Bengaluru: As data becomes central to decision-making across industries, a Bengaluru-based volunteer initiative is bringing together professionals who turn complex information into compelling visual stories.
VizChitra, launched in October 2024, has grown into one of India’s largest communities dedicated to data visualisation, connecting designers, journalists, doctors, researchers, policymakers and technology professionals through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
From WhatsApp group to national network
The initiative was founded after Gurman Bhatia, a data visualisation designer, and a group of like-minded professionals recognised the need for a dedicated platform where practitioners could exchange ideas and mentor one another.
“People would reach out asking for mentorship or wanting to meet others doing similar work. It felt like a shared need,” said Gurman, one of the community’s 30 core members.
What began as a small WhatsApp group has now expanded into a community of more than 1,800 members, creating multiple discussion groups for professionals from diverse sectors.
Bridging different professions through data
According to Gurman, the strength of VizChitra lies in its interdisciplinary nature.
“A doctor, a journalist, a designer and a tech professional may all be dealing with very different subjects, but their challenges are often remarkably similar — using data to explain complex ideas in ways people can understand,” he said.
The platform has become a space for mentorship, professional networking, freelance collaborations and career opportunities.
Beyond conferences
VizChitra has also evolved beyond online discussions by organising conferences and community-driven projects.
Its 2026 hybrid conference, held in July, attracted over 600 participants, with nearly 60 per cent from Bengaluru and others joining from cities including Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Pune.
The event featured sessions on AI-powered data visualisation, newsroom storytelling and visual narratives based on Indian social issues. Highlights included a data-driven redesign of Bengaluru’s Majestic Bus Stand and a climate-focused art exhibition.
The Bengaluru chapter has also led community projects such as mapping nearly 100 trees in Indiranagar for OpenStreetMap, documenting the soundscape of Cubbon Park and organising workshops on air-quality visualisation.
As India’s demand for data storytelling grows, VizChitra aims to strengthen collaboration among professionals while making complex information more accessible and meaningful for the public.