Sai Akhil Anand

Sai Akhil Anand was born curious about pattern — the way a peacock's tail folds into fractals, the way fish scales tessellate into rhythm. A 10th grade student at Beyond 8, Chennai, this young artist has turned that childhood fascination into a serious practice, one that treats traditional Indian art not as heritage to admire from a distance, but as a living language to learn, speak, and carry forward.

Under the mentorship of Shri Vijayraghavan, Sai Akhil has worked his way through some of India's richest folk traditions — Madhubani, Gond, Cheriyal, Pichwai, Kalighat, and Warli — not from books, but by sitting with artisans in their own villages, absorbing technique, symbolism, and the discipline behind every brushstroke. That grounding, paired with a schoolboy's reading of the Gandhian principles woven into the Constitution's Directive Principles of State Policy, gave him an unusual conviction for someone his age: that preserving traditional art forms and preserving biodiversity are part of the same fight, and that both matter in the fight against climate change.

That conviction now takes many forms. He founded Akhilisms, a venture that brings Indian folk art into giftable, wearable pieces — including a collaboration with Hastha on bespoke block-printed apparel that supports neurologically challenged individuals learning the craft. He is also an amateur weaver who threads mathematical patterns into his textiles, and the author of two books: *The HeART of Math*, which explores the mathematics hidden in nature's patterns, and *Coming Back for You*, an illustrated title encouraging children to learn about conservation. His art has supported causes such as the Besant Nagar Animal Dispensary and the DHOLE project, and has been shown in two well-received solo exhibitions in Chennai and Bengaluru — including *Bindu & Rekha*, a show on animals rendered through rhythm and repetition, and a Kalpa Druma exhibition on art, math and pattern curated by Diana Satish.

Still years from adulthood, Sai Akhil already knows where he's headed — toward wildlife conservation, with art as his chosen instrument.