About Us
As a global community, we are faced with a crisis of deteriorating health, socio economic injustice, climate change and ecological degradation. A radical change in our systems, and in our culture of living, is inevitable. Change can happen, and is happening, in many ways, but for it to be truly transformative and holistic, it requires collaboration, inclusivity, positivity, and reimagination.
Bangalore Creative Circus was started as an experiment in an old warehouse in Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore in the year 2019, by Ajay Raghavan, a former employment lawyer. We are now a growing community of artists, scientists, chefs, gardeners, dreamers and changemakers, all committed to inspire and enable a regenerative culture for individuals and systems alike
What is a regenerative culture? It is a way of living that cares for the planet and for all life, in the awareness that this is the most effective way to create a healthy, resilient, adaptable, and thriving future for all of humanity. A regenerative approach not only prevents more harm, but actively heals the environment, and actively builds human relations
Our Team
Ajay used to be one of the top employment lawyers in the world. He was a senior partner at India’s leading law firm, Trilegal, where he built one of the most successful legal practices in the country. After being deeply influenced by what was happening with the planet, Ajay decided to focus his attention on sustainability and climate change. He is incredibly passionate about art, science, sustainability and wellbeing. Ajay is a strong believer in empathy, design thinking and collaborative frameworks. He is a co-founder at the Initiative for Climate Action, a non-profit with a vision to catalyze, enable and accelerate low carbon futures of justice and sustainability. He is also on the Board of Dream a Dream. Ajay loves street art, music, hats, football and is a sucker for anything creative.
Siddharth Santhanam heads events for us at BCC. An avid nature lover, with a penchant for identifying birds and trees, he is also a flow arts enthusiast, apart being in love with pottery. Everyone's close friend, when not organising events for BCC, he is busy skateboarding or breakdancing or being one with nature.
Manisha has worked as a Marketing professional across industries since 2004. From Media, to FMCG, to Health-Tech, at both MNCs as well as startups, she brings varied experiential learning to now champion the cause of sustainable living. Ardent lover of music, travel, art and the world of books, she is often eagerly looking forward to conversations around human-interest stories. A mother to two Indies and an impressionable young girl, Manisha tries hard to always do the right thing for her daughter’s sake if not anything else! Deeply inspired by David Attenborough’s words, she is eager to play a role in restoring the planet’s biodiversity, even if her contribution is only a drop in the ocean. Afterall, every drop counts!
Alok is a serial entrepreneur and investor having successful ventures in real estate, food, technology and fitness. Most notably, he was the co-founder of Vista Spaces, a boutique real estate development firm based out of Bangalore. An engineer by qualification and a triathlete by ambition, Alok is deeply interested in the clean tech startup ecospace. Having seen the devastating impact of unplanned, unsustainable development first-hand, he is keen on making a difference in sustainable construction practices and circular design. An avid football fan, Alok is also passionate about guitars, bicycles, cooking and the outdoors.
Siddharth cares deeply about making the world a more harmonious and peaceful place. After working with a contemporary art gallery for a few years, he spent many months slow travelling, and exploring a life connected to nature. During his travels, he lived and volunteered at an animal rescue organization, a permaculture farm, and an alternative school, amongst others. His journey is largely an exploration of sustainability, systems design, veganism, mindfulness, self transformation, and well-being. He is passionate about yoga, gardening, nature walks, music, and football
Lakshman is the living embodiment of the BCC space. Having spent almost forty years at the premises in different roles, there is almost nothing that happens in the vicinity without him being on top of it. A big hearted person with an even bigger smile, Lakshman "Anna" is reinventing himself with a new avatar inspired by sustainable actions.
Collaborators
Urban Farming
Sustainability
Design
Mushrooms
Natural Building
Aquaponics
"The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life" - Rabindranath Tagore