For research towards a documentary film titled In Search of Umrao, envisaged as a journey through history, memory, physical spaces and forms of cultural expression in pursuit of the tawaif or courtesan of north India.
For documenting the early recording industry and music culture in India. The study will identify the human, intellectual and material artefacts of early music culture and result in a series of essays on the gramophone as well as online sharing of documentation.
For field research into the oral ballads of the Mithila region of north Bihar. The research will result in a databank that would assist researchers by providing information on the content of the ballads and the social context in which they are performed.
For collaboration between a trained actor and a performer of the folk narrative form of Pandavani to absorb aspects of each others’ practice and work with a writer-director to create three performance texts for the theatre, which will culminate in a series of collectively devised performances.
For creating a graphic novel on present-day Calcutta, by a filmmaker and an illustrator, combining elements of a visual travelogue, a documentary comic book and a personal diary. The novel, which will use the personal narrative to explore links between today’s Calcutta and the popular culture of nineteenth-century Bengal, is expected to be serialised in newspapers, and the process of creation will be documented and exhibited.
For research into the history of early photography in Bengal. The study will investigate the use of photography as a social tool by the Bengali urban, upper class to record their changing lifestyles in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It is expected to result in a book that traces this socio-cultural narrative through photographs.
For survey, documentation and technical assessment of the building crafts traditions of Ladakh, Zanskar and the Nubra valley. The project will result in a database and a comprehensive manual of guidelines for building systems in this region, which would help conserve traditional skills and knowledge systems.
For research into Indian ceramic art practice in the nineteenth century. The study will focus on the implications of European trade for the Indian potter, the art school ethos and changing styles in Indian ceramic ware. It is expected to result in databases, a curatorial text and an illustrated book.
For an assessment of perspectives on arts education, reflected in the syllabi and teaching practices of a range of schools and a teacher-training institute in New Delhi. The study will attempt to uncover significant aspects of arts education policy and highlight efforts towards enlightened arts pedagogy and better evaluation mechanisms.
For the survey and documentation of mural paintings in temples, palaces, dwellings and caves in Orissa. INTACH’s subsidiary, the Orissa Art Conservation Centre, Bhubaneshwar, will undertake technical studies, scientific analyses and visual documentation of the paintings, and develop conservation strategies in tandem with traditional painters.
