Our Team
Our Founders
Kirti Khatri
Mentor
Kirti Khatri, son of physician, short story writer and activist Jayant Khatri, was born in 1946 in a literary environment. For over three decades, he was the Editor of Kutchmitra, a leading daily in the Kutch region. He pioneered rural journalism and made the voices of villages heard through a network of contributors from villages.
Droughts, earthquakes, cyclones, and Narmada issues were all closely monitored by him. He brought out the issue of smuggling, when it was on its peak!
Through his visionary mind, he was responsible for major publications such as કચ્છ તારી અસ્મિતા Kutch Tari Asmita (1996), a mini-encyclopedia on Kutch, and ૬૦ વર્ષના સંભારણા 60 Varshna Sambharana (2008), an academic study on Kutch on 60 years of Kutchmitra. During his tenure, he gave a unique touch to Kutchmitra Diwali Issue and Ashadhi Beej, Kutchi New Year special issues.
He got an opportunity to tour with Prime Ministers like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, met Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi (since 2001), and Gujarat CM days.
His involvement with several prolific organisations, as trustee at Sahajeevan, Promoter of Hunnarshala Foundation, and first President of Kutchi Sahitya Academy attained their goals. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to progressive journalism.
He travelled extensively and is now a living encyclopedia on Kutch.
Subhash Chheda
Director
Founder of the organization, Datakino: Research & Documentation on Indian Cinema and began with a computerized database that encompassed the history of Indian cinema from its inception to the present day. This is an ongoing project that includes films in all Indian languages.
Documented and cataloged more than 7K films of Newsreels and Documentary films of Films Division, Government of India, from 1947 to 1997, a live history of India, in a record time of three years.
Played creative role in organizing International Children Films Festivals at Hyderabad, Udaipur, of CFSI (199201996). Active participation at Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) from 1990 onward. Attended International Film Festival (IFFI) for the last 28 years and exhibited database work. Released CD_ROM on Indian Cinema in 1997 at Hyderabad (IFFI).
Established Rudraa Entertainment Private Limited (REPL) in 2003 and has since released more than 50 films under the Rudraa Home Video label. In 2004, the Rudraa Educational Foundation was formed, and under this foundation, the film Shyamchi Aai (1953), winner of 1st National Award was screened in over 84K schools of Maharashtra over a period of 7/8 years.
Founder Director of Indikino Edutainment Private Limited, – Restoration Films Company in 2010 and re-released Garm Hava (1973) after being restored. In 2013, he was appointed as the Head of Archival Acquisition for Mumbai’s upcoming Cinema Museum. Mumbai Mantra Media Limited is a subsidiary of the Mahindra Group.
Collector of Cinema Memorabilia has preserved and digitized more than 2 Lakhs photographs, Cinema Magazines, Song Picture Books, and rare books. Nurturing cinema posters and Song Records.
Presently, writing a book on Song Picture books for Michigan State University (USA) and working on an upcoming film Animation feature film on Jainism.
Dr. Mahadev Barad
Director
Dr. Mahadev Barad, MA in history, is pursuing a Ph.D. on the Kutch district’s contribution to tourism development: a historical analysis.
With great zeal, he freelances with Kutchmitra and other leading newspapers in the region about 1971: Refugees and related tales of migrated communities.
Presently he is serving with MPHW (Multi-Purpose Health Worker).
Shashikant Savla
Visual Director
Shashikant Savla is a seasoned cinematographer with over four decades of experience, having covered countless events across India and internationally. Extending beyond still photography, he has profiled numerous distinguished personalities and has directed and edited several documentary features.
Currently, he serves as the Visual Director for the Oral History Project, shaping narratives through a strong visual lens.
Beyond his professional work, he has actively contributed to the social sector, engaging with various community-based organisations, including Kutch Yuvak Sangh, where he has played a meaningful role at the grassroots level.
Bhupenn Chavan
Multimedia Content creator
Jhankhna Chheda
Copywriter
Dipesh Shroff
Advisor
Join Us in Our Journey
The preservation of heritage is not the work of a few; it is the responsibility of all. At Virasat Sanrakshan Association, we invite researchers, students, artists, institutions, and well-wishers to join hands with us in protecting India’s legacy.
Together, we can ensure that India’s cultural heartbeat never fades—and continues to inspire the world.