WHAT IS CULTURE EXPRESS?
Culture Express is a brand new platform for the dissemination, preservation and discussion of culture. In a world being driven more and more by economic motivations, there is little time to learn about and connect with our roots. But the need to understand one's context is more important than ever. This is a time of great social change and political debate. This is a good time to assess our history, shared legacies and envisage our future.
This is where Culture Express comes in.
A first-of-its kind initiative, Culture Express was born from the need to take a closer look at culture – to be able to share, nurture and add to it. Culture Express humbly seeks to bridge the gap between the layman who is curious about his cultural background and the academician who is the custodian of cultural knowledge. Through videos, workshops, presentations, talks and discussions, this platform will empower participants with the knowledge of Indian culture in a nutshell.
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MEET THE
FOUNDER
Urmi Chanda-Vaz is the founder of Culture Express and the host for its Youtube Channel. She comes with a mixed bag of experiences having been trained as a psychologist and worked at senior editorial positions in the print media for over 6 years.
But it is her passion for culture studies that makes her want to pass on her knowledge further. She also has diplomas in Comparative Mythology and Mysticism and a master's degree in Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology. She consults, writes and researches for several organisations. She has also been a TEDx (SSCBS) talker.
She works as a Research Consultant at Lord Cultural Resources India office, where she deals with museum and exhibition research, in addition to writing for several publications such as Scroll.in, Business Line INK, Firstpost, the Week, etc.
Media mentions/ events
PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR
Urmi Chanda-Vaz was invited to moderate a panel discussion during the Likho Media Summit 2018, preceding the Likho Media Awards. The panel discussion 'Beyond #MeToo: Creating an Equal, Inclusive, Diverse, and Safe Media workspace' included luminaries like Vinta Nanda, Parmesh Shahani, Apsara Reddy and Anuradha Tewary.
Read about it here.
TEDx SPEAKER
Urmi Chanda-Vaz was invited to speak at a TEDx event in Delhi, organised by the Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS) on October 31, 2017. The theme for the TEDx event was 'Deconstruct' and Urmi chose to speak on the subject 'Deconstructing Secular Education: A Case for Religious Studies' as someone who dabbles continually in Indic studies.
TEDxSSCBS video out now!
JOURNALISM AWARD
Apart from research work, Urmi Chanda-Vaz also is a contributing literary critic and culture writer for Scroll.in. One of her articles won an award recently. In the picture alongside, she is receiving the Best Digital Story 2015 prize from famed journalist, Arnab Goswami, and noted LGBTQ activist, Ashok Row Kavi at the inaugural Likho Awards for Excellence in Media instituted by Bombay Dost and Humsafar Trust for a fair representation of the LGBTQ community in the media. The award ceremony was held at the Mumbai Press Club on December 10, 2016.
Read more about the event here. Read more about the prize here. Read the award-winning article here.
