Inspired by the historical serais of South and West Asia. Constructed as gestures of hospitality for travellers, a serai is many things to many people: a rest house, place for pause, a place for gathering and sharing, a warm meal and time to replenish, a quiet moment in an ongoing journey.
The Serai Residency seeks to offer this mix of rest, companionship, and nurture on the creative and transformative journeys of artists, writers, educators, and change-makers from across the Global South. This space creates new possibilities for multidisciplinary dreaming, reimagining, innovating and being in dialogue with each other.
The larger dream is to enable the building of a just and joyful world.
Deadline 30th September 2026
The Serai Residency provides artists, writers, educators, and change-makers from across the Global South with the time, space, and supportive community to explore new ideas, build collaborations, deepen work, and replenish their reserves of energy, creativity, and courage.
Given the many shared challenges and experiences across the region, we believe that practitioners will contribute meaningfully to one another’s work and worldview. This not only benefits the Global South but can also bring forward viewpoints that challenge taken-for-granted assumptions and open possibilities for alternative futures for the arts, education, and social justice at a global stage.
Akhil is a Mumbai-based writer. He is the author of ‘The Last Time I Saw You’
(HarperCollins India) and ‘Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue: Delhi Poems’
(Westland-Context).
Akshay is co-CEO at Avanti Fellows. His work focuses on creating equitable access to
top-tier STEM colleges.
Dhrubo Jyoti is deputy executive editor at Hindustan Times. They’re interested in centering Dalit voices in India’s LGBTQIA+ movements.
Krittika is a feminist facilitator and educator; 15+ years in non profit space; enjoys building supportive, inclusive leaders and communities.
Mary works across the arts, literature, culture and the intersections with societies, for over three decades. She’s deeply passionate about inclusion and equity; consciously unpacking and relearning with every context.
Neha designs and holds space for growth, drawing on two decades of nonprofit experience and a deep practice in organisational development, coaching, and collective-building.
Samina hopes that her work makes children think about the world they want to live in, and encourages adults to support children in realising that world.
Aditi Rao is the author of two full-length books of poetry, and a forthcoming oral history collection, The Daughters Project. Her writing has received national and international recognition, including the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the Hedgebrook Residency, the Sangam House Writers’ Residency, the Srinivas Rayaprol Prize for Poetry, and others. Aditi has also worked extensively in the youth development and social change sectors, especially in education and peacebuilding. As Creative Director at Nomad Eco-Retreat and co-founder of Serai, she now brings together two decades of experience in the arts, education, and social change into a residency space focused on the Global South. is the author of two full-length books of poetry, and a forthcoming oral history collection, The Daughters Project. Her writing has received national and international recognition, including the Akademie Schloss Solitude Fellowship, the Hedgebrook Residency, the Sangam House Writers’ Residency, the Srinivas Rayaprol Prize for Poetry, and others. Aditi has also worked extensively in the youth development and social change sectors, especially in education and peacebuilding. As Creative Director at Nomad Eco-Retreat and co-founder of Serai, she now brings together two decades of experience in the arts, education, and social change into a residency space focused on the Global South.
Vivek Vellanki is an educator, researcher, and artist, with a background in curriculum studies and arts-based research methodologies. Vivek is an Assistant Professor in Counselling and Educational Psychology and Curriculum & Instruction at Indiana University, Bloomington. His scholarly and artistic works explore how photography is adopted as method, theory, and practice within the field of education. Vivek was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society here at IU and earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University.
Creative Pathways to Peace Grant by Indiana University
Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies
Ijeoma Oluo, Writer
Varun Khaitan, Entrepreneur
Several individual donors who wish to remain anonymous.
