Aishwarya Manivannan
Aishwarya Manivannan is a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, educationist, and Silambam champion. For the past 12 years, as the founder and creative director of Maisha Studio, Aishwarya has mentored thousands of students in art and design specialisations, creativity, and design thinking,. Aishwarya’s path-breaking pedagogy combines the creative potential of young artists and designers with their innate capacity for growth, transformative change, and social impact.
Her relational and learner-centric pedagogy has anchored curriculums and teachings through her leadership at multiple premier institutions and educational reform projects. She has led multiple academic forums and collaborated with diverse national and international organisations with a focus on creativity and pedagogy.
B.Sc IDD, Dip ID, MA Des, PGDip SF
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2008
Madras University - First Rank Holder
Madras University - General Proficiency Prize Winner
Institute of Design - Creative Excellence Award
2007
Exterior-Interior Ltd. - Academic Excellence
Exterior-Interior Ltd. - Design Excellence Award
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2023
Australia India Youth Dialogue – Indian Delegate
Silver Medal – Wild Warrior Obstacle Course Race, Chennai
Featured in 50 Women Achievers Book by Page3, Chennai
Tamilnadu Brand Leadership Award – Best Brand – Maisha Studio
2022
Silambam Award – Hindustan Kalari Sangam, Calicut
Silambu Selvi – Women Achievers Award, Circkle, Chennai
2020
Artist Travel Grant – The Association of British Scholars
For Art and Design education research and skill development at the University of Arts LondonYuva Samman Award – Entrepreneurship Category, MOP Vaishnav College for Women
2019
Femina Super Daughter Award – Femina India Magazine
Naturals Woman Achiever Award – Naturals India
Women Achiever Award – Raindropss Women Awards
2018
Thol Kalai Nayaki – Aval Vikatan Award
Youth Achiever Award – Yuva Shakti Youth Welfare Association
2017
Youth Icon Award – Dr. K.C. Verghese Excellence Awards, Hindustan Group of Institutions
Brew Women Awards – Brew Magazine
3 Gold, 1 Silver Medals – Team India, South Asian Silambam Championship, Sri Lanka
Young Achiever Award – Vocational Service Awards, Rotary Club of Chennai Towers
2016
Young Alumni Achiever Award – JBAS College for Women, Chennai
3 Gold, 2 Silver Medals, Individual Championship – Team Tamil Nadu, National Silambam Championship, Thanjavur, India
4 Gold, 1 Silver Medal, Individual Championship – Team India, Asian Silambam Championship, Malaysia
2015
Youthstar – Radio One Chennai, for rescue and relief work during the 2015 Chennai Floods
3 Silver, 4 Bronze Medals – Team India, World Silambam Championship, Malaysia
2009
Employee of the Month Award – Krithika Subramaniam & Associates
As a Silambam practitioner, Aishwarya represented India and won 23 medals including 10 gold and 2 Individual Championships in the World, Asian, South Asian, and National Silambam Championships. Her advocacy of Silambam has revitalized interest globally, blending tradition with modernity through art, performance, and technology.
Her work champions the ancient martial art form and its persisting contemporary relevance. Aishwarya explores the multiple facets of Silambam by fusing art, performance, technology, and music, creating brand-new impressions of an age-old art form. Through research, documentation, and artistic collaboration, Aishwarya has created novel creative expressions.
Aishwarya is a three-time TEDx speaker, delegate of the Australia-India Youth Dialogue, and winner of the Association of British Scholars Artist Grant. She has also spoken at the Indo-Philippine Literary Festival and Hyderabad Literary Festival, and served as a panelist at the Tamilnadu Women's Summit and ThinkEdu Conclave, winning several awards for her work in creative education and Silambam.She has worked with stalwarts like AR Rahman, Bharat Bala, and the Manchester Museum, among others, and has been featured in Vogue India, History Channel, and other leading print and online news media.