Avid Learning is Essar's cultural philanthropy arm and India's leading arts and cultural programming platform. Founded in 2009, under the esteemed leadership of Mrs. Madhu Ruia as Founder & Chairperson, Avid Learning has presented more than 1800 multiverse and hybrid programs, domestically and internationally. Together with its online platform – AVID Online launched in 2020 – Avid Learning has reached more than 2 million interested learners, globally.

 

Their thoughtfully curated and diverse programs embrace the spirit of collaboration to bring together the best of Indian and international writers, artists, intellectuals, cultural experts, policymakers, and industry leaders across Visual Art, Literature, Culture and Heritage, Education, Design & Technology and the Performing Arts through engaging and dynamic formats like panel discussions, workshops & master classes, roundtables, lecture demonstrations, festival platforms, symposiums & conferences, multidisciplinary performances, and walkthroughs.

They have also made their mark internationally, with events and collaborations in Dubai and New York. They also regularly collaborate and partner with institutions, organisations, and initiatives like the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), (CSMVS) Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), one of the apex bodies that impact cultural policy, and the creative sector as a whole. 

Avid Learning has been at the curatorial helm of the Royal Opera House, Mumbai - India's only surviving Opera House since it was reopened in 2016. Avid Learning also regularly collaborates and partners with the diplomatic core in India, NGOs, innovative initiatives, and leading institutions like the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and many more.

Avid Learning believes in the importance of arts for social change and regularly offer their support and platforms for Social Advocacy. In April 2020, they launched AVID Online, an online further learning campaign on their social media platforms for their followers to engage with a range of varied topics across the breadth of the arts. Their eclectic faculty of experts, thought leaders, practitioners, and innovators continue to share their learnings, expertise, and knowledge on their social media platforms with tailored content featured weekly for AVID’s online community and beyond.

In collaboration with long-term and new partners, they have since dimensionalised the campaign by re-introducing their existing offline formats and IPs and enhancing them for digital engagement. They have taken their content live with engaging masterclasses and virtual panel discussions and also built robust tangential campaigns and series in support of worthy causes and highlighting topical issues.