Maps of Memory: The Uma Chakravarti Collection | NLS Archives
Bangalore International Centre (BIC)
March 29 to April 6, 2025 | 11 AM - 5 PM
The NLS Law and Society Archives invites you to the launch of Maps of Memory, an interpretive exhibition based on the Uma Chakravarti Collection at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC).
Dr. Uma Chakravarti is a historian, feminist, filmmaker, civil liberties activist and teacher. The exhibition will be held from March 29 to April 6, 2025, between 11 am and 8 pm.
About the exhibition
The NLS Archives’ Maps of Memory exhibition displays archival fragments and glimpses of personal memory to reconstruct joyful utopian worlds that feminists began building across South Asia in the mid-20th century. It invites us to reflect on key questions: How do we remember social movements? How do we archive friendships, solidarities, and struggles?
Featuring Dr. Uma Chakravarti’s collection from the NLS Archives, the exhibition offers a visual, cinematic, and scholarly journey through people’s movements in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Through posters, films, and groundbreaking historical research, it invites visitors to engage with the intertwined narratives of friendships and struggles for democratic rights across South Asia. The exhibition is curated by NLS faculty members Diya Deviah and Ammel Sharon.
The curators of the exhibition see the archives not as a repository of passive records, but as a site for conversation and world-building. Drawing on our conversations with Uma Chakravarti, we sought out the people behind the references, and welcomed new and less known material into the exhibition.
If you’re interested in attending the exhibition, RSVP here.
About Dr. Uma Chakravarti
Born in 1941, Dr. Uma Chakravarti is a historian, feminist, filmmaker, civil liberties activist and teacher. Since the 1980s, Dr. Chakravarti has played a key role in recovering and documenting histories—both in print and film—of pioneering women activists and extraordinary women’s lives from the late 19th century onward, shaping the field of Women’s Studies in India. Her work spans field research, historical analysis, and active engagement with national developments, alongside documenting human rights violations and the lives of incarcerated women across India. She taught for many years at Miranda House, Delhi, and her students have since become feminist writers, lawyers, and filmmakers in their own right.
The Uma Chakravarti Collection emerges from a collective commitment to rewriting historical narratives by recovering women’s voices and envisioning feminist worlds. Describing herself as an intuitive archivist, she has preserved ephemera from across South Asia, creating an invaluable resource. Her collection invites continuous exploration, offering new ways to reimagine democracy in the subcontinent.
Schedule
The inaugural event will begin with a dramatic reading of a short story “Bacchisu” by Dr. Du Saraswathi, a well-known Kannada writer, theatre artiste, and activist.
It will be followed by a multimedia, interactive panel discussion featuring Uma Chakravarti, Du Saraswathi, and historian and publisher V. Geetha—friends and co-travellers—alongside the NLS curators. Together, they will explore creative expression and feminist processes of making history.
(BIC Auditorium | Sunday, March 30, 11:00 AM)
In Pakshi Purana, Du Saraswathi immerses us in the life-world of Santhimmi, a woman from rural Karnataka with a mischievous and inquisitive way of engaging with the world around her. Observing the behaviour of male birds—their capacity to nurture, care, and express love—Santhimmi poses a poignant question: What happened to the lost birds in our hearts before we sent them into exile? Her reflection opens a space for speculation, prompting us to consider the parts of ourselves we hide away and the aspects we censor.
Date: Friday, April 4, 6 PM | Saturday, April 5, 11.30 AM
(BIC Conference Room | Duration: 1.5 hours | Participants: 20)
How do we transform everyday objects into meaningful historical records?
History in Your Hands: Archiving for Everyone is an interactive, hands-on workshop that introduces participants to the principles of archiving, preservation, and curation. Turn clutter to collection, and make your records accessible for future generations.
To register, write to .
Date: Wednesday April 2, 6PM | Sunday, April 6, 11:30 AM
(Space: Conference Room | Duration: 2 hours| Laptops needed, no specific design software required | Participants: 20)
Posters have long been a powerful tool for activism, communication, and artistic expression. The Art of Visual Storytelling is a two-hour hands-on workshop designed for anyone interested in using visuals to tell compelling stories. Whether you are an artist, activist, student, or simply curious about the medium, this session will guide you through the essentials of poster design—from concept to creation.
To register, write to .
We have specially designed tours to offer deeper engagement with the exhibition, that will be of interest to a diverse audience.
Walk-through schedule (15 people each):
Saturday, March 29 – 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM
Sunday, March 30 – 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM
Wednesday, April 2 – 4:00 PM
Friday, April 4 – : 4:00 PM
Saturday, April 5 – 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 7:00 PM
Sunday, April 6 – 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM, 7:00 PM
Logistics
The NLS community will arrange bus services to and from the venue on March 29 and 30, 2025.
Events:
March 29, 11 AM: Panel Discussion and Exhibition
March 30, 11 AM: Performance by Du. Saraswathi and Exhibition
The bus will leave at 9:15 AM from campus.
The bus will leave from BIC at 2 PM back to campus.
If you wish to avail the bus service, please fill out the google form below by 4 PM, March 26 (Wednesday) so that the University can make the necessary arrangements.
Google form link: https://forms.gle/zHqYE6brf2aHupMM6
Follow this page for more information about the exhibit.
About the NLS Archives
Since 1988, the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru (NLSIU) has played a pivotal role in shaping the legal education landscape in India. In line with its research and teaching priorities, the NLSIU established the NLS Law and Society Archives in 2024 as a multimedia repository documenting the legal profession, legal education, and social efforts that have shaped the legal field in independent India.
Part of the Archives’ mission is to contribute to informed public discussion by making available rare records of independent India’s history from the collections of individuals and institutions. We are delighted to bring the Uma Chakravarti Collection to the BIC in March and April 2025.
Team
Curators: Ammel Sharon and Diya Deviah
Design and Art Direction: Diya Deviah
Video Editors: Bavana Gone and Vibhav Saraf
Animator: Keerti Jain
Initial Research Support: QAMRA Archival Project, NLSIU
Contact Us
Please write to Ammel () if you have any inquiries.
Gallery
