About
To cross-fertilise ideas and inspire and provoke people to think about what it means to be modern and Indian, through public programming at the intersection of culture and society.
The Godrej India Culture Lab is an experimental cultural space and think-tank founded by the Godrej Group at its Vikhroli campus in Mumbai, conceived by the writer and curator Parmesh Shahani. It cross-fertilises ideas from academia, business, the arts and civil society through free public programmes, including talks, performances, film screenings, exhibitions and its signature festivals and Museum Nights, exploring questions of identity, gender, culture and what it means to be modern and Indian. It has become one of the most distinctive corporate-supported cultural initiatives in the country.
Launched in 2011 under Parmesh Shahani, the Godrej India Culture Lab pioneered a new model of corporate engagement with culture, not grant-giving alone but a curated public forum for ideas and the arts. Through its festivals, museum nights, publications and a busy calendar of free public events, it built a reputation for intellectually adventurous, inclusive programming on culture, identity and society, becoming a notable and much-imitated example of a company creating a genuine cultural commons.
Visit & Access
The Lab's physical space at Godrej One (Vikhroli) hosted free public events. As of 2021, programming is on indefinite sabbatical. The website at indiaculturelab.org archives past events, videos, and projects.
Founding & Leadership
Parmesh Shahani is a Mumbai-based author, curator and activist who has led the Godrej India Culture Lab since its founding. He is the author of Gay Bombay (2008) and Queeristan (2021), and his leadership has given the Lab its distinctively progressive, politically engaged character.
Funded by Godrej (Godrej Industries)
Godrej Industries Limited (parent); no independent board confirmed
Initiatives & Portfolio
Regular public talks, performances, workshops and exhibitions on Indian culture, identity, sexuality, urbanism and the arts. Held at the Vikhroli campus and occasionally at other Mumbai venues.
Consistent programming on queer culture and gender identity, making the Lab one of the most significant corporate-associated platforms for LGBTQ+ cultural conversation in India.
Online archive of all Lab events, including video recordings of talks and performances, creating a significant record of progressive Indian cultural conversations.
Cultural Funding
Cultural verticals
Impact & Metrics
Partnerships & Network
India Art Fair|National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA)|Japan Foundation|Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence|Stanford Centre for South Asia|Lakme Fashion Week|INK Conference|Dharavi Biennale|The Ladies Finger
Credentials & Compliance
CSR-eligible · Schedule VII(v), cultural heritage and artforms (potential applicability)
Recognition
Award for Corporate Commitment to Art (inaugural year); widely cited in Indian media as a rare example of corporate-cultural programming with genuine public programming intent rather than image management
The Godrej India Culture Lab is one of India's most distinctive corporate cultural initiatives, a pioneering public forum for ideas and the arts at the intersection of culture and society.
[Atlas Perspective] Profiled as an Institution with the role of Funder. The Culture Lab funds and hosts public cultural programming, festivals and exhibitions, connecting it as a supporter to the arts-and-ideas ecosystem. It was founded by the Godrej Group under Parmesh Shahani.