For the creation of an experimental prose-narrative in Bangla, in collaboration with a visual artist. The project tentatively titled Harilo Shaareer Kachhe Pajama Mohima (‘The Glory of The Pajama Loses to the Sari’) attempts to explore the travails of Bengal’s first women doctors in the early 19th century. It will study the complex dynamics between these women and the various stakeholders of the medical system at the time – practitioners of traditional medicine, male doctors of modern medicine, and lower caste midwives. The fictional work based on historical narratives will combine text with visual material from personal collections, libraries, and archives to form a framework for a book. The project will culminate in this book.The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be the manuscript of the book and published copies of the same, and photographic and digital documentation of artworks created for the book. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, material, local travel, professional fees, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a musical instrument named ‘Noori’. Exploring new dimensions in instrument design, materiality, and sound, this project aims to create an instrument which is both fretted and non-fretted, string and percussive, with monophonic, polyphonic and microtonal possibilities. The outcome will be two iterations of the instrument, interactive sessions of the work-in-progress, and performances. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be video and audio documentation of the instrument making process and the performances. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, materials, travel, professional fees, documentation and an accountant’s fee.
For the dissemination of Men of Pukar, an IFA-supported photographic project portraying the people and landscape of Poompuhar. Extending beyond Poompuhar, this project will constitute photo exhibitions in and around the regions of three ancient port cities—Tondi (Tyndis), Muchiri (Muziris), and Korkai—located in present day Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Drawing on descriptions of the inhabitants and terrain of these cities in the ancient Tamil epic Silappadikaram, this work seeks to revisit these sites in an attempt to initiate conversations around identity and territory, and rekindle collective social memory. The outcome of the project will be three photo exhibitions and interactive sessions. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be still documentation of the exhibitions and the discussions. Grant funds will pay for costs towards travel and living, exhibition, event, photo documentation and accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a collaborative performance work, exploring politics around notions of identity of the ‘refugee’. Anchored in a doctoral dissertation on Sudanese refugees, the performance will be built on the individual and collective explorations and experiences of marginalisation, exclusion, borders, statist politics, ‘refugee-ness’ and ‘other-ness’ by seven artists. It seeks to question dominant discourses on the refugee, challenging homogeneity, and aspires to build human connections and inclusion. The work will be scripted, devised, directed, and performed by a collective of seven artists who hail from theatre, movement, literary, and visual arts backgrounds. The outcome will be a series of work-in-progress performances across South India. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be photographs, video and textual documentation of the process, and performances. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, travel and living, rehearsal space rental, documentation, materials, and an accountant’s fee.
For a research-based study on the collapse of the infrastructure of celluloid film distribution in India, in the wake of digital distribution. The project aims to capture the dynamic and complex histories across multiple film industries in India, in a rapidly changing environment. The outcome of the project will be an essay and a detailed set of notes on the current film distribution system. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be the audio-visual recording of interviews, photographs, the essay and notes. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, travel and living, materials, professional fees for resource persons, 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 working with the Archaeology Museum in Deccan College, Pune, which has a rich collection of antiquities and specimens, sourced from excavations and explorations carried out across India over the decades. This fellowship supports a series of public events around the museum collections, with the intention of making the museum a social space—one that will encourage people to think, talk, communicate, meet, learn, and enjoy. This will also be supported by a strong online presence. The outcome will include an experiential exploration of some of the museum galleries, a series of interactive events designed for audiences of different age-groups, an exhibition, talks, and an online presence that will aim to create a virtual community. The Fellow’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be images of the process, audio/video recordings, texts, and a publication, if any.
For a wide-ranging engagement with students of the Government Primary School, Sulthanpet village, Devanahalli Taluk, Chikkaballapura District to explore how the school can become a centre for reflections on local traditions, through activities such as plays, storytelling and performances at the Kalyani or sacred pond of the temple. This project, in collaboration with Jayant Gopal, is an extension of Meeta’s earlier project titled Sense of Placeness, also supported by IFA. The outcome will be an exhibition and a public performance.The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be audio-visual documentation of the workshops, images, and a 10-12 minute video documentation. Grants funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, a workshop, travel, an exhibition, 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 a wide-ranging engagement with students from grades one to five of the Government High School in Pethsirur, Chitapur Taluk, Kalaburgi District. These children will be introduced to the cultivation process of tuver dal and will trace its journey from ‘seed to market’ under the project titled Togariya Kanaja Kalaburgi (‘Tuver Dal Warehouse of Kalaburgi’). This year-long project will include a series of workshops that will see students visiting farmlands at the various stages of cultivation and illustrating their experiences through drawings and stories. The outcome will be an exhibition. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be audio-visual documentation of the workshops, images, and a 10-12 minute video documentation. Grants funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, documentation, material, travel, stationery, a closing ceremony, and an accountant’s fee.
For a wide-ranging engagement with fifth, sixth, and seventh grade students of the Government Higher Primary School, Mugali, Ron Taluk, Gadag District to learn the original folk songs of Lavani and Geegi Pada, the content of which features subjects such as earth, water, health, freedom fighters, and national leaders. The students will also be encouraged to engage in writing and singing select poems and stories from their textbooks in the style of these folk songs. The outcome will be a series of performances. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be audio-visual documentation of the workshops, images, and a 10-12 minute video documentation. Grants funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, an exhibition, documentation, and an accountant’s fee.
For a wide-ranging engagement with eighth grade students of the Government Higher Primary School, Kukkarahalli, Mysuru, Mysuru District to connect them with the public library. Students will be encouraged to read and discover the library and their syllabus by accessing and exploring the short stories, novels, and poetry by writers listed in the ‘Further References’ section in their textbooks. They will be encouraged to develop a culture of reading by making the library a familiar and friendly space for gaining knowledge. The outcome will be a series of performances. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be audio-visual documentation of the workshops, images, and a 10-12 minute video documentation. Grants funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, travel, documentation, stationery and an exhibition, and an accountant’s fee.
