For research into performing traditions and changing structures of patronage in Maharashtra. By investigating Marathi theatrical practices that emerged in the 1840s, the study seeks to document how elite and popular performative forms were reconstituted in the latter half of the nineteenth century.
For the publication of a book on the use of photography as a social tool by the Bengali upper class in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The book, to be published by the Oxford University Press, will be made available at a subsidised price.
For collaborative research between an installation artist/set designer and an anthropologist towards a multimedia installation/exhibition on the visual culture of the Thiyyas, a community from North Kerala.
For making a film on the New-Delhi based theatre group, Jan Natya Manch, that will critically explore its history and contemporary practices. Combining archival footage with documentation of contemporary performances, the film will especially focus on Nukkad Natak (street theatre).
For creating a comprehensive collection of material on the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA). Through interviews, archival research, and the compilation of material generated on and by IPTA, the researcher will arrive at an account of the first, collective, pan-Indian cultural movement in independent India.
For preparatory work on a video film, by a filmmaker and a journalist/writer, on marginalised aspects of Punjab’s cultural landscape. They will explore their relationship to contemporary Punjab by documenting particular celebrations, individuals, memorials and encounters that together embody a syncretic understanding of the region.
For a clay and fibre installation by a ceramic artist and a textile artist based on interrelated themes depicted in Indian and Greek myths. The installation will be created for outdoor viewing and will be site-variable.
For research into the social world of the Mumbai film poster, leading to a manuscript. The study will focus on the labour, skills, creative choices and techniques that go into the production of the poster, and its circulation and reception in metros and small towns.
For research into the Dalit painting of the Mithila region of north Bihar. The ensuing monograph will broaden the scope of what is commonly understood as Madhubani or Mithila painting, which has upper caste connotations, by drawing attention to Dalit painting. An exhibition of Mithila paintings is a likely outcome of this project.
For research into the social history of the north Indian folk theatre Nautanki, with a special focus on the role of women. The study will result in a biography of the legendary Nautanki performer Gulab Bai, to be published in Hindi and English.
