Partners
The Hope Project
Founded in 1975 by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, The Hope Project began as a milk distribution programme for malnourished children among homeless migrant families in the Nizamuddin Basti (area of Hazrat Inayat Khan’s dargah). What started with a small medical team and two modest classrooms has since grown into a full centre offering health services, education, and vocational training — including self-help groups that allow women to save and lend money independently. Its guiding philosophy remains “help for self-help”: unlocking people’s own capacity to become active contributors to their community, rather than simply providing aid. hopeprojectindia.in
Nekbakht Foundation
Named after Nekbakht Furnée, a devoted disciple of Hazrat Inayat Khan who dedicated her life to preserving his papers and lectures after his death in 1927, the Nekbakht Foundation is custodian of a remarkable archive: handwritten letters, photographs, and the original shorthand records of his lectures from 1922 to 1926. Since 1988, the Foundation has published these as the Complete Works, freely available to all. Its mission is to make this living archive accessible to academics, seekers, and students worldwide. nekbakhtfoundation.org
Roli Books
One of India’s largest illustrated book publishers, with titles on Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and India’s cultural heritage, distributed through bookstores across India. rolibooks.com
Collaborators
Shrabani Basu
Award-winning author of The Spy Princess, the acclaimed biography of Noor Inayat Khan. Founder of the Noor Memorial Trust. shrabanibasu.co.uk
Srinivas Reddy
A scholar, translator, and musician, Srinivas studied classical sitar in the traditional guru-shishya style with Pandit Partha Chatterjee, a direct disciple of the late sitar maestro Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. Srinivas also trained in classical South Asian languages and literatures at Brown University and UC Berkeley. He has released three CDs, published five books, and is currently Associate Professor of South Asian Studies at Nayanta University in Pune, India. www.sankalpana.org
Aziza Rekha Bhardwaj
A seeker on the path, Aziza Rekha is trained in Hindustani classical music under Guru Pandit Amarnathji of the Indore Gharana. Her inner journey began with the album of Sufi poems Ishqa Ishqa (2002) – written by filmmaker and poet Gulzar, composed by filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj – which introduced her to Sufism and, in time, became a way of life. The film Omkara (2005) launched her career as a playback singer in the Indian film industry, and she has since won a National Award and two Filmfare Awards for her songs. Her music, marked by a soulful voice that carries a touch of the divine, can be heard on Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, and YouTube.