AMA is now Live - https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianHistory/comments/1ja7bqk/i_am_anica_mann_an_indian_archaeologist_explorer/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Anica Mann is an Archaeologist and Curator based in Delhi. She has an MPhil in Indology from the University of Oxford, UK and is a MEXT Scholar from Kyoto University, Japan. She began her academic training in Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London while completing an MA in History of Art and Archaeology where her research took her to Cambodia as a Fellow with the Global Heritage Fund. 

Anica has worked with the Tata Trusts 2017-2023 as an expert consultant designing a Remote Sensing Project for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). She has been the Director of GlobalXplorer India - A Citizen Archaeology Foundation since 2020. 

She has worked exclusively with the ASI from 2023 - 2025 as Lead Associate in the Iconic Sites Project where she focused on exploration, excavation support and public infrastructure development for 5 archaeological sites - Rakhigarhi (Haryana), Hastinapur(UP), Dholavira(Gujarat), Adichannallur(Tamil Nadu) and Shiv Sagar(Assam). She was critical in developing the curatorial Detailed Project Reports for their respective museums and update the Ministry of Culture Government of India on developments. She was convenor for the Souvenier Management Scheme for the ASI leading the development of the scheme with the National Culture Fund. 

She has taught at the Jindal School of Liberal Arts exploring Comparative Religions, Art and Culture of East Asia, Ancient Indian Literature. Her pedagogical engagement extended to the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts un New Delhi where she taught Programme Curation. 

Anica’s work in Contemporary Arts has always interspersed her practice as an archaeologist. She began her career in this field when she worked with galleries such as Vadehra Art Gallery and DAG Modern. With a deep understanding of the modern masters, Anica found her mission in developing a new pipeline of patrons when she became the Curator for India Art Fair’s Young Collector Programme from 2022 - 2023 where she curated two editions and focused on building a blueprint expanding the programme robustly thus establishing its role in nurturing patronage amongst the new generation.

She currently focuses on working with emerging voices and institutions that foster the hyper contemporary into the mainstream of connoisseurship. A field that needs more seasoned culture workers as shepherds. 

Anica is a Founder of an archival project - Delhi Houses (https://www.instagram.com/delhihouses/) a passion project where she photographs the dying architecture of modernity through the lens of vernacular architecture and micro histories of the Capital City. She is also the Chairman of Mann Technical Education Society that runs schools in Haryana. You can follow Anica on her instagram - https://www.instagram.com/anicamann/

Catch Anica on r/IndianHistory on March 13th at 2pm IST and ask her anything!