The Desert Leaf Foundation works to revive the social, cultural, and educational landscape primarily in the State of Rajasthan, beginning with its hometown, Jodhpur. The Foundation aims to engage with people to create meaningful experiences which unfurl free expression, rejuvenate the ethnic performing arts, and bring anything and everything that pushes us to think beyond our daily necessities and paradigms.
Ira Sisodia
A law graduate with a fascination for art, culture and heritage, Ira Sisodia designed and curated Kitaabo to elevate literature and traditions amongst the gusto posterity. After finishing her MBA, she deep-dived into her socio-cultural interests and, in the process, collaborated with folk artists and scholars and built bridges between the receding ethnic arts and the emerging digital world. She serves as the coordinator of SPIC MACAY Jodhpur Chapter and always has an eye out for anything new and adventurous.
Vikas Balia
Vikas Balia is a practising advocate and qualified chartered accountant with a passion for sustainable living ideas who likes to ensure his life is balanced in every aspect. He enjoys living between different worlds and has deep empathy for other perspectives, which acquaints him to amalgamate his various interests. His infatuation with books and stories led him to the idea of Kitaabo as an alternative theme festival to topple children into the once ancient and all too new world of reading.
Gaurav Jain
With a keen eye for design, Gaurav Jain is the keeper of his family heirloom, Basant Handicrafts. His innovative spirit and expansive vision have elevated the furniture industry to new heights. Being involved with the publication industry and the education sector for generations, he got inspired to put his heart into Kitaabo and take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to invigorate young minds. He truly believes that literature has the power to spark one’s thoughts and imagination.
Ira Sisodia
A law graduate with a fascination for art, culture and heritage, Ira Sisodia designed and curated Kitaabo to elevate literature and traditions amongst the gusto posterity. After finishing her MBA, she deep-dived into her socio-cultural interests and, in the process, collaborated with folk artists and scholars and built bridges between the receding ethnic arts and the emerging digital world. She serves as the coordinator of SPIC MACAY Jodhpur Chapter and always has an eye out for anything new and adventurous.
Mimansha Charan
Mimansha Charan is a curator, researcher, and storyteller from Rajasthan whose work moves between art, craft, and community. She co-leads Thorr Collective, an initiative reimagining Rajasthan’s living traditions through contemporary art, archives, and playful experimentation. Mimansha is most at home where stories, songs, and the desert meet, often somewhere between a folk tale and a field note.
Ayla Joncheere
Born into an artist family in Belgium, Ayla Joncheere discovered the dance and music of Rajasthan at the age of twelve, and it’s been her passion ever since. She earned her PhD from Ghent University in 2016 and now teaches at Poornima University. Alongside her academic work, she’s active as a dancer, choreographer, curator, arts organizer, and co-leads Thorr Collective.
Vikas Balia
Vikas Balia is a practising advocate and qualified chartered accountant with a passion for sustainable living ideas who likes to ensure his life is balanced in every aspect. He enjoys living between different worlds and has deep empathy for other perspectives, which acquaints him to amalgamate his various interests. His infatuation with books and stories led him to the idea of Kitaabo as an alternative theme festival to topple children into the once ancient and all too new world of reading.
Gaurav Jain
With a keen eye for design, Gaurav Jain is the keeper of his family heirloom, Basant Handicrafts. His innovative spirit and expansive vision have elevated the furniture industry to new heights. Being involved with the publication industry and the education sector for generations, he got inspired to put his heart into Kitaabo and take advantage of this beautiful opportunity to invigorate young minds. He truly believes that literature has the power to spark one’s thoughts and imagination.
Vikram Sridhar
Vikram Sridhar is a performance storyteller, theatre practitioner, and narrative-based facilitator. His stories, performances, and workshops are crafted for children, students, adults, and families and are deeply rooted in heritage, ecology, and folklore, drawing inspiration from the diverse communities and traditions of the land. Based between Chennai and Bengaluru, Vikram travels extensively across the country, sharing his desi way of storytelling that connects the past with the present through the power of words and imagination.
DESERT LEAF
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About Thorr Collective
Thorr is a Jodhpur-based collective of of socially engaged, creative professionals— researchers, artists, and writers committed to vernacular knowledge, communities, and landscapes. Rooted in collaboration and co-creation, we create inclusive knowledge through dialogue, reciprocal exchange, and cross-community interaction, bridging academia and the public.
Neerja Modi School
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About Ayla & Mimansha
Thorr Collective, founded in Jodhpur under the desert sun, is led by two kindred minds: Mimansha Charan, a writer, translator, and researcher born in Jodhpur whose work bridges environmental humanities and vernacular knowledge systems; and Dr. Ayla Joncheere, a cultural anthropologist and artist affiliated with Ghent University, IIT Jodhpur, and Poornima University, whose decades of engagement with Rajasthani performing arts and oral traditions shape Thorr’s ethnographic and community-driven ethos. Together, they root Thorr as a living ecosystem—where art, research, and education grow collectively, guided by care, collaboration, and imagination.