For making a documentary film on the oral legends of Mirabai narrated and sung by the lower castes of Rajasthan. The film will map the alternative texts and performance spaces that refigure the mainstream cultural icon Mira, laying open issues of caste and transgression to scrutiny.
For completing the photographic documentation of manuscript paintings held in Vaishnavite monasteries and private collections in Assam. A digital catalogue of scanned paintings will be made available to users through the Assam State Museum, Guwahati.
For collaborative research between an installation artist/set designer and an anthropologist towards a multimedia installation/exhibition on the visual culture of the Thiyyas, a community from North Kerala.
For making a film on the New-Delhi based theatre group, Jan Natya Manch, that will critically explore its history and contemporary practices. Combining archival footage with documentation of contemporary performances, the film will especially focus on Nukkad Natak (street theatre).
For making a film on women potters, structured as a search for roots by a contemporary studio potter, and focussing on two traditional women potters in Kutch and Manipur. By exploring the ways in which the women have circumvented the taboos associated with the potter’s wheel, the film will foreground a dialogue between tradition and modernity.
For a study on the cultural and artistic significance of metallurgy in Indian antiquity, that would integrate technical, archaeological and art-historical perspectives. Archival research and fieldwork combined with photographic and video documentation will provide material for a book and lead to a script for a documentary film series.
For a dissertation on Ravi Varma’s Pauranik (mythological) paintings with special reference to his use of the feminine icon. The researcher will contextualise the artist’s work within India’s early modern visual culture by exploring the cross-currents that drove the industry for oleographs and popular prints.
For creating a platform for shadow puppetry through a festival of performances and workshops across Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. The touring festival is expected to help develop support systems for shadow puppeteers by enhancing their visibility and generating an audience for R.V. Ramani’s feature-length documentary film on the subject, Nee Engey.
For creating a comprehensive collection of material on the Indian Peoples’ Theatre Association (IPTA). Through interviews, archival research, and the compilation of material generated on and by IPTA, the researcher will arrive at an account of the first, collective, pan-Indian cultural movement in independent India.
For research towards a manual on bamboo toy-making for middle- and high-school children, to be published in Marathi and English. Another component of the research would be workshops and teacher training programmes for schools in Pune district.
For preparatory work on a video film, by a filmmaker and a journalist/writer, on marginalised aspects of Punjab’s cultural landscape. They will explore their relationship to contemporary Punjab by documenting particular celebrations, individuals, memorials and encounters that together embody a syncretic understanding of the region.
For customised animation workshops for schoolchildren and adults geared towards training future professional animators. The workshops are expected to generate a set of short animation films.
For the photographic documentation of the manuscript paintings of Assam held in Vaishnavite monasteries and private collections. Approximately 5,000 folios will be photographed and stored in a digital database at the Assam State Museum.
For a preparatory phase of collaboration among a painter/puppeteer, a sculptor/puppeteer and a shoe designer/woodworker to develop new styles and techniques of presentation in puppetry. The collaborators will attempt to create contemporary scripts, evolve new soundscapes and re-think traditional structures.
For preparatory work towards the development of a strategic plan to strengthen the governance, work culture, public relations and fundraising capabilities of a theatre group.
