Business Remedies | Charu Bhatia | Senior News Editor | June 16,2025 | In conversation with the founder of Kala Manzar Society, Hands Together Campaign and a lady with Iron Will, Mrs. Minakshi Mathur. Minakshi Mathur is a master of Economics but always aligned herself towards art and aesthetics. Therefore, she completely dedicated herself to the field of art and quit the job to establish Kala Manzar Society. The society has a unique and much-needed social cause to work upon, i.e., mainstreaming of the disabled artists. Her aim, her desire to lead a social change and her pure intentions have made Kala Manzar a brand name in the world of art. Here is what she thinks, how she formed the society and what struggles she encountered.
Question- It is often said that the idea, before being executed, happens in your head. How did the idea of establishing an art and culture society (Kala Manzar Society) occur in your mind?
Answer- Well, the exact idea came to me during 2019. But I would say the motivation of the idea is rooted in my love for art since my childhood. I paint, write poetries and practise folk dance. Even after being in a job as a lecturer, I was always inclined towards art. I was a professor of Economics and left the job to pursue my art full-time. That is when I decided to open up a society, especially for the specially abled artists, to give them recognition as another section of mainstream artists. The Kala Manzar Society was established on Dhanteras of 2019 Diwali Festive season, and since then, has been serving as a platform for genuine artists.
Question-When the idea got structured, how did you form the working hierarchy of the society?
Answer- I was supported by Mukesh Mathur, who happens to be my husband too, in this endeavour. He was there as a guiding light to me. Gradually, I asked my fellow artists to join me in the working. But in the initiation, I stood alone to realise my dream of establishing the society. When the society got registered, we chose a President and a Treasurer, and I took charge as the Secretary.
Question- What is the ultimate motive of the society? On what objectives and inspiration does it function?
Answer- Kala Manzar Society is actually associated with folk art, culture, music, literature and social work. The tagline explicitly defines its objective which is related to promoting art and culture amongst the talented yet unpopular artists, and it goes as, ‘Dil se dekho, Dil se suno, Dil se bolo.’ And the primary message we give to the artists is ‘Make small efforts within limited resources continuously, you will achieve success definitely.’ The aim of the Kala Manzar Society is to provide guidance and platform to the specially abled artists, women and economically backward folk artists to showcase their talents and skills in the art field.
Question- What programmes are run by the Kala Manzar Society?
Answer- If I talk about the initial days of organising programmes, since the times were restrictive as COVID was spreading and life had come to standstill, I took the support of social media. Generally, social media is considered as an obstacle but for Kala Manzar, it stood to be of great value. During Covid, I could reach to a large number of artists through Facebook and other social medias. We used to host a number of programmes online. Aprajita Talk show, which featured 100 exclusive female artists, was held online on Zoom. We used to conduct online dance and song competitions. Gradually, when situations normalised, we started to compartmentalise programmes and today, there are four major kinds of programmes happening under the banner of Kala Manzar, which are Aparjita Talk Show, where we invite those women as special guests, who have made a significant mark in the society by their work. The second one is Lok Umang, under which different workshops and competitions are held on subjects related to folk art and culture. The third one is Nritya Tarang, under which we organise varied cultural activities for disabled and dependent children in schools and institutions. We also run Divya Kala Utsav, which is the biggest event of the society and under which we provide a platform to the ‘Divyang’ artists to showcase their dancing and singing skills. Kala Manzar also boasts of organising programmes and activities under the umbrella of Hands Together. The motive of the campaign is to encourage a scientific and empathetic perspective towards disabled.
Question: What are the funding sources for the programmes you run? How do you sustain the working of your society?
Answer: When Kala Manzar started working, we didn’t have any external sources of finances. The members of the team contributed and were able to organise programmes. However, as the working expanded, the society reached out to different companies for CSR funding and it was successful in receiving the funding also. However, at frequent intervals, we keep organising some or the other event, dance competition, painting activities etc., but we do not possess a very regularised source of funding. We sustain by collaborations and fundings from individuals or companies, who believe in our aims and goals.
Question: Tell us about the social POV of establishing Kala Manzar Society? Also, please add to this view your own definition of disability and art?
Answer: Well, I have always been close to the society and the composition of it. I am a Masters in Sociology and my personal experience also led me to think compassionately about the especially abled in the society. Today, any individual, who is disabled, generally, is seen with sympathy rather than empathy. Sometimes, in this modern tech world of superficial expression, they are treated as objects of attention, because people want to show that they are socially more aligned and caring. But that is all fake, I believe. For me, if you want to truly educate the society about disability and the disabled, then you should support them emotionally but maintain your logical understanding about them. For example, you should comprehend the difficulties a disabled person faces physically, but emotionally, he too has the same manner and intensity of emotions as you. He also feels the same way. There, he doesn’t need your sympathy or realisation of his helplessness by extension of any favours. The way to deal with the concept of disability and disabled should be scientific and logical. Disability is not around intellect or mind; it is basically limitation of physical movement because you don’t have a body part. This has to be comprehended with acceptance. And as far as art is concerned, I think art is the process which gives oneself self-satisfaction. It gives you a way to escape the mental stress you feel, living a hectic and chaotic life. I created this society to aware people about treating disabled just as they treat any other person, to give artists a platform to express and nurture their creativity and talent and include especially abled into the mainstream.
Question: How do you think government can help in educating the society about disability?
Answer: I believe that mainstreaming is the core solution of this problem. Moreover, government, being a welfare state, should establish various skill development centres, which feels inclusive of all sections. For mentally challenged students, a separate school works. For a physically challenged, inclusivity will have to the subject to ponder over. Therefore, no differentiation should be done and physically challenged should be given the same treatment as other children are rendered. In that way, students will be able to accept and study with each other well. I also hope that in the future, government organises a para-art festival, like para-Olympics, specifically focused on bringing out the best from the specially abled talent artists and provide them a productive platform to showcase their expertise in art.
Question: At what instance did you realise that what you wished to achieve through this society has been neared?
Answer- We had many participants who effectively utilised the platform of Kala Manzar to showcase their skills and talent. I remember one such artist namely Rukhsana Mirasi, who later did a recording for Veena Cassettes. At one more instance, I realised that the aim of establishing the society has been achieved, that was when we were conducting a workshop at Nirmal Vivek School, with special children. We used to ask children to smile and be happy and one child only did that when asked to. On the third day, he did that naturally, after seeing me and that was a moment worth remembering for me. At that point, I felt my aim is achieving completion.
Question: What would be your sincere advice to the young women who want to lead, open up a society and establish a brand name in the field of art and culture?
Answer: If a young, zealous woman has to open a society, my advice to her would be to first register her society or NGO with the government. This you can do by online registering on Cooperative department’s site. You can seek support from a qualified financial professional like CA. Besides, the most important action to do is to register for financial aid like CSRs so that there are no dearth of funds and proper financial health of your society is maintained.
Question: What are your plans with regards to programmes organised by Kala Manzar?
Answer: Well, we are currently planning to upscale the reach of our activities and programmes that we are running so that it benefits the community at large. Also, there are different kinds of plans which are being formulated such as working towards a hybrid model of classes where Indian and western music and dance sessions coexist.
Question: Any workable business model, you would like to suggest, for further functioning of the society?
Answer: I feel that the best way to gain funding is through CSRs. Another way which can be appropriate is forming special SHGs, which save money for the purpose of organising art activities and informative sessions.
Interviewed By:
Charu Bhatia
