Ramaa Ramaa Ramaa

An Indian citizen with close to nine years of lived experience in China, he is an alumnus of Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and currently the Director of Special Projects at INDICA. His post-graduate specialization in Strategy, Leadership and Marketing included a study of research methods. His professional experience includes stints as a Market Leader at a Global Fortune 50 firm while he has served a term on the Board of a Shanghai-based not-for-profit. His academic writings span some aspects of ancient Indian chronology, Indian Knowledge Systems, Landscape in Indic texts, Ancient Indian Jurisprudence, Ideas of India and Philosophy. Other professional and pro-bono pursuits have included building differentiated digital platforms for Indic texts targeted at specific learning and research needs and music. His research-based compositional Sanskrit music album ‘Bhārata and her Kāśmīra’ has been listed by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. His subsequent music album ‘Indian Knowledge Systems and Yāskācārya’s Nirukta’ has recently been accepted for listing by the Vedic Heritage Portal. In 2022, the National Museum Institute invited him to contribute content for multiple projects currently underway, including ones on Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh and Kedarnath. In 2023, he was nominated by the Chairman of ICHR as a Member of a National Committee for an initiative focused on Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh. His work has been featured in both editions (Chennai and Pune) of Vitasta (2023), a multi-city festival focused on Kashmir organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Dr. Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati has taught at several universities nationally, including UC Berkeley. She is widely recognized as a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, and is a disciple of Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji Saraswati, an internationally known Acharya of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, interfaith leader, and scholastic author of Vedanta, responsible for the inception of the All India Movement for Seva (AIM for Seva), a non-profit enabling rural Indian children to receive a proper education. She is widely in demand for lectures and seminars, in the USA and internationally, for her expertise in interreligious engagement, and in-depth training and scholarship on Advaita Vedanta. Dr. Saraswati is the Acharya of Arsha Vijnana Gurukulam, which was founded in 2004 and has centers in Atlanta, GA, Eugene, OR, Washington DC, Detroit, MI, Milwaukee, WI, and Fort Meyers, FL.

Ajay is a Core Faculty Member of Institute of Indic Wisdom (IIW). He has been anchoring IIW's Awakening Inner Presence for Indian and US audiences. A Bharatanatyam dancer of the Mysore bani, Ajay’s interest in inner work has been nurtured at Ritambhara through deep engagement in Yoga Sutras and the Ramāyaņa. Ajay finds great joy in working with body, mind and emotions to help individuals artistically explore their own latent potential while creating an enlivening context through their leadership. Ajay is a Leadership Coach, and his clients include CEOs and senior leaders in various organizations, across India and the US. Ajay coaches Leaders to harness their own potential, through understanding the self and being conscious of the impact they create on their teams and the systems around them.

Radhakrishnan (Rkay), a Yoga Practitioner and qualified Yoga Acharya from Yoga Vahini, lives near Guruvayoor, Thrissur. His keen interest in exploring the inner work space has been harnessed at Ritambhara through continued engagement in Yoga Sutra, Mahabharata and Ramayana. He has been associated with IIW for over 2 years. Radhakrishnan has been learning Yajur Veda for more than 5 years and teaches Veda as he believes strongly in sharing the learning. While deeply involved in the learning of Indic scriptures through auditory means from his childhood, he took up deeper study after taking an early retirement from a senior corporate leadership role after serving the industry for over 3 decades.

Prasad Kaipa was a thought leader and a top Management Thinker of Indian origin till 2019. Prasad’s unique approach was in integrating business approaches with brain research and spirituality / wisdom models. In addition to having advised and coached 130+ C-level executives at Fortune 500 companies, he used Bhagavad Gita framework and several interviews with CEOs to co-author a bestselling book “From Smart to Wise” in 2013. He founded the Center of Leadership, Innovation, and Change (CLIC) at the Indian School of Business (ISB) as well as co-founded TiE Silicon Valley's Entrepreneur Institute, with 13,000+ participants over 10 years. Since his retirement, he is working with several non-profits (focused on education and youth) and enjoying reflecting on his learnings from Indian spiritual wisdom and focusing on inner transformation.

Dr. Rama. Kausalya hails from Thillaisthanam situated along the River Cauvery in Thanjavur District. She comes from the exemplary Thillaisthanam Sishya Parampara of Saint Tyagaraja having learnt music from Sri Venkatasubramaniam who was the grandson of Narasimha Bhagavathar. She went on to learn under various stalwarts at the legendary Rajah's Music College in Tiruvaiyaru, the prestigious institution where she also serveed as the Principal till she retired in 2006. A Vainika, she underwent advanced tutoring from Sri Sivanandam and Smt.Sarada Sivanandam. A research scholar par excellence, Dr.Kausalya is a musicologist with a deep knowledge of music, dance, literature, culture and heritage. She has steered numerous research projects and documentaries for dance and music. Amongst her publications, her book - "Aalaya Vazhipattil Isai Karuvigal" - elaborating rare temple instruments that have been part of temple history is a noteworthy mention. Having been on the panels of prestigious cultural organisations across the country, Dr.Rama.Kausalya is the founder of Marabu Foundation which she passionately runs in Thillasithanam and spreads awareness of art and culture to the next generation

Dr. Vasantkumar M. Bhatt is a Professor & Head, Department of Sanskrit, Former Director of the School of Languages, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad 380009 with,

1. Specialty in Paniniyan system of Grammar and Manuscriptology.
2. First time Critical Edition of the Kashmiri Recension of the Abhijyan-shakuntalam from the Sharada manuscripts, written on the birch bark.
3. Translation of Rigveda ( Mandala 7&10), Nirukta of Yaska, and self learning book of Sanskrit language: संस्कृत वाक्यसंरचना।
4. Total 46 books and 150 research articles published.

Dr. Yogini Deshpande is a practicing Civil Engineer by profession. She is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of IndicA Today. Dr Deshpande has degrees from Mumbai University & Purdue University & diverse experience in academia, research & consulting. She has been associated with Indic Academy since it’s inception & is it’s Mumbai Chapter coordinator. She is an avid reader, Indian Classical Music aficionado & keen political observer.

Rekha Dhar holds an honors degree in Engineering from the University of Mumbai. She has deep interest in Indian philosophies, indigenous Indic traditions and value systems. She is currently a part of the editorial team at Indic Today. Always eager to learn something new, her simple philosophy in life is that it is never too late to start doing what you realize you love; after all butterflies are reminders that time is inconsequential to beautiful metamorphosis. An avid reader and fitness enthusiast, she is currently based in Bangalore, India.