Landscapes of the Phygital: An Exploration Through the Lens of Disability

Padmini Ray Murray is the founder of Design Beku. Her research-led practice focuses on challenging acts of infrastructural and algorithmic violence and creating alternative digital spaces and imaginations that are characterised by feminist values, specifically an ethics of care. To explore the possibilities of manifesting these spaces, Padmini founded Design Beku, a design and digital collective that aims to dismantle expectations created by market-driven notions of design by following design justice principles that advocate designing with communities, not for.

Antara Telang is a partner at Gnothi Seauton, a marketing agency, and is based out of Bangalore. With over a decade of experience in the storytelling space — especially in content, digital and illustration — she has led and executed award winning campaigns with clients from the social impact, consumer, technology, and healthcare sectors. Outside of work, Antara is a TedX speaker and published author, with essays in two anthologies, as well as articles in The Times of India, Scroll, The Wire, The NewsMinute, and The Quint among others. Passionate about gender, healthcare, disability, politics, and animal rights, Antara believes in using her voice for an equal and equitable future.

Shailesh Kulal is the Inclusion Manager at the Museum of Art & Photography, Bengaluru. With over eight years of versatile experience in the corporate and social sectors, Shailesh has dedicated his career to enhancing skill sets for individuals with visual disabilities. His expertise includes project management in service request administration, quality assurance programming, and a unique stint as a museum manager at the Museum of Possibilities in Chennai. Beyond his professional endeavours, Shailesh indulges in his passion for trekking, travelling, and volunteering as side projects.

Ranjini Ramanujam is presently working as an assistant manager in an MNC. She is a DEI Ambassador and an advocate for disability justice and rights. Ranjini currently manages a team of 15, including 3 Deaf members. Though almost completely Deaf by birth with profound bi-lateral sensory-neural hearing loss of more than 90db, Ranjini learned lip reading in English and studied in ‘regular’ school and college. She is the recipient of the Helen Keller Award 2022 for Role Model Persons with Disabilities. She’s also the recipient of the National Award for Employment of Persons with Disabilities 2016 — Most Efficient Employee, and the Arjuna Award 1998 in Badminton — Best Sportsperson. She’s also been a Double International Deaf badminton and chess player. With a belief that consistent effort on all fronts can make the world a more inclusive place, she has collaborated with organizations like British Council and crafted online courses for the Deaf community. She has also offered a cab booking platform to now offer chat options, ensuring accessibility for everyone.

Kavya Srinivasan (she/they) is a writer, theatre-maker, and storyteller. She has been on stage for the last fifteen years. She received a distinction in ATCL Diploma in Performance Arts from the Trinity College of London in 2021. Kavya trains and works with Our Theatre Collective as a performer since 2020. She was most recently in their show, Imagine a Room, written by brown studyworks, directed by Vivek Vijayakumaran, in Bangalore. This show opened in June 2022. For this show, she wrote the music as well as undertook extensive physical training. In 2021, Kavya was made Artist-in-Residence for Theatre at the Intercut Labs, a cross cultural collaboration between Wales and India supported by Meta Arts and the British Council.

Jimmy Xavier is a passionate radio professional with extensive experience in both radio and theatre. He has trained many audio professionals and led several creative teams. Jimmy leverages his experience in both radio and theatre to create engaging audio experiences. He has worked since 2022 at Radio Mirchi, Fever FM, and Red FM, and, since 2016, as an RJ in Mirchi, Bangalore.