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Preet Nagar Residency
September 2026
Invited by Mai Yoshikawa
Artists’ & writers’ residency Punjab, India
Preet Nagar is a place for art, ideas & exchange, continuing the spirit of Preet Nagar since 1933. The rooftops of Punjab hold a lifetime of memories. As children when the electricity went out, they would all sleep under the stars, the breeze lulling us to sleep. I visited a rooftop community theatre where people of all ages come to join or watch or both. Play music, dance, act, and help set up the stage every week. The experienced actors, some with hollywood and bollywood cred, write, direct, and teach. When we visited it was their 289th consecutive Monday show.
Another moment was visiting Off Grid in Chandigarh, that started with a simple thought: what happens when you put interesting people in a room together and don’t decide too much in advance? Someone brings a guitar. Someone sings. Someone listens. Conversations begin. People meet people they didn’t know before. You stay longer than you meant to. No stage. No audience. No pressure to perform. Just a room for music, conversation, people, ideas and whatever happens in between. Come as you are. See what happens.
www.facebook.com/PreetNagarResidency
www.instagram.com/offgrid.chandigarh
In the press
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/arts/preet-nagar-punjabs-answer-to-santiniketan/amp
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Preet Nagar Residency
April 2025
Invited by Mai Yoshikawa
Artists’ & writers’ residency Punjab, India
We were deep in research, conversations, and dreams for the future of Preet Nagar Residency, with a group of artists from India, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia that were brought together by Door to Asia. In a moment of pure spontaneity, waking up in the middle of the night to catch the sunrise at the Golden Temple: the only way to truly feel its magic. Later, as we waited for the shops in Hall Bazaar to stir awake, we napped under the cool marble colonnades, lulled by the gentle hum of Gurbani, surrounded by pilgrims. In that quiet, timeless space, we felt something beyond words: something that will stay with us as we build what’s next.
With our group of artists, we facilitated a workshop with 300 students of the local school