For research into the evolution and development of the Gaana music culture in Chennai. A popular form of music, practiced among the marginalised people of urban Chennai, Gaana in the recent years has become a powerful medium of socio-cultural and political expression. Through extensive documentation of the Gaana songs and the lives of its performers, and an in-depth analysis of the content, this project attempts to study this form against the larger context of society, politics and culture of Chennai in particular and Tamil Nadu in general. The outcome of this project will be a series of essays / articles in little magazines in Tamil. The research will eventually lead to a book. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be the essays and, video and still documentation from the project. Grant funds will cover honorarium, travel and living costs, documentation costs, local conveyance, resource materials, photocopy and stationeries, and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the work songs of women in Telangana focusing on the Uyyala Paatalu songs, which are predominantly sung while working in the fields or as labour in the informal sector. The project will explore the socio-political and cultural relevance of the songs in the present context by looking at the subversive histories of participation of women in the people’s struggle of Telangana and their assertions against patriarchal and caste oppressions in the region. The outcome of this project and the Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a film. The grant funds will cover honorarium, equipment rental and studio hiring costs, professional fees, travel and living costs, production costs, and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of workshops over eight months and an exhibition in the historic Chitpur locality of old Kolkata. The workshops are a continuation of the ‘Chitpur Local’ project designed to re-activate the cultural life of this locality with rich history and heritage. Eight artists in collaboration with local residents, businessmen, artists, craftsmen, police and schools will create various cultural activities, innovative audience engagement and a digital archive. Outcome of the project will be the workshops and a community exhibition. Still and video documentation of the workshops and the exhibition will be deposited as deliverables. The material will also be shared on the website and social media pages of the project. Grant funds will pay for workshops costs, professional fees, community collaborators’ fees, documentation costs, honorarium, website maintenance costs, and an accountant's fee.
For a series of workshops for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students from all schools located in Pagada Dinni, Raichur District to introduce them to different styles of journalistic writing. The outcome of the project will be the publishing of four issues of Pencil, a student’s newspaper. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will include photographs from the workshops, and the publications. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, professional fees for resource persons, documentation, travel, and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of workshops to develop literary arts practices among eighth grade students enabling them to document their personal narratives as monologues – Swagatagalu. The outcome of this grant will be a publication. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will include photographs from the workshops and the publication. Grant funds will pay for publications costs, honorarium, workshops costs, professional fees, documentation costs, refreshment costs, and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of workshops that enable students of the sixth and seventh grade to develop appreciation for literary arts practices by documenting the stories of their own nomadic Marathi communities. The outcome of this grant will be a publication. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will include photographs from the workshops and the publication. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, publication costs, workshop costs, professional fees, documentation costs, refreshment costs, and an accountant’s fee.
For a series of workshops for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students at the Government High School, Muchalamba, Bidar District, that integrates geometry and art by using different forms of visual art, folk stories and theatre games. The outcome will be a performance and a publication. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will include photographs from the workshops, audio video recording of the performance and the publication. Grant funds will pay for performance costs, honorarium, workshop costs, publication costs, documentation and refreshment costs, professional fees and an accountant’s fee.
For a wide-ranging engagement and workshops with seventh grade students of the Government Model Higher Primary School, Maski, Raichur District to introduce them to the short stories of Masti Venkatesha Iyengar and enable them to write their own. The outcome will be a publication. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will include photographs from the workshops, and the publication. Grant funds will pay for costs towards an honorarium, a workshop, professional fees for resource persons, documentation, publication, travel, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a musical performance based on notions of Manipuri identity that are embedded in the literature and folklore of the Meitei community, particularly that of its diaspora spread across Assam, Tripura, and Bangladesh. Through extensive field trips and interviews, the project will explore histories, stories, and songs of the Meitei community and its subsequent migration, to understand the constructions and erasures of identity—both within and outside of Manipur. The performance seeks to generate fresh perspectives on the current sociopolitical landscape of the state. The outcome will be the performances.The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be an audio CD, documentation from the field trip, stills and video recordings of the premiere performance. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel and living, professional fees, a premiere show, studio hire, documentation, production of a CD, research material, and an accountant’s fee.
For the creation of a multimedia exhibition, a seminar, and performances centred on the archival collection of music and papers of the Senia Gharana exponent, Pandit Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury. The rich collection, comprising the published and unpublished writings of Birendra Kishore, his personal notebooks, music ephemera, and photographs, will enable critical dialogues around music pedagogy, archiving, and engaging with archival materials for musical experimentations. The seminar also aims to foreground regional perspectives in the understanding and writing of music histories. The outcome will be a seminar, an exhibition, and performances. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be still and video documentation of the exhibition, seminar and performances, and the papers that will be presented at the seminar.
For the creation of a graphic novel that explores the tumultuous history of the rule of the Left Front in Bengal and its eventual collapse in 2011. The project attempts to understand the formation of the middle-class mindscape during this time and the challenges it faces in the current political context. It aims to analyse multiple marginal voices from the fractures of history, with autobiographical references to the artist’s own life. The outcome will be a book. The Grantee's deliverables to IFA with the Final Report will be rough sketches, photographic and textual documentation and the manuscript of the book.
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 working with the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) in Bangalore, which has a rich collection of science and technology objects.For the creation of a programme titled ‘The Mystery-Gen Gadgets’, which will constitute the history and technological development of early gadgets. Their study will focus on the design history of these gadgets and the cross-cultural perspectives connected with their design, production, use, and disposal. The outcome will include an exhibition, workshops, and talks that explore the role and future of contemporary gadgets. The Fellows’ deliverables to IFA with the final report will be images documenting the process, video recordings, texts, and a publication, if any.
For working with the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) in Bangalore, which has a rich collection of science and technology objects.For the creation of a short theatrical performance with young members of the Hyderabad-based theatre-family group Surabhi, that will make visible the scientific processes that are at work in their theatrical productions, especially in their stagecraft. The outcome will include a mini lecture-demonstration production in VITM, Bangalore followed by a workshop led by young members of Surabhi for an audience in Bangalore; and short YouTube videos made with the children about science in their theatre. The Fellows’ deliverables to IFA with the final report will be process images, audio/video recordings, and texts and publication, if any.
For working with the Delhi Visual Archive housed in the Centre for Community Knowledge (CCK), Ambedkar University, Delhi. The Delhi Visual Archive is a repository of the visual history of Delhi, from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which includes a current holding of 4,500 digitised photographs. This fellowship supports research that will lead to a curated, online, visual exhibition which will use various vantage points in the city to explore life around it. The Fellow will also collect metadata for images/collections, which will become an important resource for future projects at the Delhi Visual Archive. The outcome of the project will include a virtual exhibition. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be images, audio recordings, texts, and a publication.
