My Story

Education & Artistic Training

• Early Training: Studied fine art (oil painting) formally for 4 years as a student, laying a strong foundation in painting techniques and creative expression.

• Academic Background: Pursued a degree in Computer Science Engineering, during which she continued to engage in art (often merging insights from technology into her artwork). She received encouragement from mentors to continue art alongside engineering – for instance, the Principal of Bangalore’s College of Fine Arts once advised her to “pursue art rather than engineering,” recognizing her talent.

​

Exhibitions & Achievements

• 2013 – Chitra Santhe (Bangalore): Debuted at Chitra Santhe 2013, the annual open-air art fair organized by Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. This was one of her first public exhibitions, showcasing her early artworks to a wide audience.

• 2014 – “Two Sides of the Same Coin – Technology”: Exhibited an oil painting titled Two Sides of the Same Coin – Technology at Creative Encounters, a national art camp and expo in Bangalore organized by CMR Institute of Technology in collaboration with Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath. The painting depicted contrasting impacts of the tech landscape on society and drew significant attention. It was later auctioned and acquired by the CMR Group, and is now displayed at CMR University’s Law College as part of their art collection.

• 2015 – ArtforEconomy @ IIM Bangalore: Selected to exhibit at the ARTforEconomy international art competition and exhibition, part of the ICIER-IIMB International Conference on Entrepreneurship Education (held at Indian Institute of Management

Bangalore). Won an International Award as one of the top three artworks in the competition. Her winning piece, titled “Grameen Bank: Mother of Social Business,” illustrated the Grameen Bank microcredit model inspired by Dr. Muhammad Yunus’s work.

This achievement earned her recognition from both the art community and academia, underlining her ability to translate complex economic/social concepts into visual art.

• Ongoing – Sales and Commissions: Following these early successes, Sanjana has continued to produce new artworks regularly. She has sold over fifty original paintings to private collectors and clients across India and abroad, under the Raftaat Media Studio brand. Her works often explore themes at the intersection of technology, social change, and feminism, making them appealing to a diverse audience of art enthusiasts.

​

Publications & Media Features

• Document Women (2021): Sanjana’s art and writing have been featured in international online magazines. Notably, she contributed an essay “I Am Woman” to Document Women (a feminist publication) in December 2021, which was accompanied by her original paintings. Her artwork – for example, a piece themed on Grameen Bank: Mother of Social Business –

was showcased in the article, exemplifying how she uses art to comment on women’sempowerment and social issues. (The article was published under her own byline, reflecting her role as both artist and thought leader in the space: archives.documentwomen.com.)

​

Additional Professional Role

While art remains her passion and primary creative outlet, Sanjana Rathi is also a cybersecurity professional. She is the Founder and CEO of The CyberDiplomat, a global cyber technology company, where she applies the same creativity and strategic thinking from her art to the world of cyber defense and policy. This unique dual expertise has made her a sought-after voice in cyber

innovation (e.g., she serves as a visiting professor in cybersecurity), even as she continues to grow and showcase her work as an artist.