Dr. Ritu Sethi is the founder-trustee of the Craft Revival Trust and editor of Global InCH, the online international journal of intangible cultural heritage. In addition she oversees the Asia InCH Encyclopaedia. Both globally recognized as the leading repositories of knowledge on intangible cultural heritage.
Sethi has authored and edited ‘Embroidering Futures- Repurposing the Kantha’, ‘Designers Meet Artisans – A Practical Guide’ (translated into Spanish and French), ‘Painters, Poets, Performers – The Patuas of Bengal’; besides her other writings in national and international publications. Her research interests lie in tracing the evolution of textile and craft traditions from the Colonial to more recent practice, reflecting on its impact on culture, heritage and on living practices.
She serves on the Advisory Committee of the National Crafts Museum and Hast Kala Academy, Ministry of Textiles; the ICH committee (ABHICHU) SNA, Ministry of Culture; on the INTACH Heritage craft and community division; CII Task Force on Art and Culture, besides several other institutions in India. She is on the Advisory board of international organizations on culture and heritage including IRCI UNESCO Cat II centre Japan. She Chaired the UNESCO Consultative Body examining nominations to the ICH of the World, UNESCO, Paris; was on the advisory board of CRIHAP UNESCO Cat II centre in China; on the Steering Committee for the 12th Five year Plan for Handlooms and Handicrafts, Planning Commission; served as a Consultant to UNESCO on Post Disaster Need Assessment on ICH; board member of the Handloom and Handicraft Export Corporation (HHEC), Government of India; Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya Samiti (National Museum of Man), Bhopal; Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT), Ministry of Culture and other institutions.