WHAM - Women’s History, Art & Music 2026

Annapurna Devi

Annapurna Devi (born Roshanara Khan, 1927–2018) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician and the only widely acknowledged female maestro of the surbahar, trained by her father, Ustad Allauddin Khan, founder of the Maihar-Senia gharana. Revered for her profound musical intellect, she shunned the public stage after an early career and became reclusive, dedicating decades to teaching select disciples who went on to become luminaries themselves. Her singular devotion to purity of raga and her retreat from performance have left a sense of “lost legacy,” with only a few recordings capturing her extraordinary art.

At WHAM 2026, IME will be inducting Annapurna Devi into the Torchbearers Gallery at the museum.

Anushka Meenakshi and Iswar Srikumar

Anushka Meenakshi has worked as a filmmaker, and a community video trainer. Iswar Srikumar is an actor and a lighting/sound designer for theatre. Iswar and Anushka are both members of Perch, a performance collective in Chennai with artists from various disciplines. In 2011, they started the u-ra-mi-li project (the song of our people), which focuses on stories about music in the everyday, through writing, photography, performance and film.

At WHAM 2026, Anushka and Iswar will be present for the screening of their first feature length documentary-cum-ethnographic record Kho Ki Pa Lü, which is part of a larger body of work that looks at the connections between music and labour.

Bawari Basanti

Mahima Dayal Mathur, professionally known as Bawari Basanti बावरी बसन्ती, is an independent Indian storyteller, singer, songwriter and recording artist rooted in Hindustani classical and folk traditions who blends vocal depth with contemporary expression. She began learning music at age nine under her grandmother and continued formal training through Prayaag Sangeet Samiti and Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, later launching her solo journey with original tracks and collaborations with notable artists. Bawari has released EPs such as Underwater and Aarzoo, performed at major festivals and stages, and expanded into stage work and OTT compositions, making her a vibrant voice in India’s indie music scene.

At WHAM 2026, Bawari Basanti will be performing a live music concert.

Dark Fantasy

A wildlife biologist turned movement artist, Dark Fantasy is an enigmatic deity in the world of drag. This Bangalore-based queen emerges from the hinterlands of India's best kept secret, Odisha. Revered for her embodiment of sensuality and feminine power, she captivates her audience with her meticulously crafted performances. As a seasoned movement artist, her repertoire seamlessly blends Jazz, Vogue, Afro, Oriental, Contemporary, Freestyle, and Indo-inspired movements. Dark Fantasy is a commissioned artist at The Lalit Suri Hospitality group and also performs across all the major queer friendly nightclubs in the country. In addition to her drag career, she is an expert in belly dance and jazz, and she loves spreading the joy of dancing to others.

At WHAM 2026, Dark Fantasy and Kamani Sutra, will be leading an English walkthrough of the galleries at IME as part of the Drag at the Museum series built in collaboration with Urbanaut.

Kamani Sutra

Kamani Sutra is a bearded genderqueer drag artist, whose drag, it's form and aesthetics, is more than the popular image of the art as performed and practiced in the west. Kamani lives between Bangalore and the USA, blends questions on gender, sexuality, political developments and humour with her beard, wigs and many looks. She has curated drag performances and performed in the USA, Canada and India and can also be found delivering guest lectures with titles like “Being Queen is My Resistance: Lessons in drag mythology and migration” at universities. She also curates and produces drag brunches in Bangalore called - Drag and Dosa, a one-of-a-kind daytime drag cultural experience.

At WHAM 2026, Kamani Sutra and Dark Fantasy, will be leading an English walkthrough of the galleries at IME as part of the Drag at the Museum series built in collaboration with Urbanaut.

Ma Faiza

Revered as “The Mother of Electronica,” Ma Faiza is one of the most iconic and trailblazing forces in India’s electronic dance music scene. African-born and British by heritage, she began her journey on the beaches of Goa before conquering the world’s biggest stages and parties. For over two decades, she has led India’s EDM revolution, redefining how the nation celebrates and experiences sound. Her genre-defying, soul-stirring mixes channel an unyielding quest for musical freedom. Behind the decks, Ma Faiza creates a near-supernatural communion of music, love and liberation creating an audiovisual experience that must be witnessed to be believed.

