Nov 29 2025 to Nov 29 2025 6:30 p.m.

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Photographer Dheeraj Khandelwal and spacecraft designer and space entrepreneur Susmita Mohanty come together for a conversation that bridges art, engineering, and imagination.

Through their distinct vantage points – one behind the lens, the other behind the mission-making – they reflect on the Chandrayaan-3 launch, the moments that moved them, and what it means to witness India reach for the Moon.

In collaboration with:

Speakers

Dheeraj Khandelwal
Fine Art & Documentary Photographer
Dheeraj Khandelwal (b. 1992) is a Chennai-based fine art and documentary photographer whose work bridges culture, nature, and emotion through visual storytelling. A self-taught artist who transitioned from engineering to photography in 2014, Dheeraj explores human behavior, environmental shifts, and cultural narratives through compelling frames. His photography spans sacred rituals, remote landscapes, and fleeting urban moments, often guided by a vivid emotional resonance.

He is a Nikon Ambassador and an artist at YellowKorner Gallery, Paris. His work has been showcased globally, including at Times Square (New York), Rome, Tokyo, and in multiple shows across India. Dheeraj was among eight photographers globally chosen for LIFE Magazine’s prestigious Showbook Collection. His images also feature on 4,000+ digital airport displays in India. His past clients and collaborators include the Indian Government, Nikon India, and various art institutions.

Susmita Mohanty
Cultural ambassador & Space Entrepreneur
Susmita Mohanty is a renaissance woman whose work and entrepreneurial career cuts across the realms of space, architecture, design, policy, diplomacy. Her work in reflects her multifaceted educational journey—she trained in engineering and product design in India, studied space sciences in France, and went on to co-found the crossover discipline of space architecture, in which she pursued a PhD in Sweden.

Susmita’s career began with NASA and Boeing before she turned entrepreneur – co-founding companies across three continents: MOONFRONT in San Francisco, LIQUIFER in Vienna, and EARTH2ORBIT in Bangalore. More recently, she has turned her attention to addressing global concerns of safety, security, and sustainability in space through dialogue and diplomacy through Spaceport SARABHAI, a forward-thinking space policy think-tank she founded.

Susmita is also deeply invested in fostering cross-disciplinary innovation. Together with her husband, Siddharth Das, she co-founded MAD Salon+Lab, a cultural platform that bridges art, science, and the humanities through collaborative projects.