For practice-based research on the historical, theatrical and psychological aspects of characterisation in the performance of Therukoothu towards making a play in the form of documentary theatre. Through extensive interviews with the Therukoothu artists and by studying the process of preparing actors for various characters, the project aims to explore pedagogy, performativity and the contemporary trends that have influenced the form in various ways. The outcome will be a documentary theatre production. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audiovisual documentation of the interviews conducted in the field and the documentation of the theatre production. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, equipment rental, travel food and stay, production costs, professional fees and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the interlinked imaginaries of time – geological, mythological, and science-fictional – as they are expressed in the desert landscape of the Rann of Kutch. The project will investigate how the geological and the mythological narratives shape and alter the cultural geographies of the imagined science-fictional future. The outcome will be a physical and digital book with text containing photographs and artworks, two short educational animated films depicting the fictional landscape of the Rann of Kutch, and a website that will host the research data. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the two books, the two short films and the website. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, professional fees, travel and living costs, and an accountant’s fee.
For research towards a documentary film on the artistic legacy of the famous Gond Pradhan artist Jangarh Singh Shyam. The project will critically examine the artistic evolution that was spurred by Jangarh’s inventive artistic style, when the Gond Pradhan community moved from its traditional musical practices towards a modern, urban tradition of visual arts practice in Bhopal. Through an art-historical inquiry into the genesis and propagation of this shift, the project aims to explore the ‘urban’ fetish for the ‘tribal’ as the city continues to subsume a subaltern tribal identity into its cultural landscape. The outcome will be an audiovisual documentation of interviews with the artists and experts, a short video, and working drafts for the script for the documentary film. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the audiovisual documentation, video and working drafts of the script. Grant funds will pay for travel and living costs, equipment rental, professional fees, book purchase and an accountant’s fee.
For research on the soundscapes of the annual pilgrimage – Kanwar Yatra – where predominantly male devotees of Shiva undertake an arduous trek to ceremonially transport water from the Ganga at Haridwar to various Shiva shrines across North India. Through an ethnographic engagement with the Yatra, this project will focus on its auditory dimensions to explore the ecology of religiosity and popular culture. It is an attempt to understand religious practices and formation of identities in current times. The outcome will be an essay combining theoretical insights and ethnographic data. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA will be an essay, audiovisual documentation comprising interviews with the pilgrims and photographs of the Yatra. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, travel and food costs, professional fees, library fees, photocopying, book purchase, stationery and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the significance and interrelationship of cultural heritage and conflict in Kashmir. The project aims to understand how heritage impacts the identities and values of communities in times of conflict. The outcome will be an essay and an interactive installation with audiovisual recordings from the field and stills of the mapped heritage sites. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be an essay and an audiovisual documentation from the installation. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, travel, food and living costs, exhibition costs, professional fees, book purchase, library fees, stationery and photocopy costs, equipment rental and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the ways in which poets and rebels contemplate the question of the self through idioms of ‘love’, in the current sociocultural and political context in Kashmir. By exploring the plurality of love depicted through images and literary expressions, the project will focus on the works of two poets—Agha Shahid Ali and Rahman Rahi—and visuals of a rebel leader. It will attempt to delve into the ways in which the discourse on love in literary sources and political practices could be employed in writing the cultural history of contemporary Kashmir. The outcome will be an essay and a photo-essay. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be an essay and a photoessay. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, travel, food and living costs, stationery, book purchase, photocopying, professional fees, internet subscription charges and an accountant’s fee.
For research into the lives of Indian courtesans and their families, tracking their journey from their roots in history to the present times. The Grantee will draw on his personal experiences as well as those of women and children who were raised in kothas. With a focus on their music, performance culture, patronage and the circumstances that transformed a traditional cultural practice into sex work, the project will record the struggles and aspirations of people from various communities and trace the erosion of the Kotha culture over time. The outcome will be a manuscript for a book. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the manuscript and an audiovisual documentation from the field. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, travel, food and living costs, stationery, book purchase, library fee, photocopying, internet and phone bills, professional fees, equipment rental and an accountant’s fee.
For working with the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore, founded by Nobel Laureate Sir CV Raman which houses more than 5,000 historical photographs, handwritten letters, artefacts and instruments that Prof Raman used in his lifetime. This fellowship supports research that will lead to a permanent display of archival material at the Raman Research Institute. The outcome will involve the designing and curating of this permanent display that will both accommodate and showcase the material from the past, together with current research that is underway in the Institute. The Fellow’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be process images, images of the exhibition, texts and publication if any.
For working with the Barpeta District Museum in Assam, which was established in 1987 and houses more than 450 artefacts including a number of objects from the satras – the neo-vaishnavite monasteries that also served as important sociocultural centres for the Assamese society. This fellowship supports research that will lead to a permanent exhibition at the Barpeta District Museum. The outcome will be an inventory of the objects in the collection, a catalogue with brief descriptions, and a permanent exhibition that will be designed and curated to showcase the objects in an engaging and informative manner. The Fellow’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be process images, images of the exhibition, texts and publication, if any.
For workshop expeditions with students to three archaeological sites. These workshops will attempt to disseminate the knowledge of archaeoacoustics tested successfully in an earlier project supported by IFA. The outcome will be three workshops. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be data collected from the field recordings, report of the process, audio-video documentation and photographs of the workshops. Grant funds will pay for workshop costs, honorarium, professional fees and an accountant’s fee.
