Gurugram — In a vibrant celebration of creativity and inclusivity, Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF), the CSR arm of Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), has unveiled the 50 grantees of its prestigious ‘Art for Hope’ 2025 program. These grantees, representing 15 states and spanning diverse artistic disciplines, were selected from a competitive pool of 521 applicants. With a total grant of ₹60 Lakhs, HMIF continues its mission to empower artists and foster an ecosystem where innovation and culture converge.
This year, the initiative takes a step further by awarding five grants to artists with special needs, reflecting HMIF’s commitment to inclusivity and equity in the arts. The supported art forms encompass digital, functional, performance, traditional, visual, and multidisciplinary themes, showcasing the kaleidoscopic diversity of India’s creative landscape.
Celebrating Art as a Catalyst for Change
“Art expresses what words cannot,” remarked Puneet Anand, Vertical Head – Corporate Communication & Social – HMIL. “The ‘Art for Hope’ initiative is a celebration of expression, creativity, and persistence. From 25 grants in Season 1 to 50 grants in Season 4, spanning 15 states, we’ve made tremendous progress in nurturing artistic talent. By supporting these artists, we aim to spark conversations and provoke ideas that inspire positive change.”
A Rigorous Selection Process
The grantees were chosen after an intensive jury process held on November 19, 2024. The distinguished panel included Padmashri Geeta Chandran, an iconic Bharatanatyam dancer and Carnatic vocalist; Nikhil Chawla, a senior journalist with expertise in technology and lifestyle; and Aditya Arya, Director of Museo Camera Center for Photographic Arts. Their combined expertise brought a unique lens to the selection process, ensuring that the chosen artists align with the program’s vision of driving cultural and social impact through art.
Building Bridges Between Tradition and Innovation
The selected artists and collectives will receive not only financial grants but also mentorship to help bring their projects to life. By embracing both traditional and contemporary art forms, ‘Art for Hope’ is crafting a bridge between India’s artistic heritage and modern innovation, ensuring the preservation and evolution of cultural narratives for future generations.
As the curtain rises on the fourth edition of this transformative program, HMIF reinforces its position as a patron of the arts, proving that creativity and hope can indeed drive societal progress.
Individual Grantees – Grant amount Rs. 1,00,000:
| Sr. No. | Name | City | State | Title |
| 1. | Rabiul Khan | Birbhum | West Bengal | Kanthar Ghar |
| 2. | Satyaranjan Das | Khordha | Odisha | Echoes of the Past: Landscapes and Cultures Under Siege |
| 3. | Subham Sahu | Jharsuguda | Odisha | Mud to music |
| 4. | Nagesh Ambadas Kanade | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | Maharashtra | Anthropogenic history of the 21st century. |
| 5. | Yati Sharma | Bharatpur | Rajasthan | The ‘Lost Self’ Portrait |
| 6. | Steevez | Chennai | Tamil Nadu | Auto Impressions: Capturing Chennai’s Rearview Art |
| 7. | Poojan Gupta | Jaipur | Rajasthan | Wished II |
| 8. | Aditi Aggarwal | Gautam Buddh Nagar | Uttar Pradesh | Echoes of Light (in Context of Kaladham Complex) Capturing Time, Space, and Memory Through Pinhole Photography |
| 9. | Alim Chandani | Bengaluru Urban | Karnataka | Beyond Signs: The Power of Gestures |
| 10. | Vibhav Kapoor | Gurugram | Haryana | Darshan for Community |
| 11. | Gyanwant Yadav | Pratapgarh | Uttar Pradesh | Yamuna Landscape: A Space for Interaction of Floods and Farmers |
