The Anād Foundation is a non-profit, non-government, literary-cultural charitable organization constituted for the purpose of service, promotion and preservation of the traditional human values and heritage in general, and in the devotional music of our tradition, in particular. The Trust is dedicated to the phenomena of great maestros through whom the evolving human values attained high point of articulation.

According to ancient scriptures and pedagogies, Anād is that which is without beginning. Rather, it is that whose beginning we cannot fathom or grasp in the recesses of our mind. In another sense, it is that which we may relish in its continuum and touch in its ever-resonant passage.

In order to resuscitate the connection to the continuum that is our cultural past, Anād Foundation works to provide a structure of support and nourishment to that continuum through creating interactive spaces for traditional, spiritually enriching cultural activity like the practice of visual and performing arts, storytelling, singing, handcrafting and playing musical instruments, painting, spinning the wheel, pottery-making or even growing your own food!

The  Anād Foundation’s mission is to establish institutions as a means towards facilitating the recovery and enhancement of the intangible (sukham virsā) and tangible (sthūl virsā) heritage of South Asia as a priority. 

Initiatives

Since conserving and celebrating our cultural heritage is our main objective, our approach is three-fold: documentation, analysis and performance (education/dissemination). Among our main activities are:

• Restoring vintage audio-recordings of classical music maestros both renowned and those lesser known.
• Reviving long lost traditions of luthiery especially of instruments fallen from use for over 150 years. We have not only pioneered the recovery of physical instruments but also their ancient playing techniques, the knowledge of which we have garnered via extensive field research over the last 27 years.
• Employing indigenous pedagogical processes to disseminate knowledge of ancient musical repertoire. Students at Anād have been trained in performance practices and musical repertoire dating back to 15th century South Asia, the knowledge of which has been transmitted orally through several generations.
• Conceiving and in the process of establishing Anād Khand: an Institute of Arts, Aesthetics and Cultural Traditions in Sultanpur Lodhi, Punjab. This institute is situated in the 12th century fort of Qila Sarai.
• Bringing together some of the world’s finest conservation architects, landscapists and town planners in the 17-member strong Anād Scientific Advisory Committee to guide the physical restoration of Qila Sarai.