For the production of a film on the history, form, style and aesthetics of the mobile theatre of Assam. The film will record the transformation in themes and repertoire of this genre of performance, capture the experience and perspectives of its promoters, directors, actors, technicians and stagehands, and document the impact of globalisation on its practice.
For the making of a two-part film on the Draupadi Amman Mahabharatha Koothu festival that is celebrated in over 200 villages in Tamil Nadu every year. Draupadi is the presiding deity of the festival and the Mahabharata is narrated as a story, re-created as theatre and performed as a ritual for her. The first part of the film will explore the mythology of the Draupadi cult and the history of the region, the second part will document the villagers reciting, performing and living the Mahabharata for the duration of the festival.
For the publication of a two-volume encyclopaedia and creation of an Internet archive of Bengali Theatre from 1795 to 2008. The encyclopaedia will include entries on theatre personalities, plays and production houses. A CD accompanying each volume will contain photographs, reviews and other material on plays and production companies.
For the creation of The Doorway, an exploration of real and imagined stories in the tradition of Grotowski’s Theatre Laboratory, for presentation and discussion in art galleries, theatre institutions and alternative spaces across the country. This evolving performance will deconstruct the craft of acting with minimal spoken text and design support, making it strongly experimental in nature and challenging the actor-spectator equation.
For the making of a fictional film on the Indian magic lantern or Shambharik Kharolika, the late nineteenth century cinema projections made with painted images on glass. The film will recreate the performance of Shambharik Kharolika and navigate through the lives of its practitioners. Stylistically, the film will reference the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and the painted curtains of the Parsi theatre, which influenced the practitioners of the Indian magic lantern.
For training teachers in using the visual arts to enhance the quality of elementary education in several districts of Karnataka. This project will upscale the Art-in-Education component of the earlier District Quality Education Programme in Chamrajnagar district and simultaneously extend it to select blocks in several other districts.
For exhibiting artwork created during the Himmat workshops with the women survivors of the Gujarat violence in 2002. The exhibitions will take place in major galleries in Mumbai and Delhi and a travelling module will also be created for further dissemination to non-metropolitan venues.
For preparatory research and documentation towards a dance production titled Dance and the City. Four dancers will share their personal experiences of Bangalore with one another, record interviews with other city residents, and undertake photo and video documentation. This material will be used to generate narratives and movement ideas that will form the basis of the proposed production.
For research into theatre censorship in Maharashtra. Using Vijay Tendulkar’s banned play, Sakharam Binder, as a point of reference, the study will investigate censorship in the larger context of the socio-cultural history of theatre, and look into authoritarian state censorship as well non-state agencies’ agenda of silencing and suppressing theatrical expression. The play “S*x, M*rality, Cenc*rship” is the outcome of the grant got nominated for META awards in 10 categories.
For the development of a production that will interpret the story of Giselle from multiple perspectives. A contemporary puppeteer and a dancer will re-imagine Giselle as a peasant girl in small-town in India whose dreams are shattered by social norms and pressures. The production is expected to push the limits of both puppetry and dance.
For research into the production and distribution of Ashiqa, an illuminated manuscript from the time of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. This study of the material aspects of the manuscript is expected to yield important new insights into the polity, economy and culture of the Mughal era. The research will result in a Power Point presentation documenting the Mughal manuscript industry and the Imperial library, and a book on manuscriptology.
For research towards a book of thematic essays that investigate the nature, outcome and predicament of critical practices in architecture of the post-independence era, within a broader culture of building.
For an international conference titled Reviewing Disciplinary Agendas in Theatre Studies: Cultural Arenas, Policies, Institutions, which will address a crucial phase in the history of theatrical activity (1930-1970) in India. The proceedings of the conference will be published.
This Grant was Terminated by IFA and the Grantee is ineligible to apply to IFA in the future.
For research into the oral narrative tradition of Manteswamy, a sixteenth century saint of Karnataka, and its performance by the Neelagaras, the traditional singers of the Manteswamy epic. The study will excavate the historical origins of the tradition, scrutinise its representation as a Dalit tradition, and examine its contemporary performance contexts.
For research into and documentation of post-Partition Bengali newspapers, primarily Ananda Bazar Patrika (1966-1977), towards examining the formation of the cultural identity of the Bengali middle class. The project will lead to an archive of documents and a reader in Bengali.
