Rani Manjula Devi G

This Grant was amicably cancelled based on reasons mutually agreed upon by the Grantee and IFA due to unavoidable circumstances.

Rani Manjula Devi G is an assistant teacher at Government Higher Primary School in Handi, Chikkamagalur district. With this grant, Rani plans to work together with 5th, 6th and 7th grade students on an exploration based inquiry into the Jaimini Bharata - writings of 16th century Kannada poet Lakshmisha from the region. 

Jaimini Bharata is composed in Vardhaka and Bhamini Shatpadi meters, a form of six lined poetic stanza, on the events following the battle at Kurukshetra. It was originally written by sage Jaimuni. Later, Lakshmisha recomposed this work. He explored a wide range of human emotions and values through this epic while displaying his extensive mastery over vocabulary. This work is particularly known for its use of sophisticated metaphors and characterisation. 
This grant has been made to sensitise students to this epic - Jaimuni Bharata. According to Rani, enabling children to explore this epic poetry will provide a strong foundation for improving their learning capabilities. She believes that this process of engagement will inspire the students to investigate into the depths of layered meanings as well as appreciate the visual imageries built through nuances in language. The activities will also enable students to understand the major features of Shatpadhis and develop their language skills, cultural awareness and creativity. Rani will invite a Gamaka singer to conduct a series of workshops for a final performance. 

Taking students through a guided field visit to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Rani will encourage them to see few original writings of Lakshmisha which are displayed there. Inviting local language experts and referencing locally available published material, she will create discussion platforms in the school as well. By the end of the project, students are expected to create their own poetic works inspired by the epic. The grant will conclude with a performance at the school and cluster level. The deliverables from this project to IFA along with the final report will be photographs and video documentation of the entire project.                      

This grant was made possible with support from Citi India.