Aroon Shivdasani's laughter and joi de vivre are her signatures. She grabs life with both hands and lives it intensely and completely. She has lived in India, England, Canada and the US, travelled extensively all over the world, is interested in every aspect of life and has friends of all cultures and religions.

Executive Director and founding member of the Indo-American Arts Council, Aroon is passionate about its mission of building an awareness of Indian artistic disciplines in mainstream America. She is determined to see the day that Indian and Indian-American artists become as familiar to Americans as Callas, Pavaroti and Picasso.

A Masters degree in English Literature, Aroon worked in marketing, advertising and media research for several years before concentrating her energies on teaching literature and creative writing in high school and college. She left her position as Adjunt Professor of English and VP of her husband’s marketing company, to take on her current position in 1998.

Throughout her life, Aroon has immersed herself in the arts. While working her “day jobs” she has simultaneously been an actor, run a theatre company (The Bear Theatre Co in Canada), been a docent at the Corcoran (in Washington DC), danced, painted, thrown pots, worked with ceramics and stained glass...

Equally passionate about humanity, Aroon has worked with and raised money for FREA India (Front for Rapid Economic Advancement of India), The Spastics Society (Bombay), SAKHI (prevention of domestic violence), CRY (Child Relief and You), victims of the Maharashtra earthquake and Gujarat earthquakes, prevention of communal violence during the Gujarat Riots and several other causes. She has worked with the victims, the needy and the children, and raised money for these causes through the arts.

Aroon Shivdasani’s priority above all is her family – the one she was born into, and the one she has nurtured, who have always given her their love and support. She lives with her husband Indur and her two daughters Sacha and Misha.