At WHAM 2026, Ma Faiza will be setting the IME rooftop alight with her musical journey of two decades at an intimate listening session.

Nirmal Chander

Nirmal Chander is an award-winning filmmaker who has been working for over two decades in the field of documentaries as producer, director, cinematographer, researcher, script writer and editor. His films Dreaming Taj Mahal, Sab Lila Hai, The Face Behind the Mask and Zikr Us Parivash Ka, among others, have been lauded for their humanistic approach and have travelled to many international film festivals. Nirmal also conducts workshops on filmmaking.

At WHAM 2026, Nirmal will be present during the screening of his film on Annapurna Devi - 6-A Akash Ganga at Venkatappa Art Gallery for an interaction with the audience.

Queen Shivangi

Queen Shivangi is multi diverse drag artist - she’s a makeup artist artist, Model runway, choreographer, Performer, and also WON Fashion designer award 2024 in Delhi and ramp model for Bangalore Fashion week 2022 national fashion show Delhi 2022, and you can see her performing in multiple cities in India - Banglore, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad . She is also a mother of house name house of Shivangi, where she produces outfits, Fashion performance along with her house members by providing multiple opportunities and show case for up and coming queer artists.

At WHAM 2026, Queen Shivangi will be leading a Hindi walkthrough of the galleries at IME as part of the Drag at the Museum series built in collaboration with Urbanaut.

Rang He Ra

Rang-he-ra is a versatile drag queen from Bangalore and a professional makeup artist known for blending high glamour with fearless self-expression. From flawless face beats to captivating stage performances, Rang-he-ra brings creativity, artistry, and charisma to every look and every show. Alongside performing across queer-friendly clubs and corporate events, Rang-he-ra also works as a Financial Consultant with Emirates Group while passionately pursuing the art of drag.

At WHAM 2026, Rang He Ra will be leading a Kannada walkthrough of the galleries at IME as part of the Drag at the Museum series built in collaboration with Urbanaut.

Sandbox Collective

Sandbox Collective is a women-led feminist arts organisation comprising folks from diverse backgrounds, working at the intersection of art and gender. It began in 2013 with the motive of creating better access to the arts; our journey thus far has seen us take on multiple roles including that of creative producers, curators and presenters of performances and arts festivals across India and internationally. One of our biggest projects is the annual festival Gender Bender, which showcases works that re-examine and re-imagine the spectrum that is Gender. Our most recent endeavour has been the creation of Studio 345, an intimate, creative, gathering space in the heart of Bangalore. The studio was set up with the aim of creating neighbourhood hubs with easier access to and for art and artists. It also hosts the Feminist Library with a growing collection of books, zines and periodicals.

At WHAM 2026, Charulatha Dasappa from Sandbox will be facilitating reading and poetry sessions at the Feminist Library Pop up.

Shubha Mudgal

Shubha Mudgal is a renowned Indian vocalist and composer whose bold repertoire spans Hindustani classical, folk, pop and socially-engaged work that has resonated with feminist audiences — notably through her involvement in the impactful Mann ke Manjeeré project, which became an anthem for women’s rights. A Padma Shri awardee, she has championed arts education across India, serving on the Central Advisory Board of Education and advocating for integrating arts in mainstream curricula. Mudgal also teaches, curates platforms for Indian musicians online, and continues to inspire both performers and students with her innovative, empowering artistry.

At WHAM, Shubha Mudgal will be sharing reflections on sexuality and women through the works of Indian classical poets. Her performance will be supported by Aneesh Pradhan (tabla) and Sudhir Nayak (harmonium).