| 12. | Bhikhari Pradhan | Khordha | Odisha | Stories in Clay: Bridging Cultures through Earthenware |
| 13. | Payal Rokade | Nagpur | Maharashtra | Rebirth |
| 14. | Vishnu Prasad KV | Wayanad | Kerala | Shadow of obscura |
| 15. | Manan Kathuria / Amit Pradhan | Gurugram | Haryana | Hearing the Fingers |
| 16. | Poornimaa Jagannathan | Bengaluru Urban | Karnataka | Shifting Cityscapes – PLEASE DO TOUCH |
| 17. | Chhering Negi | Kinnaur | Himachal Pradesh | Climate Change in Himalayas |
| 18. | Deepak | Delhi | Delhi | Urban Echoes |
| 19. | Maneet Kaur | Delhi | Delhi | Life of a Girl before Marriage in the Art and Craft of Phulkari |
| 20. | Ajay KTV | Kannur | Kerala | Theyyam : Ritual and Resistance |
| 21. | Tanvi Waghela | Vadodara | Gujarat | The Taboo Canvas: Painting the Realities of Mental Health |
| 22. | Rohit Suresh Varekar | Sindhudurg | Maharashtra | “Fragments of Time: Reconnecting with Cultural Roots through Sculptural Dialogues” |
| 23. | Rokesh Patil | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Maji boat |
| 24. | Thomash Changmai | Biswanath | Assam | The Elephant Sofa |
| 25. | Ashutosh Verma | Mathura | Uttar Pradesh | Cutting Through Waste: Sanjhi Art for a Cleaner Yamuna |
| 26. | Pratik Jadhav | Thane | Maharashtra | Puppetry and Mask making- an educational theatre for tribal Children. |
| 27. | Tamal Das | Birbhum | West Bengal | Training Youths from Ragpickers’ Community to Reuse Iron Scrap Metal for Artistic Work |
| 28. | Devanga Bidrum Kalita | Dibrugarh | Assam | Music Ability Piano Recital |
| 29. | Gayatri Gupta | Bengaluru Urban | Karnataka | Busting Boundaries |
| 30. | Chayan Taneja | Delhi | Delhi | Rhythms of Awareness |
| 31. | Genius Chakma | Dhalai | Tripura | “Monk Series: The collection of reinterpretations of lines defining forms” |
| 32. | Ashmeet Kaur | Delhi | Delhi | Threads of hope |
| 33. | Sharmila PS | Palakkad | Kerala | Thouryathrikam’ Performance that exploring the Art form Thullal |
| 34. | Jithin T Joy | Wayanad | Kerala | The Doors |
| 35. | Yogesh Hadiya | Vadodara | Gujarat | Voices of the Fields |
| 36. | Dheeraj Dubey / Nikhita Singh | Delhi | Delhi | Parrot House podcast |
| 37. | Nishita Koka | Ahmedabad | Gujarat | Reflection |
| 38. | Vipul | Delhi | Delhi | Shadow To Stage |
| 39. | Ghana Shyam Latua | Birbhum | West Bengal | Territory in Transition |
| 40. | Indrani Acharya | Kolkata | West Bengal | “Ponds of Hope: An Artistic Journey to Preserve Urban Water Bodies” (Preserving Urban Water Bodies Through Art) |
Institutional Grantees – Grant amount Rs. 2,00,000
| Sr. No. | Name | City | State | Title |
| 1. | Me Meraki / Yosha Gupta | Mumbai | Maharashtra | Chhaya Adhoori: The Incomplete Shadow |
| 2. | Daricha Foundation | Kolkata | West Bengal | The Traditional Gomira Mask Project (Daricha Foundation in Collaboration with Mask Makers of Uttar Dinajpur) |
| 3. | Sidhant Kumar / Hari Kishan | Delhi | Delhi | Lakdi Ki Kathi |
| 4. | M Always / Nilgiri Adivasi Welfare Association | The Nilgiris | Tamil Nadu | Kurumba painting promotion |
| 5. | Sajan Veerr Abrol / Clothes Box Foundation | Gurugram | Haryana | RPACK – from waste plastic |
| 6. | Yakshadeevige | Tumakuru | Karnataka | Cultivating Water Consciousness through the Theatre of Yakshagana |
| 7. | Poornima Sukumar / Aravani Art Project | Bengaluru Urban | Karnataka | Beyond the Binary : Nature’s Tapestry |
| 8. | Seema Shukla / UPES | Dehradun | Uttarakhand | Himalayan Calling |
| 9. | Navprabhat Singh /Mount Valley Development Association | Dehradun | Uttarakhand | Natural Threads Collective By Uttranjali |
| 10. | Tiny Tales Theater Company | Pune | Maharashtra | Lavani reimagined |
