Srujanee Mishra is a third-year playwright at Columbia University with a background in development economics and theatre history from the University of Glasgow. Drawing on her field research in rural India, her work illuminates the socio-political and economic realities of underrepresented communities in her home state of Odisha. Her plays blend generational storytelling, family histories, and questions of how everyday lives intersect with broader political forces. Srujanee is deeply committed to use participatory theatre to catalyze social change and shed light on the experiences of women in the global south.

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Srujanee’s thesis project centers on Baji Rout, India's youngest freedom fighter. Inspired by the tales her mother shared and surprised by the absence of Baji in mainstream narratives, Srujanee set out to explore how local histories are preserved or forgotten. In her play, she contrasts Baji's notion of freedom with that of a post-colonial Indian woman, ultimately challenging us to reconsider what “freedom” truly means.​