Vinod Kumar S Hiremath

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

Vinod Kumar S Hiremath, is a Rangayana alumnus and is an active theatre practitioner from Koppala. He has been conducting several theatre workshops for children across Karnataka. He also is a Bachelor of Agriculture. Through this grant project, he will work with eighth-grade students of the Government High School near Hommaragalli in Mysuru district to explore the various vegetables and fruits of South America that have become part of the Indian cuisine.

Today, we think of tomatoes as an Italian staple, potatoes as quintessentially Irish or northern European, and peanuts as native to Africa. But Native American farmers cultivated and developed these foods over hundreds of generations, long before Europeans exported them throughout the world. Namma Hotteyalli Dakshina America, (South America in our Stomach) by the Kannada writer B G L Swamy is a book that explores the various stories of these indigenous food items and sparks our curiosity by describing edible crops introduced from tropical South America to India. This book is a treasure trove of detailed descriptions, ecology and uses, conservation, botanical folklore and myths, and allusions to plants in Sanskrit, Kannada and Tamil literature – all narrated in his typical humorous style. Generations of students have been inspired by his vast knowledge of plants in their natural habitats, and the scientific, cultural and historical lores associated with them.

Vinod’s project focuses on theatrically adapting stories from Namma Hotteyalli Dakshina America. This will also make students connect the food they eat at home to the work they do in classrooms. Students will also be mentored in preparing a series of theatrical scripts based on examples from this book in relation to their science curriculum.

The outcome of this project will be a series of performances. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be still and video documentation of the entire project.

This grant was made possible with support from Citi India and Infosys Foundation.