Team | Pune Arts and Health Festival

Akshata Parekh

Creative Producer/Festival Director

Mugdha Shivapurkar

Co-producer/Associate Festival Director

Leadership Team

Akshata Parekh is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Mental Health Counselor, and Arts and Health professional. She is currently practicing at The Sahyadri Hospitals and Jehangir Hospital. With a vision to integrate the arts into the healthcare system, she works toward establishing arts as a formal component of patient care. She holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, specializing in Expressive Arts Therapy, from Lesley University (USA), and is currently pursuing her Doctorate at De Montfort University (UK). In addition to her clinical work, Akshata serves as an Arts in Medicine Fellow and a Research Assistant at the Interdisciplinary Research lab, University of Florida. She is also a Mental Health Consultant at Tenerity India Pvt. Ltd. and a Drum Circle Facilitator with Taal Inc. She holds a Postgraduate Certification in Counseling Psychology from Fergusson College, Pune, an International Diploma in Human Rights, Mental Health, and Law, and has completed various certifications, including in Queer Affirmative Counseling Practice, Dance Movement Therapy, Visual Art Therapy, Neuro- Linguistic Programming (India), and Rhythm-to-Recovery, as well as Drum Circle Facilitation (USA and India). A firm believer in the transformative and healing power of the arts, Akshata is passionate about advocating for the integration of arts into healthcare. Through her work, she aims to spread awareness and inspire change, promoting a holistic approach to health and well-being in India.

Mugdha is a registered Art Psychotherapist (HCPC, UK) with a deep-rooted affinity for the arts and their therapeutic potential. She holds an MA in Clinical Psychology from Fergusson College, Pune (2015) and an MA in Art Psychotherapy from the University of Roehampton, London. She brings a decade of diverse experience in integrating creative arts into mental health work across corporate, educational, and counselling contexts. She holds a Mental Health First Aid certification (MHFA England, 2024) and has additional foundational training in Dance Movement Therapy, the Therapeutic Value of Arts, Adlerian Therapy and Drum Circle Facilitation. Mugdha’s therapeutic approach is anchored in the arts, with a strong emphasis on cultural identity, intersectionality, and accessibility. She is particularly drawn to working with grief and personality vulnerabilities always centering the individual, not just the diagnosis. She prioritizes the person over the diagnosis, valuing the humanness and accessibility that the arts bring to therapy. Mugdha is a visiting faculty for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Psychology as well as Creative Arts Therapy at institutions like St. Xavier’s College, DES Pune University, Fergusson College, Flame University UGC-Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre, Savitribai Phule Pune University and more. In 2019, Mugdha co-founded The Secret Ingredient Mental Healthcare, a holistic initiative aimed at reducing stigma and expanding access to inclusive mental health services in India.

Nilofar Haja

Fundraising and Outreach Committee

Core Committee

Preksha Porwal

Social Media Committee

Dr. Rashmi Patil

Social Media Committee

Henna Raisinghani

Research and Administrative Committee Artists, facilitators and event organisations

Purva Jain

Research and Administrative Committee Joint member- Venues and community partnerships. Artists, facilitators and events organisation

Simren Arora

Research and Administrative Committee Venues and community partnerships

Nilofar Haja (she/her) is an Expressive Arts practitoner and Founder of CloserTogether, a healing arts practice based in Pune. She brings with her 19 years of experience in communications and brand strategy, is a writer, poet, and sound healer.

Purva Jain is a full-time psychologist and co-founder of The TherapySphere, and a part-time curiosity enthusiast. Her work includes bringing in arts, play and other forms of expression, as she believes that imagination is central to how healing happens. She also works a s a psychologist and group facilitator at PivotByPsychschool, a space creating culture of care. Outside work you will find her screaming loudly at sports matches and engaging in humour.

Dr. Rashmi Patil holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology, with a research focus in neuroscience. Dr. Patil currently serves as a committee member of World Women in Neuroscience, and GAIMF Cohort 9 fellow. Dr. Patil has a strong passion for the arts, she firmly believes that art serves as a powerful tool for numerous health benefits. Her interdisciplinary approach has allowed her to bridge science and creativity in meaningful ways for the patients.

Henna Raisinghani is a multifaceted movement artist and Dance Movement Psychotherapist based in Pune. She has trained in Contemporary, Bharatnatyam, Kalaripayattu, and forms like hip-hop, breaking, and house. She runs The Open Door, a studio that fosters art, movement, and art-based therapy, offering a welcoming space for creative expression and well-being.

