CAREspaces Foundation
Neha Krishnamachary & Janani Ramesh
In 2020, Neha Krishnamachary and Janani Ramesh co-founded CAREspaces, the first end-to-end system of care for identity-based misconduct in Indian arts.
Neha Krishnamachary is currently at McKinsey & Company after completing her MBA from MIT Sloan with a focus on sustainability. She has a background in strategy and business operations, including roles at NBCUniversal and J.P. Morgan Chase. An accomplished Carnatic violinist, she was previously the host of the podcast Carnatic Conundrums and has led Yuva Sangeetha Lahari, a nonprofit supporting young Indian classical artists in NJ. Janani Ramesh holds a Master’s in Education from USC’s Rossier, specializing in medical education and systems of care reform. Janani’s training in the Indian arts, and leadership in community arts initiatives, led her to pilot an Indian arts–based SEL program for at-risk youth in Chennai supported by the Ministry of Culture, India. She currently serves as Director of Project Prana Foundation, developing healthcare innovation initiatives that support student-led innovations worldwide.
Neha and Janani’s combined expertise in strategy, education, and the arts has positioned CAREspaces as a leading force in transforming community dialogue around one of the most urgent and historically overlooked issues in Indian performing arts communities. Together, they strive for their shared vision: an arts ecosystem that is rooted in integrity and is a source of nothing but joy for all identities.
abstract
Beyond #metoo Movements: Designing Culturally-Responsive Initiatives that Address Identity-Based Misconduct in Transnational Indian Arts Communities
Poster
Across four global #MeToo movements, narratives from Indian arts stakeholders exposed identity-based misconduct, power imbalances rooted in tradition, institutional protection of perpetrators, and silencing of marginalized voices. Culturally-responsive interventions were largely absent. In response, CAREspaces applied systems thinking and mixed-methods analyses to develop comprehensive solutions: transnational peer support, accountability mechanisms, tailored resource-matching, education, and advocacy. Grassroots efforts delivered 1,000+ hours of support, trained 20 providers across 8 time zones, mobilized resources for 3 global movements, and initiated policy reform. Despite outcomes, community accountability remains lacking, demanding continued robust interventions to shift behaviors and repair systemic harm.