August brought important milestones for ARISA! Learning, creating, and connecting with our community, here’s a look at what we’ve been up to this month.
Hands-On with Art Therapy
The team began the month with a hands-on art therapy session with Ritu Dua, an experienced art therapist. This workshop was a chance for our members to experience the very methods we hope to take into classrooms.
Through short activities exploring body awareness, identity and self-image, mindfulness and grounding, personal narratives, and strengths and resilience, we explored what it is to use art as a mirror for the self. The session was both grounding and energizing, reminding us that creative tools can hold space for healing, reflection, and resilience. We’re excited to take these learnings forward as we begin school-based programs this year!
Exploring the Exhibition Together
On August 10th and 17th, our researchers Prafull Botre and Esha Phadke led special walk-throughs of the IFA-backed exhibition Her Canvas, Her City at Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture. Guiding the audience through the lore, artistry, and emotions behind each carefully curated artefact, they revisited the stories of women artists whose work has long shaped Pune’s creative identity across textiles, ceramics, paintings, and more.
Introducing Our School Module!
We opened a new chapter in our journey at ARISA by officially launching the Education Hub’s first school module! The program has begun at Vimalabai Nerlekar Madhyamik Vidyalay in Khadakwadi with Grade 8 students, marking the start of a 12-session exploration that moves from the self to the world through child-centered, creative, and multimodal learning. Alongside this, we’re also developing the module for Prakriya Co-learning Space, where it will be adapted for younger children aged 3 to 8.
This initiative is the first of its kind for us, bringing together neuroscience, psychology, and art to support young learners in building awareness, empathy, and resilience. The first session will roll out at the end of the month, and we’re eager to share stories and reflections from the classroom in the months ahead.
From the Archives: Cultural Internship
As part of this month’s spotlight on the Education Hub, we’re also looking back to April, when we welcomed students from Dolphin International School (Kashmir), for a cultural internship.
The week-long program blended neuroscience, psychology, art, and cultural immersion into a rich learning journey. Students explored emotion regulation, body and self-awareness, art therapy, and community engagement while also enjoying treasure hunts, museum visits, music, food, heritage tours, and more.
Our founder and CEO, Kohinoor Darda, captured this experience in this month’s blog post, A Journey of Culture, Art, and Self-Discovery. Through stories, data, and insights, the piece highlights how cultural learning enhanced students’ emotional regulation, empathy, and adaptability while also giving them an authentic taste of Pune’s heritage. It makes a strong case for education that extends beyond classrooms, rooted in lived experiences and cultural connection. Read more about the internship on our website!
Podcast: Opening Doors: Research, Disability, and Advocacy
Episode 3 of Native Narratives is here! This conversation with Havisha Khurana—PhD student and research advocate—touches upon breaking barriers in education, making accessibility non-negotiable, and why advocacy belongs alongside research. Together with our research assistant Tanvi Raghuram, she reflects on how inclusive science can open doors for all.
Catch the full episode on Spotify and YouTube now!
In Print: Feminist Practices in Psychology
We’re proud to share that our founder, Kohinoor Darda, has co-authored a perspective paper in Collabra: Psychology.
The piece makes the case for why psychology needs feminist approaches, highlighting how such perspectives can broaden theory, strengthen inclusion, and diversify methods. Drawing on lived experiences and collective reflection, the authors propose practical tools and checklists for researchers to begin integrating feminist values into their work.
This aligns deeply with ARISA's mission to make neuroscience, psychology, and art open, inclusive, and relevant, particularly for marginalized communities whose voices are too often absent in research.
You can read the full paper here.
We’re Hiring: Video Editor
ARISA is looking for a full-time Video Editor to create short and long-format content for social media.
What we’re looking for:
6–12 months of experience in video editing & content creation
Strong skills in editing software, color grading, and motion graphics
Ability to sync audio/video seamlessly
Interest in psychology, neuroscience, and arts (background preferred but not required)
Experience in science communication a big plus
Deadline to apply: 2nd September, EOD
You can write to us at info@arisafoundation.org with your CV.
Join Us as a Volunteer Translator
We’re looking for volunteers to help translate materials from Marathi into English. If you’re fluent in both languages, we’d love to hear from you. Please write to us at info@arisafoundation.org if you’re interested.
Support CLF 2026
We’re already preparing for the Creative Lab Festival 2026! This will be our third edition, and it promises to be our most impactful yet: a space to explore creativity, well-being, and connection together.
To bring the festival alive, we’re seeking support at all levels—whether through smaller, individual donations, funding, in-kind support, venues, or larger collaborations. Every bit of support truly helps us make CLF a reality. Sponsors and partners will also be acknowledged across festival communications, programming, and co-branded platforms.
If you’d like to contribute, you can make a donation (details below) or reach out to us at info@arisafoundation.org to explore partnership opportunities.
Ways to give:
Bank Transfer: Arisa Foundation | HDFC Bank | A/C No: 50200082160485 | IFSC: HDFC0001793 | PAN: AAYCA6258P
Or simply scan the QR code below:
What’s Next in Store?
As August draws to a close, we carry forward the energy of new projects, meaningful conversations, and collective learning. Here’s to the months ahead!
Thank you for supporting ARISA Foundation! We are a not-for-profit research and social work organisation that bridges the arts and sciences to advance academic research in psychology, neuroscience, and neuroaesthetics, preserve tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and promote social change.
With a focus on interdisciplinary approaches, science communication, and community engagement, we aim to make the sciences and arts open, equitable, and accessible to all.
Contact us (info@arisafoundation.org) if you want to know more about our work, collaborate, work, or volunteer with us!