Subhaschandra Bhajantri

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA will engage eighth grade students at the Government Girls Pre-University College, High School Section in Badami, Bagalkot district in a project titled Kappe Arabhatta Yaaru? (Who is Kappe Arabhatta?). The project will document and critically examine stone inscriptions in and around the region enabling students to become researchers recording their local history and enrich their study of social science and language curriculum. Subhaschandra Bhajantri is the Coordinator for this project. 

Subhaschandra Bhajantri is an Assistant Teacher from Badami in Bagalkot district. He comes from the pool of trained facilitators who underwent the Kali Kalisu training programme that was conducted in Bagalkot recently. Having been exposed to various forms of literary arts, he now wants to use his skills to aid the learning process of his students. Given his experience he is best placed to be the Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

This project addresses two concerns. Firstly, students learn history from the school as a subject, as well as from their own experiences and what they hear at home. Often there are huge gaps between these understandings. Secondly, inscriptions on stone are one of the key sources of history and play a prominent role in historical research. Apart from their significance in giving us information about the times, the writing also throws light on the lives of innumerable people during those times. Karnataka is home to thousands of such stone inscriptions, many of which are not in museums but are scattered across the state - on roadsides and graveyards. While these inscriptions might well be of interest to local residents, there is a need to increase awareness of their cultural importance - something which is easier said than done if the inscriptions are in remote locations.

Responding to these two concerns, this project attempts to foster historical thinking in students while connecting to their local experiences by exposing them to various stone inscriptions found around Badami. Kappe Arabhatta, an 8th century Chalukya warrior mentioned in one of the stone inscriptions is central to the project. The project will engage students in artistic processes like storytelling, and theatre in exploring the narratives around this character Kappe Arabhatta. Students will also be involved in workshops on creative writing on the history of the Chalukyas of Badami. The project will invite the help of historians, writers, artists and local residents to assist the students in building their tales of Kappe Arabhatta through a series of handholding workshops, interviews, demonstrations and talks at cluster level schools. Given the rich landscape and historical background of Badami, several field studies have been scheduled through the year. The efforts will be to facilitate students to enrich their language arts and historical sensibilities, which in turn would help them improve their concentration and build a new vocabulary for expression. 

Another goal of the project is to encourage the students to see themselves as participants, rather than neutral observers, in the process of excavating history. It is an example of an innovative method of infusing the classroom with experiential learning. The hope is that students who engage in the project will gain a deeper understanding of multiple historical perspectives. This project will expose students to a wide range of views and experiences on a complex and controversial topic, and thus deepening their critical thinking skills.

The outcomes of the project will be a performance in the presence of school staff and a publication with the writings of the children. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the publication, and photographs and video documentation of the entire project including the performance.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Education programme in the manner in which it attempts to connect students and schools to the cultural knowledge of the local communities they live in. 

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 at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.