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.
For research into the linked histories of the radio, the gramophone and Bengali music in the early twentieth century towards an archive of printed materials, a monograph, and a reader collating and annotating articles from Betar Jagat (1930-1950)––a journal published by Calcutta Radio Station. The project will examine, source and collate print and audio-visual records pertaining to the early history of both media in order to map the evolution of Bengali music of the period.
For research and study of the art and science of daguerreotype photography in order to build and experiment with a daguerreotype camera and work towards a book on the form.Through training and exposure to the international contemporary daguerreotype community, the artist will extend his knowledge of image-making and attempt to expand the domain of Indian art photography.
For research into the life of Gond artist Jangarh Singh Shyam and the events, characters and art philosophies that led to his untimely death in Japan. The researcher will identify appropriate areas of arts discourse for reading and analysis, and will travel to interview various individuals who have played significant roles in Jangarh Singh Shyam’s life. The research will subsequently provide the basis for a novel.
For conceptualising and producing an installation based on the video documentation of the unique performance language developed in Brhannala, a production by Adishakti, a Pondicherry based theatre group.
For identifying and compiling critical writing on the visual arts published in the twentieth century in various Hindi magazines and journals. This will be followed by a critical evaluation of major twentieth century visual artists. The project will result in a published collection of articles and essays on individual visual artists.
For a series of intensive short-term culture workshops for undergraduate students and other youngsters of the same age group. The objective is to fill a serious vacuum in the formal general education system, which lacks a mechanism to help youngsters appreciate the most significant art works and aesthetic traditions in their immediate environment and open their minds to the rich world of intellectual inquiry.
