The Lotus Fellowship
Like the lotus that rises from its roots to bloom in new light, The Lotus Fellowship nurtures U.S.-based Indian classical artists who honor tradition while reaching toward new creative horizons.
About the Program
The Lotus Fellowship is a groundbreaking national program aimed at fueling the Indian classical performing arts ecosystem in the United States, by way of providing supportive structures for exceptionally talented and innovative emerging artists in the community.
The Fellowship has three primary offerings:
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Connects emerging artists with established and thriving practitioners, Lotus Mentors
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Provides workshops on industry skillsets and unique challenges with keynote addresses
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Structures an opportunity for them to showcase their work along with their peers at a public-facing event
The above offerings are intended to have the following impact:
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Encourage creative experimentation, with a focus on innovation within the traditional art form to establish a greater connection with diverse, modern audiences
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Fill gaps in professional development
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Foster intergenerational exchange
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Create a supportive network that the artists can rely on for years to come
In its inaugural year, the Fellowship drew an overwhelming number of applications from across the country—underscoring both the exceptional talent within this community and the growing need for infrastructure to sustain it. The ten artists selected represent a remarkable cohort of innovators dedicated to honoring heritage while shaping the future of Indian classical performance in America.
Meet the 2026 Lotus Fellows
2026 Keynote Speakers
Hover over each image to learn about the keynote topic.
"Vision to Venture: How Founders Think -- and What Artists can Borrow"
Artistic Director of Sa Dance Company and Founder of ClassPass
Payal Kadakia Pujji
"From Spark to Stage: Turning Ideas into Works that are both Fundable and Feasible"
Founder and Director of Thresh Performing Arts Collective
Preeti Vasudevan
"Inheritor and Inventor: Balancing Lineage and Personal Identity in Artistic Leadership
Bharatanatyam Dancer and Choreographer
Mythili Prakash
"Relevance by Design: Connecting Tradition to Today -- with Intention, Not Compromise"
Executive Director, Arts India US,
Performing Arts Associate, Harvard University's The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute
Vani Krishnamurthy
"Invitation to the Table: What it Really Takes for Institutions to Take Notice"
Executive Artistic Director of the Ragamala Dance Company
Aparna Ramaswamy
The Lotus Fellowship Program is advised by
Rohit Deshpande
Harvard Business School
Baker Foundation Professor
Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing, Emeritus
Rohit Deshpande is a Baker Foundation Professor and Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing, Emeritus at Harvard Business School, where he has been teaching in the Advanced Management Program, the General Management Program, the Program for Leadership Development, the Owner/President Management Program and in other executive education offerings. He is currently co-teaching a MBA field/project-based course "Business of the Arts." He has also taught global branding, international marketing, and first year marketing in the MBA program as well as a doctoral seminar in marketing management. He is the faculty chair of the Global Colloquium for Participant-Centered Learning and has previously been coordinator for Marketing faculty recruiting, coordinator for Marketing doctoral program admissions, and faculty chair of the Strategic Marketing Management executive program at Harvard Business School. He is also the faculty chair for Harvard Business School South Asia research. In addition to teaching marketing, he was a part of the design and delivery team that created the Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA) MBA required course at HBS focusing on ethics and corporate governance and was faculty chair of the LCA in India executive program. In 2008-2009 Deshpande was recognized as the Henry B. Arthur Fellow for Business Ethics and in 2015 received the Robert F. Greenhill award for outstanding contributions to the HBS community. Most recently his case studies on "Terror at the Taj" and "Street Symphony" have won Silver Telly Awards and his co-authored paper "Consumers avoid buying from firms with higher CEO-to-worker pay ratios" won the 2021 Journal of Consumer Psychology Park Best Paper Award.