Chandrappa Sobati

This Grant was Terminated by IFA and the Grantee is ineligible to apply to IFA in the future.

Chandrappa Sobati is a research scholar who has contributed notably to folklore studies in Karnataka through extensive research, study and documentation of folk art forms. He houses a large library of publications, audiovisual recordings, and rare images of north Karnataka folk forms. As a writer, he has published books and research papers in Kannada.

For this grant, he will work on an arts education project with students from the seventh, eighth and ninth standards at the Government High School, Hiremanakatti, Shiggavi Taluk, Haveri District. This project aims to take about three groups of boys and one group of girls to expose them to the folk art form Dollu Kunita – a drum-dance practice - and its applications to the school curriculum. Dollu Kunitha is performed around the presiding deity Beereshwara for spiritual edification, chiefly by the shepherd clan, the Kurubas, also known as Halumathasthas. This form, however, is also performed as entertainment. Chandrappa has worked out a detailed plan of intense engagements with the students. He will introduce the students and teachers to a variety of songs and performances within the practice. One significant aspect of this project is to encourage the teachers to become participant learners and later evolve as facilitators once the project is completed, so that they can continue with the processes learnt even after the grant period. He will work with the students once or twice every week through the grant period. A public performance from the students will be organised at the end of the project as the key outcome.

The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will include photographs from the workshops and audio-video recording of the performance. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, workshop costs, professional fees for resource persons, documentation costs, production costs, travel costs and an accountant’s fee.

This grant is supported by Citi India and Infosys Foundation.