India Currents photographer Sobhan Hassanvand was at SALA 2026 to capture the action at the Bay Area’s annual South Asian Festival of Literature and the Arts.
Now in its seventh year, SALA 2026 has grown into one of North America’s leading celebrations of South Asian literature and the arts, bringing together Nobel laureates, award-winning authors, filmmakers, artists, scholars, and thousands of attendees from across the Bay Area and beyond.
This year’s theme: Global Gaze. South Asian Soul explores the human tectonic shifts shaping our world.
Hundreds of visitors enjoyed a sunny afternoon listening to thought-provoking conversations
The Setting
The Audience
The Speakers
2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate spoke at a session called ‘Karuna-The Power of Compassion’ (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents) 
Actor/Director Nandita Das in conversation with Tipu Purkayastha at SALA 2026 (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand) 
The NGO Tribe Rising shshares information about its work at SALA 2026 (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents) 
Saranya Nayak, and Kajri Akhtar in coversation with Nanini Bharadwaj on a panel titled ‘The Art of the Short’ (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents)
The Shopping
Tables set out in the sunshine offered both selling beauty and wellness products, and jewelry (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents) 
SALA 2026: A booth selling jewelry (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents) 
SALA shopping featured a booth about wellness products (image credit: Sobhan Hassanvand for India Currents) 
