For a feature-length documentary film on the history of Santhali cinema. The project will look at the impact cinema has had on the cultural landscape of Santhals across Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. It aims to study the impact of affordable digital technology on the Santhali film industry, democratising film as a medium, thus affecting storytelling in cinema, and mass production and consumption of content. The outcome of this project will be a feature-length documentary film. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the feature-length documentary film. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, travel, food and living costs, equipment rental, books and stationery costs and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the theatre practices of two Kolkata-based blind theatre groups – Blind Opera and Anyadesh. The project aims to understand how theatrical training, techniques and practices work as tools for blind pedagogy, healing and care. It will particularly enquire into the nature of the customised theatre practices adopted by the two groups that make them effective for blind individuals. The outcome of this project will be a monograph. The Grantee’s deliverable to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and extensive audiovisual documentation generated during the course of fieldwork. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, equipment rental, travel, food and living costs, honorarium, books and stationery and an accountant’s fee.
For research on the identities, biographies, and artistic practices of the wall painters of Shekhawati through the case studies of two painters - Binja Chejara and Balu Ram Chejara – who worked between 1890 and 1945. By tracing the inscribed instances of paintings, this project will build an archive of the artists’ oeuvre, while studying the influence of popular new imagery on their aesthetic choices. The project also aims to understand the self-fashioning by the painters through changing caste affixes in the inscriptions. The outcomes of this project will be a monograph and a short booklet in Hindi. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and the short booklet in Hindi. Grants funds will pay for travel and living costs, honorarium, professional fee, publication costs, stationery, and an accountant’s fees.
For research to analyse the role of Gujarati little magazines between the 1960s and 1980s as a modern phenomenon which emphatically articulated the voice of dissent and cultivated alternate discourses of nation and culture. By examining the editorials, manifestos, advertisements, literary writings, non-fictional writings and cover pages of the magazines, the project will explore the sociopolitical and culture conditions that contributed to its heydays. It will also investigate what led to the later effacement of the legacy of culture of dissent in Gujarat. The outcome of this project will be a monograph in Gujarati and English. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and audio visual documentation of magazines and interviews in the field. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel and living costs, professional fees, books and stationary, equipment, library fees, and an accountant’s fee.
For research that will bring forth alternative narratives from the Darjeeling Himalayas through stories of people, their lived experiences, and cultural spaces. Looking beyond the dominant imagery and narratives that continue to reinforce colonial tropes, this project aims to explore the realities of people through extensive archival research, contemporary photography and oral narratives. The outcome of this project will be a photobook and two exhibitions of photographs by young contemporary photographers from the region in Kalimpong and Darjeeling. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the photobook and audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, travel, food and living costs, equipment rental, honorarium, printing and stationery, books and references, space rental and an accountant’s fee.
For research to trace the history of the music labels of audio cassette in Kashmir and explore the articulations they fostered. The research will focus on marginalised sections and communities of Kashmir, whose interventions challenged the existing social and cultural norms, cultivating a new and popular music scene. It will also put into perspective how these forms impacted the production of media and continue to influence the contemporary music culture in the Valley. The outcome of this project will be an essay. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essay and audiovisual documentation of the interviews. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel, copyright acquisition, stationery, audiovisual documentation and an accountant’s fee.
This Grant was amicably cancelled based on reasons mutually agreed upon by the Grantee and IFA due to unavoidable circumstances.
For research that will trace the articulations of the Ilangai Tamil - Sri Lankan Tamil refugee - community about their homeland through their cultural practices. It will study how the community in its interactions with the Indian nation-state and Tamil Nadu state machinery uses performative acts to negotiate their roles and identities in their present liminal status. The outcome of this project will be a series of essays. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essays and audiovisual documentation and interviews from two refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, travel, food and living costs, equipment rental, consumables and an accountant’s fee.
For research to explore the history and chart the boundaries of Qawwalis in Hindi cinema as a genre of music different from others. The project aims to analyse how the industry used these songs to narrate different stories as well entertain, often subverting this traditional form beyond its norms. It will also attempt to understand ways in which cinema has influenced the performance of traditional Sufi Qawwalis. The outcomes of this project will be an essay and multimedia audiovisual documentation on a digital platform. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essay, audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork and a link to the digital platform. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, reference material, stationery and consumables, communication, internet and website domain charges, travel, food and living costs and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the contributions of courtesans in the shaping of Hindi cinema during the first half of the twentieth century. The project will explore how courtesans became not only some of the first singers, dancers and actors but also directors, producers, lyricists and music composers, thus highlighting their entrepreneurial roles that built the foundation of the industry. It will also study the creative and economic labour of courtesans and Kathak dancers whose narratives are absent in the mainstream discourse on cinema histories in India. The outcome of this project will be a multimedia exhibition with audiovisual interviews, podcasts, short narrative films and graphic illustrations. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be multimedia material generated for the exhibition and a link to the website that will host this content. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, equipment, professional fees, travel and living costs, exhibition costs, books, stationery and website domain costs, consumables and an accountant’s fee.
For research to investigate life in a visual artist’s studio. The project will explore how artists approach their work, overcome creative blocks, experience leisure, and source materials. It will also enquire into the significant roles played by their assistants. The project seeks to break new ground by constituting an inventive and imaginative form of art criticism drawing on history and memory, archive and experience, and studio and practice, with an emphasis on the multiplicity of artistic practices as a strategy to disrupt the notion of canon. The outcome of this project will be a manuscript for a book. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the manuscript for the book and extensive audiovisual documentation of the interviews with visual artists from across India. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel, food and living costs, books, stationery and photocopying costs, professional fee, library fees, and an accountant’s fee.
