Mehar Zariwala

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA under Neighbourhood Engagements will create a series of zines that explores the history and lived experiences of residents of Rustum Bagh in Bangalore. Mehar Zariwala is the Coordinator for this project.

Mehar Zariwala has a background in experiential learning, design research and entrepreneurship. She has a degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Dr B R Ambedkar Institute of Management and Technology, and a Diploma in Entrepreneurship from Indian Business School. In addition to being a Programme Lead at a venture firm, she spends her time working on her blog Bikhre Lavz - transliterating old Urdu poetry, writing her own poetry and collaborating with other artists making zines and penning lyrics for songs. Mehar is a resident of Rustum Bagh. Given her experience she is best placed to be the Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA.

The neighbourhood of Rustum Bagh is hidden behind the towering Manipal Hospital off old Airport Road. Historically, a vast area of land around what is today Rustum Bagh belonged to Maharani Divyeshwari Devi, a princess from the Mysore Royal family, and was bought by the Kothavala family in 1935. They named their estate Rustum Bagh after their father; and the entire land was cultivated while also housing poultry, cattle and their pets. In the 1960's, the family decided to sell parts of the estate. The area where corn was once grown and a mango grove existed was sold to Mr Gemini Ganeshan to build a film studio - which later became the Manipal Hospital. The rest was sectioned into land plots and is today collectively called the Rustum Bagh Layout, home to several houses and apartments. As philanthropists the Kothavala family also donated a part of the land to the Deaf Aid Society in memory of their daughter Sheila, where the Sheila Kothavala Institute for the Deaf exists today along with the Cheshire home.

This project seeks to develop a deeper knowledge of the history of Rustum Bagh through detailed research and conversations with residents, as well as members of the Kothavala family. These stories from veteran residents will be recorded and collected to be shared with young adults and children in the neighbourhood. In a series of art interventions, participants will explore these stories further with residents. They will then be engaged in a zine making workshop through which they will evoke the history and lived experiences of the neighbourhood. In this project, Mehar will engage with the Residents Welfare Association and multiple spaces across Rustum Bagh.

The outcome of this project will be a series of zines by young adults and children documenting the history of Rustum Bagh, which will be shared in an exhibition in the neighbourhood. Mehar’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be process documentation of her research and interactions, images from the zines and documentation of the exhibition.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Project 560 programme in the manner in which it artistically investigates the history of Rustum Bagh and engages with its residents.

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project over three months. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.

This project is made possible with support from Sony Pictures Entertainment Fund.