For research to study the discourse of dissent in the Natua Naach form of Bihar. The project will explore ways in which Dalit folklore takes the form of political expression and resistance, challenging caste and social oppression and hierarchy. It will also look at transformations in the form over the last few years with the advent of technology and modernisation, and the role it plays in contemporary society as a platform for the marginalised. 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, an audio-visual documentation of the Natua Nach performances and interviews conducted in the field. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, travel and living, equipment rental, stationery and books, typing and printing, and an accountant’s fee.
For research towards a monograph length essay on Sang-Ragini, a signature theatre tradition of Haryana, which combines theatre, ballad singing, music and dance. Studying the linkages between the music industry hubs of Delhi and Haryana, the research will map the construction of this form over time, and document the processes by which they are produced, distributed, marketed and consumed in both live and recorded formats.