SOUND OF WOMEN

Sound of Women is a grassroots music project by Krantinaari (Ashwini Hiremath), born from the radical belief that hip-hop is folk. After co-founding India’s first all-female hip-hop crew, Wild Wild Women, she travelled across 72 regions of India, witnessing women forbidden from touching instruments. Joined by Charu Hariharan, who located the sound of women within world music, a question—why are women missing from the music scene?—became a movement. Presented by Folk Soul, this living archive debuts in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, recording women-led folk in a mobile studio with Manzil Mystics Foundation. These women are not just performers but culture-keepers, storytellers, and warriors of sound, rewriting the future of Kumaoni music in the most grassroots and powerful way.

At the heart of this movement is a powerful crew: Charu Hariharan: Music director, composer, percussionist, producer, and vocalist. Krantinaari: Poet & Rapper, lyricist, Curator and Designer Hemanti Devi (Pithoragarh): Folk singer and daughter of the iconic Kabootari Devi, the first folk artist of All India Radio from Uttarakhand. Ganga Devi (Almora): A mother and folk singer from the village of Gaira Pushpa Devi Taiji (Almora): Elder, percussionist, and hudukka player, embodying ancestral rhythm Khashti Devi (Almora): Folk singer who sings not for fame, but for love and for the healing of her husband battling a heart condition Neha Singh: Storyteller and show director, weaving powerful narratives through each performance, giving voice to stories long silenced Chandreshekhar Tampta (Delhi)

At WHAM 2026, Sound of Women will be showcasing music from their debut edition focussing on the Kumaoni region of Uttarakhand, blending traditional storytelling with raw, rooted melodies to reclaim sound as a space for resistance, memory, and identity.

Sriranjani Tapasya Santhanagopalan

Sriranjani Tapasya Santhanagopalan is a distinguished Carnatic vocalist, educator and curator known for her deep musicality and expressive performances that blend traditional and contemporary South Indian classical styles. With over 17 years on stage, she has captivated audiences across India, Europe, the USA, UK, UAE, Singapore and Australia, and is an “A”-graded All India Radio artist who has won multiple top honours including awards from the Madras Music Academy and Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana. She founded the Tapasya School of Music to mentor students globally, curates innovative concert series like A Musical Navaratri, and champions outreach, workshops and creative collaborations that broaden Carnatic music’s reach.

At WHAM 2026, Sriranjini will be leading audiences down the lanes of the forgotten histories of women composers in Carnatic music.

The Women of the Deevaru Community

At WHAM 2026, this group of women will be painting a mural at the Songs of the People Gallery at IME over a period of two weeks.

The Women of the Marathi Mandal South Bangalore

At WHAM 2026, this group of women will come together to share the song, dance and artistic traditions of Maharashtra with the wider museum community.

The Women of the Kanakpura Road Bengali Association

SAPTAPADI is the cultural wing of KARBA, formed with the eternal commitment, the "angikaar" to uphold and carry forward the culture, tradition and ethos of Bengal, even when far away from the home state.

At WHAM 2026, this group of women will be staging a community dance set to beloved Bengali spring folk songs.

Urbanaut

Urbanaut started as a curator of authentic experiences & hard-to-find recommendations in Indian cities. Their women-led team includes founders Samyukta Ranganathan, leading all things sales & marketing and Mrunal Kotecha, leading tech. Since 2020, Urbanaut has organically built a loyal community that trusts them to spotlight places to go, see, eat at and things to do. As a ticketing platform, Urbanaut supports wellness, culture, and community-led spaces by helping with discovery, bookings and audience engagement, while keeping all data and organisational access with the host.

At WHAM 2026, Urbanaut partnered with IME to curate and produce the Drag at the Museum series with Dark Fantasy, Kamani Sutra, Queen Shivangi and Rang He Ra.

TEAM IME

WHAM 2026 has been co-curated by Preema John and Sarvar Kahlon at the Indian Music Experience Museum. The efforts of the whole team went into making this festival a reality - Nandita Krishna, Hina Siddiqui, Sridhara S, Renuka Devi, Adity Gudi, Lakshmi Raghu, Krithika Sreenivasan, Sheela Gogate, Sahana Mohan as well the IME facilities and security teams.