Founded in1989, Sahmat is a contemporary artists’ collective created in and for India. While fomenting discussion and activism around politically charged topics, the Delhi-based collective catalyzes the production and display of artworks to advance artistic freedom and secular, egalitarian values. The initial urge to form Sahmat came as a response to the death of Safdar Hashmi, a political activist, actor, playwright, and poet who was fatally attacked by political thugs during a street theatre performance in January 1989. Sahmat is both an acronym for the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust, and the Hindi word for “in agreement.”