Preksha is a Counselling Psychologist doing her bit in making mental health accessible in schools. She enjoys making learning fun for students by integrating the arts in it. Outside work, you would find her spending time in nature, sketching or playing ukulele.

Simren is a Master's student at the Dept. of Psychology under the School of Human Studies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. She is also a Yoga therapist, teacher and wellness instructor working towards helping individuals in their mental, physical and overall well-being. Simren is passionate about integrating psychological principles with holistic and yogic wellness practices.

Anubha Doshi

Artsphere and Soulsphere,Pune

Advisory Board

Nupur Dhakephalkar

Center for Mentalhealth

Varun Venkit

Taal Arts and Health Foundation, Taal Inc.

Kohinoor Darda

Arisa Foundation

Abhishek Bhave

Secret Ingredient Health Foundation, TSI Mental health LLP

Founder-Director of Artsphere & Soulsphere, a unique arts and healing centre in Pune, Anubha Doshi is an award-winning entrepreneur, psychologist, mindfulness-based psychotherapist, expressive arts therapist, classical dancer, and accomplished author. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Expressive Arts Therapy, she holds postgraduate degrees in Clinical Psychology and Communication Management.

Recognized with prestigious honors like She The Shakti, Anubha actively contributes to academic conferences, faculty roles, and research initiatives, advancing the fields of expressive arts and therapy. Her parenting book, ‘The M – Factor’, a collection of unique personal essays written by mothers in a memoir format released in 2025, and is published by the prestigious Penguin Random House.

Nupur Dhakephalkar is the founder-director of Center for Mental Health, Pune and is a trauma-informed, person-centred, NIMHANS trained Clinical Psychologist with over a decade of clinical experience. She is EMDR-trained and a certified queer-affirmative therapist, with a special focus on psychological trauma, ADHD, CPTSD, PTSD using trauma informed, trauma focused, and mindfulness-based approaches. A passionate educator, she enjoys actively mentoring psychology interns and supervising early career psychologists. She has been a TedX speaker and her work has been featured in The Hindu, Femina, Hindustan Times, and she has spoken on Times Now and Radio One. Beyond her clinical work, Nupur is an artist at heart. She has been painting since childhood and enjoys working with acrylics and watercolours—often inspired by nature, creating serene landscapes and botanical art inspired by her travels

Abhishek Bhave is a psychologist and entrepreneur who transitioned into mental health after a career in business and marketing. Abhishek holds a Master's in Business Administration from Welingkar Institute and a Master's in Clinical Psychology from Modern College, Pune His fondness for connecting with and learning from new people led to an increased regard for this profession, eventually leading to the establishment of a mental healthcare venture. His approach is characterized by a unique blend of compassion, empathy, and professional acumen, making mental health care accessible and effective for all. A dance enthusiast for over 20 years, Abhishek finds joy and grounding in movement—something that has remained a constant passion through all of life’s changes

Kohinoor holds a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience (Bangor University, UK), and has previously worked as a researcher at the University of Glasgow (UK), Macquarie University (Australia), and University of Pennsylvania (USA). Her research investigates how the brain and mind are engaged in and influenced by art, and how humans navigate in their social world. She is currently the founder and director of ARISA Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation in Pune, India. Through ARISA, Kohinoor aims to bridge the arts and sciences to advance interdisciplinary and intersectional research and dialogue, promote social change, and make the sciences and arts open, equitable, and accessible to all. She enjoys social interactions with fictional characters in novels and underwater aesthetic experiences when scuba diving.

Varun Venkit is the founder and director of Taal Inc. He is a published psychologist, master neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, TedX speaker, a drumkit player, and a drum circle facilitator. He is a percussionist who specialises in traditional West African Djembe. Varun is India's only senior certified teacher with the Tam Tam Mandingue Academy which was set up by the Late grandmaster Mamady Keita. He has worked with various groups and populations using rhythm since 2006, facilitated many drum circles and trained many facilitators nationally and internationally. He has his own band called 'Taal Inc. and friends' which plays West African folk music with a jazz-funk approach and features some of the best musicians in the country.

Volunteers

Shreyasi Jhamb · Pranita Chinta · Gauri Garde · Mehreen Merchant · Rajeshwari Vaidya · Aarya Sonawane · Khushi Anmal · Tanisha Randive · Anushree Vishwakarma · Tanishka Belhekar · Sanskruti Bafana · Pranita Chinta · Rashi Vankudre

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