Rama’s path doesn’t follow the usual straight line. It’s more like... a spiral. Or maybe a dance. She grew up in Pune, and from a young age was completely immersed in Bharatanatyam—not just as a hobby, but as a kind of language. One she could speak fluently with her body when words felt like too much.

She trained at Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai for six whole years. That’s not the kind of thing you casually do. It’s deep work—discipline, detail, doing the same movement hundreds of times until it feels like second nature (or third). She graduated with a Diploma and a Post-Diploma in Bharatanatyam, and everyone probably thought she'd stay on stage forever.

But she didn’t.

While learning how to perform, Rama realised she was just as drawn to what happens off stage—the planning, the structure, the weird quiet thrill of making an event run smoothly. Managing performers, coordinating audiences, troubleshooting silently in the background... it made sense to her in a way that dancing alone didn’t.

So, she did what she does best: changed direction with full commitment. She joined Shreya Nagarajan Singh Arts Development Consultancy in 2021 as an intern, learned loads, and then got promoted to Programme Coordinator. That job meant spreadsheets and schedules, sure, but also conversations, intuition, tiny details that made all the difference. It was work that required care, and she cared a lot.

In the middle of all this, she decided to study Human Resources Management at Fergusson College, probably because people systems are like choreographies in their own right—patterns, dynamics, interactions. It all fits together in her head.

Since then, she’s been working freelance as an Arts Manager and Curator, mostly in the performing arts space. She’s collaborated with organisations like Kalasadhak, but also taken on her own projects. She speaks Hindi and British English, but also—more importantly—she listens. To artists, to collaborators, to the vibes in the room that no one’s really putting into words.

She doesn’t really chase visibility. She’d rather build things that work and feel good for everyone involved. If you meet her at an event, she might be quietly fixing something that no one else noticed was broken. Or just... observing. Processing. Planning the next thing.

She’s not flashy. But she’s there. Making it all happen.

Rama on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rama-kshirsagar-023046224/

Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief of Stuff 
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