Dr. Hanne M. de Bruin (1959) studied Indology and received her PhD for her research on the Kattaikkuttu theatre at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands. She has published widely on Indian popular theatre, women performers and Indian culture, and translated the all-night Kattaikkuttu play Karna Moksham into English. Since its establishment in 1990, Hanne has been the principal fundraiser and facilitator of the Kattaikkuttu Sangam and the Gurukulam.