The Dwijen Dinanath Arts Foundation came into being in 2018 with a core belief: that arts, literature and cultural exchange are powerful tools for social change. We recognise a significant gap in platforms that specifically address and celebrate gender, sexuality, diversity and inclusion through these mediums.

The foundation is named after the founder’s father, Dr D.K. (Dinanath) Rangnekar, and brother, Dr Dwijen D Rangnekar — a tribute that carries forward a family legacy of humanism and compassion. Dinanath was a leading public intellectual — economist, futurologist, author and had been the editor of The Economic Times and Business Standard, at different points in time. He was known for his fierce independence of thought and his championing of equitable development and was named amongst the top 350 leaders of the world in 1977 by Time magazine. Dwijen was a scholar-activist at the University of Warwick and a world authority on intellectual property rights, who devoted his career to ensuring that knowledge and culture serve the most vulnerable.

Both lives reflected values of inclusivity, respect and dignity that are deeply rooted in Indian tradition — values that existed long before colonial influences sought to reshape them. The foundation draws from that spirit, carrying their legacy forward by creating platforms where marginalised voices find space, recognition and celebration.