INDICA Inc is an American charitable foundation that promotes the study and practice of Indian Knowledge Systems in the United States, and supports the activities of INDICA in India.
INDICA Inc is a not-for-profit company registered in the State of Delaware and recognized by the IRS as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The foundation exists to bring the depth of Indian Knowledge Systems — its philosophy, sciences, arts, yoga, and contemplative traditions — into American classrooms, communities, and public life.
INDIC Academy was established in April 2015 to preserve, protect, promote, and mainstream Indian Knowledge Systems, culture, and traditions through research, education, publications, and cultural initiatives. A registered trust based in Hyderabad, Telangana, it is animated by a simple vision: the well-being of all beings — serving as a bridge between traditional gurukulas and modern universities, and between practitioner-scholars and academic researchers worldwide.
Its roots reach further back. The International Forum for India's Heritage (IFIH) was established in December 2001 with the blessings of Pujya Swami Dayanand, bringing together 148 eminent persons from India and abroad to promote the universal values of India's cultural heritage across all spheres of national life and around the world, with particular emphasis on education. Following the integration of INDIC Academy into IFIH in 2021, INDICA carries this shared vision forward through its academic, cultural, and public initiatives.
INDICA Inc is the movement's American arm. It advances this mission within the United States while providing philanthropic support to INDICA in India and its programs around the world.
We advance Indian Knowledge Systems in America by supporting scholars, organising community programs, talks and festivals.
We provide charitable support to the programs of INDICA in India — its specialized centers of study, cohort-based courses, research journal, publishing and translation grants, film and arts initiatives, and festivals — extending the reach of practitioner-scholars and preserving knowledge traditions for future generations.
Figures reflect the cumulative work of INDICA, 2019–2025.
Avatans Kumar is an award-winning journalist, author, speaker, and linguist. He has received journalism awards from the California News Publishers Association and the San Francisco Press Club for his work on Indian diaspora politics and culture. His bylines appear in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Times of India, The Sunday Guardian, and The Print.
Avatans Kumar is an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he taught linguistics and Hindi as a foreign language. He also holds an MBA from Webster University and has several years of experience in the information technology sector.
Avatans Kumar curated BlueOne Ink’s Gods in Exile, an anthology of short stories inspired by Meenakshi Jain’s book Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples. He has also contributed chapters to Westland Books’ Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade and BlueOne Ink’s Padma Bharatis: Ordinary Indians Extraordinary Triumphs.
Avatans Kumar has translated original English works into Hindi. Notable translations include Prof. Subhash Kak’s poetry collection प्रकाश और छाया का पथ and Ambassador Arun Sahu’s collection इग्वाना और अन्य कविताएँ.
Trustee of INDICA in India and Secretary of the U.S. foundation, anchoring the connection between INDICA Inc and INDICA's programs in India.
Chief Curator of Indica Pictures, with over a decade of Hollywood experience at NBC Universal and Sony Pictures and a long association with the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Scholar and author known for his extensive work on the Vedas, Hindu scriptures, and the history of Hindu traditions, and a longstanding voice for the accurate representation of Dharma in American education.
INDICA Inc welcomes gifts from individuals, families, foundations, and corporations who share our conviction that Indic wisdom belongs to all humanity. Your support endows courses and conferences in the United States, sustains scholars and publishing grants, and strengthens INDICA's educational and cultural programs in India.
INDICA Inc is a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law.
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