with our valued patrons Gitanjali and Sandeep ji is one of immense faith and trust in the other, and we hope to carry this association into the years to come.'


Bose Krishnamachari

Artist & Co-Founder, Kochi Muziris Biennale

I am really grateful to the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation for having supported me through a commissioned project at a time when I was hardly recognized. The integrity, support, and genuine warmth I experienced throughout the different stages of the project is absolutely unforgettable."


Anni Kumari

Visual Artist, Art Educator

Sandeep and Gitanjali Maini Foundation augurs well for the primary requirement of Indian culture to be seen from the contemporary Indian eye, which will remain, as an unmarked pathway for generations to come. The foundation through Art exhibitions, production of short films, art and culture discourses, lecture series, publication and such other vibrant activities provide significant scope to rethink, re-evaluate, and re-interpret Indian art and culture from a fresh perspective. One of the main aim is to decolonize the issues through indigenous knowledge sources and connect back the Indian mind to think originally and explore our identity from our own sensibilities. Our country needs this kind of analytical approach to gain a highly respectable position globally. The Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation is striving towards accomplishing the vision which is central to this illustrious Foundation.

The Foundation, with an endeavor, has undertaken many valuable projects to bring the culturally conscious individuals to be part of it. I am delighted to see the work executed by the Founder Trustees, especially Gitanjali Maini, an enthusiastic, dynamic, and goal-oriented person with a dedication to the artistic and cultural heritage of our land. Sandeep, with all his strong support in many ways fulfils the completion of work undertaken by the Foundation. The Foundation, through the process is facilitating the new generation to appreciate and understand Indian art, mythology and vibrant cultural life of yore with a contemporaneous outlook.

I am proud to have been associated with this illustrious couple in their endeavors and I wish them all success in preserving and passing to future generations the grand cultural heritage of India.


Prof. Dr Choodamani Nandagopal

Art Historian UNESCO Fellow
Tagore National Senior Fellow at National Museum New Delhi

The symphony of music - orchestrated choir - lighting up the path divine, SGMF is all set to enliven and enrich the culture and heritage of India, with their august presence and total participation, precipitating the momentum as intricate and expansive, through nooks and corners to identify resource person/ material. The flood gates open.

I could quote from my personal experience.

A chance meeting with Gitanjali at the launch of the book Hidden Truth: Raja Ravi Varma: The Inside Story by Smt. Rukmini Varma, her visit to Kalanubhava - an exhibition of artworks of Staff, students and alumnae of Visual Arts Dept., Kalakshetra Foundation and my studio led to a proposal.

With her astuteness combined with candid appraisal and ready acceptance, when she offered to have an exhibition of 75 of my paintings to mark my 75th birthday, in her gallery g, and the inauguration on 12th Oct 2019 on my birthday!!, I was moved to tears.

Once decided, right from choosing the paintings, listing up the size, medium, legends etc. to packing, forwarding and display - the clock work precision and management by the team gallery g was awesome. Kudos to SGMF. Again, in choosing a name for the exhibition, when she came out with Timeless Traditions – Enthralling Indian Art Forms by Lakshmi Krishnamurthy …that was the icing on the cake.

I was a spectator, enjoying, feeling enthralled with the whole presentation. That I feel is a wonderful gift for any artist!! More so when spiced up with an outreach programme on Aaj bhi Mandodari - a monodrama by Anjana Chandak.

Awestruck and humbled, I would like all my future endeavors to be handled only by them on their own terms.


Lakshmi Krishnamurthy

Artist, Chennai

I sincerely thank SGMF for providing me an opportunity. It’s a great initiative to look at art more holistically - the many aspects and dimensions which contribute to the thought process manifesting into art and even architecture. This broad outlook comes from the vision which SGMF upholds and I’m glad to be part of this. Their reach makes them more responsible towards the art lovers; an aspect which I was shocked when I received more than 18,000 views for the talk given on their platform.


Pankaj Modi

Conservation Architect, Bangalore

I write to express my thanks to the Sandeep & Gitanjali Maini Foundation for hosting my talk on 'The Untold Story of Mysore Lancers' on the 15th of October, 2020. Thanks also to T.S. Prasad for following through the processes diligently, and for seamless coordination. It is very encouraging to receive the wonderful feedback for the talk; an inspiration to bring more such unknown facets of our history to public consciousness. In these times when it is hard to find a patron to back research into history and tangible heritage, it is a welcome change to receive such warmth and support from your Foundation.


Yashaswini Sharma

Architect, Academician, Author & Researcher, Bangalore

It was a wonderful experience presenting the story of Bengaluru here at SGMF. The audience while large was also one that was new to the topic. SGMF is doing wonderful work promoting heritage awareness through these talks. While we are a country blessed with heritage at every street corner, much of it is unrecognised. SGMF is helping address that issue in some ways by its talks and podcasts. Kudos and thanks to the team behind this.


Udaya Kumar P L

Accidental Historian-Conservationist, Bangalore

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