Board of Advisors 2026-2029

Board of Advisors, Anād Foundation

The Board of Advisors of Anād Foundation is an honorary advisory body constituted to provide guidance, counsel, perspective, and institutional support to the Foundation’s work in the conservation, documentation, transmission, and public presentation of India’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Anād Foundation had, in its earlier years, constituted a Board of Advisors whose first Chairman was Rear Admiral Kirpal Singh (Retd.). Following his passing, the Chairperson of Anād Foundation nominated Shri Nripjit Singh Chawla to serve as Acting Chair. With the passing of several respected members and the expansion of Anād’s work across India, the Board of Advisors is now being reconstituted for the term 2026–2029.

The reconstituted Board brings together distinguished persons from public service, scholarship, architecture, conservation, law, governance, archives, music, literature, culture, education, and public life. Its purpose is to offer broad guidance and institutional goodwill while remaining honorary, advisory, and non-executive.

Anād’s Present Work

Anād Foundation is presently engaged in a renewed phase of work across India. Among the major initiatives before the Foundation are the conservation-adaptive reuse of Haveli Dewan Hari Chand, Kapurthala, as part of Anād Khaṅḍ Kapurthala; the strengthening of archives, publications, pedagogy, and documentation programmes; the care of manuscripts, musical instruments, and historic materials; and the development of public-facing heritage, research, and educational initiatives.

The Foundation’s larger work continues to centre on Gurbāṇī Saṅgīt, historic knowledge systems, archival stewardship, manuscript and musical-instrument traditions, pedagogy, publications, heritage spaces, and the conservation of both tangible and intangible heritage.

Aims

The Board of Advisors aims to:

  1. offer broad guidance and perspective on the long-term vision, institutional direction, and public responsibilities of Anād Foundation;
  2. support the Foundation’s work in the conservation and interpretation of tangible and intangible heritage, including historic spaces, archives, manuscripts, musical instruments, oral traditions, living knowledge systems, and pedagogic lineages;
  3. strengthen Anād’s national heritage programmes through counsel, introductions, institutional goodwill, and strategic advice;
  4. help ensure that Anād’s projects are carried forward with seriousness, ethical clarity, cultural sensitivity, scholarly depth, and public responsibility;
  5. provide a dignified advisory framework within which specialised committees may be formed for particular domains, projects, or technical matters.

Objectives

The Board of Advisors may:

  1. meet ordinarily once a year, either in person or online, to receive updates on Anād’s major programmes and offer observations where appropriate;
  2. review broad project summaries, institutional notes, conservation updates, archival briefings, publication plans, and educational initiatives placed before it by Anād Foundation;
  3. advise on matters concerning heritage conservation, archives, pedagogy, research, publications, museums, public outreach, and long-term institutional development;
  4. support the Foundation in building relationships with public institutions, universities, cultural bodies, scholars, conservation professionals, and other relevant organisations;
  5. encourage transparency, continuity, and institutional memory in Anād’s advisory processes;
  6. enable the constitution of specialised advisory committees from within the Board of Advisors, with additional special invitees where necessary;
  7. receive observations or reports from such specialised committees and, where appropriate, place recommendations before the Board of Trustees of Anād Foundation.

Specialised Advisory Committees

From within the Board of Advisors, and with the inclusion of special experts where required, smaller advisory committees may be constituted for specific domains or projects.

One such proposed committee is ASHA — Anād Scientific & Heritage Advisory Committee 2026–2029, intended to revive and extend the spirit of the earlier Anād Scientific Advisory Committee, chaired during the Anād Conservatory phase by Prof. Paolo Ceccarelli.

Advisory Character

The Board of Advisors is an honorary and non-executive body. It does not exercise administrative, financial, statutory, fiduciary, or executive authority. Such authority remains vested in the Board of Trustees and duly authorised office-bearers of Anād Foundation.

The Board’s role is to advise, observe, suggest, encourage, support, and strengthen the Foundation’s work through knowledge, experience, goodwill, and institutional perspective.

Members

The Board of Advisors 2026–2029 is presently being reconstituted. Names of members shall be added after consent is received.

Dr Sanjeev Chopra
Senior Fellow, Centre for Contemporary Studies, Prime Ministers Museum and Library; Academic Council Member, National Centre for Good Governance; historian, columnist, and Festival Director, Valley of Words.

Rta Kapur Chishti
Author, editor, textile scholar, and developer; long-standing advisor and supporter of Anād Foundation’s cultural and heritage work.

Further names shall be added upon confirmation.