Gurugram: Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the CSR arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), has once again proved that art isn’t just for gallery walls—it can drive social change with the torque of a four-cylinder engine. With the announcement of the 50 grantees for its ‘Art for Hope – Season 5’ program, HMIF has opened up a fresh palette of possibilities for artists who blend creativity with community purpose.
This year, the foundation has committed a consolidated grant of INR 60 lakh, supporting 40 individual artists with INR 1 lakh each, and 10 institutional collectives with INR 2 lakh each. The initiative received applications from 30 regions across India, and after a meticulous curation process worthy of an art biennale, the final list proudly represents 22 regions, from the metropolitan metros to the artistic heartbeats of remote villages and tribal belts.
A Spectrum of Stories
The Season 5 entries go beyond canvases and clay. They explore visual arts, digital media, crafts, performing arts, folk traditions and delightful interdisciplinary madness that only true creativity can conjure. The common thread? Every project carries a spirit of social engagement, amplifying underrepresented voices, conserving traditions, or sparking new dialogues within communities.
Corporate Meets Creative — In Perfect Harmony
Sharing his thoughts, Puneet Anand, AVP & Vertical Head – Corporate Affairs, Corporate Communication & Social, HMIL, said,
“Through Art for Hope – Season 5, HMIF reaffirms its commitment to empowering artists whose work sparks dialogue, inclusion and social awareness. This edition celebrates India’s diverse creative spectrum—rural collectives, tribal storytellers, urban innovators and digital creators. By supporting top 50 projects, HMIF nurtures voices that preserve heritage, illuminate untold narratives and inspire transformative change.”
Between the lines, one might say: Hyundai isn’t just helping artists paint; it’s handing them a bigger canvas, brighter colours, and occasionally even the stage lights.
The Jury: A Masterstroke Line-Up
Selecting the final 50 from the wide pool were five cultural torchbearers:
- Pandit Sajan Mishra, Padma Bhushan awardee and Hindustani classical maestro
- Aaquib Wani, experiential designer with a knack for bending reality
- Garima Avtar, award-winning content creator in luxury, lifestyle and automobiles
- Nikhil Chawla, senior technology, lifestyle & automotive journalist
- Aditya Arya, Founding Trustee & Director of Museo Camera
Together, they evaluated each proposal on artistic merit, originality, innovation and social impact, ensuring that the chosen projects weren’t just brilliant ideas—but powerful catalysts.
Beyond the Grant: A Journey of Growth
Grantees will also receive mentorship, upskilling workshops, and regional showcase opportunities. The season will culminate in a grand public exhibition in New Delhi in February 2026, where creativity, community, conversations and a splash of Hyundai blue will come together in a vibrant celebration.
List of individual grant winners – grant amount INR 1,00,000:
| S. No. | Name | City | State | Title |
| 1 | Abishi Sarkar | Paschim Bardhaman | West Bengal | Remembering Hat Pakha |
| 2 | Bholla Manas | Hyderabad | Telangana | Guardians of the Flyways: A Terracotta Archive |
| 3 | Dr Asha Kumari | Nuh | Haryana | Reviving Bitoda Art ‚ A Rural Art Form of Haryana |
| 4 | Prabha Singh | Ghaziabad | Uttar Pradesh | Batik Painting |
| 5 | Prabhat Jyoti Gowala | Golaghat | Assam | The Me You See |
| 6 | Vankar Chetan Hirji | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | Weaving Futures: Sustaining Bhujodi Craft Through Innovation & Heritage |
| 7 | Ajay Kumar Garg* | Jaipur | Rajasthan | Preserving Heritage and Empowering the Deaf through Miniature Art |
| 8 | Akash Srivastava | Delhi | Delhi | What Remains After the Noise |
| 9 | Anupama Dey | Hooghly | West Bengal | Performing Disappearance: Archiving Indian Circus Culture through Craft |
