PNN
New Delhi [India], November 1: In a year that marks both personal recognition and collective celebration, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman of Hero Enterprise and Founder of the Serendipity Arts Foundation, has been conferred the Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Merite (Knight of the National Order of Merit) by the Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Mr Thierry Mathou. One of France's most distinguished civilian honours, the award recognises Mr. Munjal's outstanding contribution to India's civil society, his commitment to education and innovation, and his vision for making art and culture accessible to all.
For over a decade, Mr. Munjal has built bridges between heritage and innovation through the Serendipity Arts Foundation and its flagship initiative, the Serendipity Arts Festival. In doing so, he has helped redefine the role of art in public life - not as privilege, but as participation. Under his patronage, the Foundation has become one of South Asia's most influential cultural forces, bringing together artists, curators, and communities in a shared pursuit of creative exploration.
Accepting the honour, Mr. Munjal reflected on what it signifies for this journey: "This honour is deeply personal because it celebrates not just the work we do at Serendipity Arts, but the invisible bridges built between France and India through art, conversation, and shared curiosity. France has taught us that style is substance; India has taught us that soul is substance. Together, they remind us that culture is humanity's most beautiful common language."
As Serendipity Arts celebrates this remarkable milestone, its vision of cultural connection extends far beyond Goa. The Foundation's 10-year celebrations have already travelled across Birmingham, Ahmedabad, Delhi, and Varanasi, and will continue through upcoming engagements in Gurugram, Chennai, Dubai, and Paris, each city hosting a distinct artistic dialogue rooted in local context. These engagements will culminate in December in Goa, where the 10th edition of the Serendipity Arts Festival - the largest yet - will bring together over 150 projects and 35 curators, transforming Panjim into a living, breathing ecosystem of creativity.
Art has the power to transform lives
Among the most memorable chapters of this anniversary year was Shaam-e-Ghazal, a luminous evening of music and poetry held at Delhi's historic Safdarjung Tomb. Presented by Serendipity Arts in association with Sabhayata Foundation and curated by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh, the concert featured acclaimed vocalists Pratibha Singh Baghel and Prithvi Gandharv, paying tribute to the timeless poetry of ghazal legends such as Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hasan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pankaj Udhas, and Jagjit Singh.
Bathed in moonlight, the Mughal monument became a stage where heritage and contemporary expression intertwined. The performance reimagined the site not as a relic of the past but as a living cultural space and a symbol of how art can transform public monuments into spaces of dialogue, belonging, and collective memory.
Reflecting on the occasion, Ms. Shefali Munjal, Co-Founder- Patron of Serendipity Arts said, "Through experiences like Shaam-e-Ghazal, we aim to reinforce Delhi's historic and cultural legacy. Monuments are not just remnants of the past - they are dynamic spaces that can inspire new creativity and dialogue. When art comes alive in such places, it transforms public monuments into vibrant cultural hubs that belong to everyone."
As Serendipity prepares for its landmark festival in Goa this December, the year stands as a testament to what the Foundation has built over a decade - not just an arts festival, but a movement grounded in empathy, inclusion, and imagination. It has nurtured hundreds of emerging artists, supported cross-cultural collaborations, and shown that art, when shared freely, becomes a language that binds people across differences.
In celebrating both Mr. Munjal's French honour and Serendipity's ten-year journey, what emerges most clearly is a vision of art not as ornamentation, but as transformation - a belief that creativity can heal divides, sustain dialogue, and remind us of our shared humanity.
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