Anmol Vellani

Anmol Vellani did not aspire to become a professional in the field of philanthropy. His early fascination was with the arts, especially theatre, and philosophy, which he studied at the Universities of Poona, Oxford and Cambridge. He taught ethics, logic and the history of philosophy at Elphinstone College, Mumbai, in the 1970s, before joining the Ford Foundation as Programme Officer with responsibility for grant-making in the performing arts, folklore and classical learning in South Asia.

This assignment inspired him to establish the India Foundation for the Arts, for which he provided executive leadership for 18 years. He has also served as an advisor to government departments, civil society networks, international foundations and cultural organisations.

Although Anmol’s career took an unexpected turn, he did not abandon the life of the mind. His writing and talks—on arts entrepreneurship, the creative economy, cultural policy, the role of grant-making foundations, culture and development, arts collaboration and the performing arts, for example—have reflected on the insights he has gleaned from his long engagement with the arts and philanthropy.

Despite his professional commitments, Anmol has remained active in theatre. He has directed over 40 plays in different languages, in India and abroad. More recently, he has forayed into lighting design and adapting fiction for the stage. He has also rediscovered his calling as a teacher—he now works regularly with performing artists on such subjects as voice, character building and script analysis, and conducts creativity workshops for corporate executives and management students.