| 10 | Ashwin Babu | Raigad | Maharashtra | Education Without Access |
| 11 | Biplab Sarkar | Jalpaiguri | West Bengal | Street Markets in the Digital Age |
| 12 | D Anthoni Guruz | Puducherry | Puducherry | Moving Margins, Uncovering Utopias |
| 13 | Deepak Kumar Behera | Baleshwar | Odisha | Roots & Reflections: Sculpting the Past into the Present |
| 14 | G Rahul | Delhi | Delhi | Bandwalla – Left Behind: Fading Rhythms in a Changing City |
| 15 | Manoj Kumar Pannala | Warangal | Telangana | Under the Same Sun |
| 16 | Milan Ashvinbhai Lunagariya | Vadodara | Gujarat | Roots of the Land |
| 17 | Nayanjyoti Barman | Bengaluru | Karnataka | A Nest Once Here |
| 18 | Pratham Kaushik | Birbhum | West Bengal | Terrains of Memory |
| 19 | Ritika Anand | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | Hands of Imagination |
| 20 | Satish Moladiya | Vadodara | Gujarat | Sarovar |
| 21 | Subhash Deka | Barpeta | Assam | Echoes Through the Golden Door: A Sound in a Space to Tribute my Ancestors |
| 22 | Surajit Mudi | Birbhum | West Bengal | Image as Encounter |
| 23 | Umesh Kumar | Delhi | Delhi | Chehek (A Tale of Disappearing Sparrows) |
| 24 | Yash H Desai | Vadodara | Gujarat | An Unknown Land (ongoing 2019) |
| 25 | Akanksha Kamble* | Thane | Maharashtra | Empathy Map: d/D |
| 26 | Aleena Khan | Bhopal | Madhya Pradesh | Chaand (Shades of Life) |
| 27 | Amit Nadig | Bengaluru | Karnataka | The Deutsch Bharatiya Big Band |
| 28 | Ramesh Chander | Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Water Pollution |
| 29 | Sonu Gupta* | Rohtas | Bihar | Colors of Courage |
| 30 | Nilisha Phad | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Evolving Identities of Urban India Visual Narratives of Memory, Emotion and Change |
| 31 | Ravice Rashid | Srinagar | Jammu & Kashmir | Recreating Shikargah Pather with Young Bhands of Kashmir |
| 32 | Darshan Manjare | Kolhapur | Maharashtra | Colour of the Earth |
| 33 | Hiralkumar Arunbhai Chaudhuri | Vadodara | Gujarat | Threads of Transition |
| 34 | Ninkkhan Keishing | Manipur | Manipur | Pau-rou (Watonna Wanglaga Kwakna Phamteke) |
| 35 | Kavindra Bam | Dharamshala | Himachal Pradesh | Future Forms – Blending Tradition with Tomorrow |
| 36 | Nawas Ali | Chikmanglur | Karnataka | Kolkali and Kalari: Resilience Through Rhythms |
| 37 | Abhay Pratap Singh | Raigarh | Chhattisgarh | Mic is a Speaker in Reverse |
| 38 | Nyamem Jini | West Siang | Arunachal Pradesh | Tapestry of Existence ll |
| 39 | Sarath Kumar S | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | Roots Beneath Concrete |
| 40 | Harish Lal Arya | Champawat | Uttarakhand | Childhood in Transition: A Dialogue Between Playgrounds and Screens |
List of institutional grant winners – grant amount INR 2,00,000:
| 41 | Rasa India | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | Ekam – One Essence, Many Expressions |
| 42 | SHEDO: Social Health & Education Development Organisation | Harda | Madhya Pradesh | Music Instrument Library: A Space for Musical Harmony, Learning, and Access |
| 43 | Cloket Fashion Technologies Pvt Ltd (Ashadeep Baruah) | Kamrup Metro | Assam | The Upcycling Project |
| 44 | The Glassmakers Club | Delhi | Delhi | Transcendence: From Windshield to Wonder |
| 45 | Jagori Foundation Charitable Trust (Sayali Birmole*) | Thane | Maharashtra | Eco-Friendly Shadu Clay & Mask-Making Workshop for Children with Disabilities in Thane District |
| 46 | Kaivalya Plays (Gaurav Singh) | Delhi | Delhi | AI for Storytelling: Empowering Young Artists through Techno-Pragmatic Practices |
| 47 | Akaar Welfare Society (Maitraiyee Kuhu) | Patna | Bihar | Bagheli Raga |
| 48 | Project Vyom (Vipul) | Delhi | Delhi | Theatre Without Walls |
| 49 | Dastakar | Delhi | Delhi | From Village Walls to Urban Interiors – Madhubani Reimagined |
| 50 | Global Music Institute | Gautam Buddha Nagar | Uttar Pradesh | It’s Time to Talk: Mental Health in the Indian Independent Music Industry |
