Sarai

Abstract

Sarai (www.sarai.net) is an interdisciplinary program of research and creative experimentation with old and new media in urban spaces. It was launched in February 2001 at the Center for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. This essay sketches the history of the Sarai initiative, outlines its primary concerns with urban cultures and city spaces, new and old forms of media practice, and research into the politics of information and communication. The text is also an account of the different kinds of energies—ranging from theory, research, media practices, public cultural intervention, publication, and online as well as offline discursive spaces—that animate the space of Sarai.