Dr. Mohan Raghavan
Assoc. Prof. Dept. of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad
Rasa, Aesthetics and Technology
In-person
Aucitya Bangalore Edition
A One-Day Lab for Product Designers, Creators and Cultural Entrepreneurs
The workshop brings together scholars, creators and practitioners who have translated cultural knowledge into living frameworks, products, visual systems and emotional experiences.
Introduction
In the Indian knowledge tradition, creation is not merely an act of production. The creator is expected to hold together satya, saundarya and dharma in a state of alignment. This intelligence of appropriate expression is called Aucitya.
Today, however, creativity is increasingly shaped by virality, transience, algorithms and performance metrics. Culture is into a prop without depth and products that emerge out of this lens, risk becoming either superficial nostalgia or commercial extraction. In this context, Aucitya offers an alternative framework that is rooted in fidelity, discernment and responsibility.
Intent
This one-day edition of Aucitya explores how Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), aesthetic frameworks, storytelling traditions and cultural memory can be transformed into meaningful contemporary products, experiences and communication systems without losing their integrity.
The workshop brings together scholars, creators and practitioners who have translated cultural knowledge into living frameworks, products, visual systems and emotional experiences.
Session Details
Inaugural Ceremony
Time: 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Session 1: Rasa, Aesthetics and Technology
Time: 10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Facilitator/s: Dr. Mohan Raghavan
This opening session examines the relationship between rasa, aesthetics, technology, and contemporary cultural production. Drawing from Indian aesthetic theory, Dr. Mohan Raghavan explores how technology can aid media in creating authentic Indian stories across digital media.
The session asks:
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What happens when culture becomes content?
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Can technology create meaning without distorting essence?
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How do we create products that generate resonance?
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What does dhārmika innovation look like?
Participants will reflect on the role of rasa in user experience, storytelling, product design and communication.
Tea Break
Time: 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM Noon
Session 2: Designing a Cultural Product: Panchanga, Time and Civilisational Product Thinking
Time: 11:45 AM - 1:30 PM
Facilitator/s: Charusmita Rao and Neelacantan B
This session is a deep dive into the journey of translating Indian civilisational knowledge into a contemporary cultural product. Using the Panchanga project as a case study, Charu and Neel explore how ancient frameworks of time, rhythm, ritual, symbolism and aesthetics can be transformed into living design systems for contemporary audiences.
The session explores:
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The philosophical foundations of the Panchanga
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Translating intangible knowledge into tangible experiences
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Balancing usability, aesthetics, and authenticity
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The challenges of creating products rooted in Indian frameworks instead of imported paradigms
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Participants will also engage with visual storytelling, symbolic design and the process of turning research into experiential products.
Session Details
Lunch
Time: 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Session 2: Designing a Cultural Product: Panchanga, Time and Civilisational Product Thinking
Time: 2.00 PM - 3:00 PM
Facilitator/s: Charusmita Rao and Neelacantan B
Interactive Segment
Participants will work in groups to identify a cultural practice, symbol, or knowledge system and ideate how it may be translated into:
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A product
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A visual system
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A digital experience
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A storytelling framework
- A learning tool
Session 3: IKS Product Showcase
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Facilitator/s: Ar. Meghana Dutta
This session will be an exploration of furniture, objects and storytelling rooted in Indian cultural memory and lived aesthetics.
Meghana ji’s work reflects how everyday objects can become carriers of narrative, craftsmanship and civilizational meaning, transforming materials and spatial forms into experiences of cultural continuity. Situated at the intersection of design, tradition and contemporary living, the showcase invites participants to engage with Indian Knowledge Systems as a tactile, lived experience.
Tea Break
Time: 4.00 PM - 4:15 PM
Session 4: IKS Product Showcase
Time: 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Facilitator/s: Narahari Rao
In this session, Narahari introduces Kathakar, VRTAM's live interactive storytelling platform, and explores how storytellers, educators, cultural institutions and creators can use it to transform any story into a shared, participatory experience. From workshops and cultural presentations to teaching sessions and public performances, the session touches on Augmented Reality as a storytelling medium and returns to a question that has always been at the heart of learning: how the oldest pedagogic tool we have remains the most powerful container for meaning, and how tools built with purpose can finally give it the reach it needs.
Key Takeaways
- How to build products rooted in the Indian Knowledge Systems
- How to translate IKS into contemporary formats
- How aesthetics and ethics must move together in creation
- How rasa, narrative, symbolism and ritual can shape design thinking
- How to create culturally resonant digital stories in the age of algorithms
Who is this for?
- Designers and brand strategists
- Entrepreneurs and founders
- Artists, writers, filmmakers and creators
- Educators and researchers
- Product and communication professionals
- Individuals interested in culture-led innovation and IKS applications
Know your Instructors
Neelacantan B
Founder - Coolture, Bengaluru
Designing a Cultural Product: Panchanga, Time and Civilisational Product Thinking
Charusmitha Rao
Founder - Coolture, Bengaluru
Designing a Cultural Product: Panchanga, Time and Civilisational Product Thinking
Ar. Meghana Dutta
Founder - ANAG | Co-founder - Satori
IKS Product Showcase - ANAG
Narahari Rao
Founder - VRTAM Studios
IKS Product Showcase - VRTAM
Frequently Asked Questions
This workshop is taking place at Prayoga Institute of Education Research. Please find the exact google map location on this link - https://maps.app.goo.gl/4tfuY2aVm3ePf1hy9?g_st=aw
Please connect with us on +91-8007455334 or write to us on contact@brhat.in for guidance regarding stay and travel logistics details.
Aucitya Bangalore Edition
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