2020-2021

For a conference on family photographs from across India, contributing to the microhistories of people and their communities. It will explore how family photos provide counternarratives to dominant strains of thought and memory making, and attempt to move it from an area of neglect to being a significant strategy for social research and documentation. The outcome of this project will be an online conference. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be an edited volume of the papers presented at the conference, and the audiovisual documentation of the proceedings of the conference. Grant funds will pay for preparations and presentations by 24 participants at the conference and an accountant’s fees.

For research to study the contribution of Art Deco as a modernist art movement in India, with a focus on the architecture of Delhi. At the intersection of arts and architecture, this project will attempt to examine the role of Art Deco in shaping the cultural identity of Delhi under the British rule. It aims to build appreciation for this ignored and diminishing style along with the lesser-known artists, patrons, architects, artisans and local people associated with its propagation. The outcomes of the project will be a digital exhibition of photos, inventories of buildings, maps, oral narratives of building owners and occupants, stories of architects, artists, contractors, artisans and developers, a visual publication, and a pocket guide with maps and overview of public typologies. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be a link to the website hosting the digital exhibition, visual publication and a pocket guide with maps. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, reference material, books and magazines, travel, food and living costs, equipment hire, heritage walks, website domain fee and an accountant’s fee.

For research to explore and compile the personal stories of a tenacious group of women producers, directors, writers and film technicians working in Mollywood in Kerala, a film industry dominated by men. The project will construct vivid and contrasting accounts of the Women in Cinema Collective as they defiantly challenge rules of commercial cinema in the state. The outcome of this project will be a manuscript for a book and an installation. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the manuscript and audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, travel, food and living costs, equipment rental, consumables and an accountant’s fee.  

For research into the life and work of Maneklal Gajjar, textile blockmaker and master craftsman from Pethapur, Gujarat. The focus of this project will be Maneklal’s archive of prints of his designs, business records, letters, photographs and personal objects, complemented by interviews with his family, crafts community, designers and scholars who were in contact with him. The outcome of this project will be an illustrated biography of Maneklal Gajjar and an immersive exhibition of his works. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the manuscript for the book and audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork and exhibition. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, exhibition costs, travel, food and living costs, printing and stationery costs and an accountant’s fee.  

For research that will attempt to explore the hitherto unresearched and marginalised narratives of lead actresses of the mainstage as well as frontline comic actresses of the Company Theatre in Kannada (1960 to present). It will examine ways in which they define and defy notions of female respectability and vulgarity through their performances and selfhood. The outcomes of this project will be a series of essays in Kannada, a photo essay and a script outline for a theatre performance. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essays, the photo-essay, the script, and audiovisual documentation of the present day Company Theatre performances in Karnataka. Grant funds will pay for travel and living costs, honorarium, professional fee, consumables and an accountant’s fees.

For a feature-length documentary film on the history of Santhali cinema. The project will look at the impact cinema has had on the cultural landscape of Santhals across Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.  It aims to study the impact of affordable digital technology on the Santhali film industry, democratising film as a medium, thus affecting storytelling in cinema, and mass production and consumption of content. The outcome of this project will be a feature-length documentary film. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the feature-length documentary film. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, travel, food and living costs, equipment rental, books and stationery costs and an accountant’s fee.  

For research to study the theatre practices of two Kolkata-based blind theatre groups – Blind Opera and Anyadesh. The project aims to understand how theatrical training, techniques and practices work as tools for blind pedagogy, healing and care. It will particularly enquire into the nature of the customised theatre practices adopted by the two groups that make them effective for blind individuals. The outcome of this project will be a monograph. The Grantee’s deliverable to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and extensive audiovisual documentation generated during the course of fieldwork. Grant funds will pay for professional fees, equipment rental, travel, food and living costs, honorarium, books and stationery and an accountant’s fee.

For research on the identities, biographies, and artistic practices of the wall painters of Shekhawati through the case studies of two painters - Binja Chejara and Balu Ram Chejara – who worked between 1890 and 1945. By tracing the inscribed instances of paintings, this project will build an archive of the artists’ oeuvre, while studying the influence of popular new imagery on their aesthetic choices. The project also aims to understand the self-fashioning by the painters through changing caste affixes in the inscriptions. The outcomes of this project will be a monograph and a short booklet in Hindi. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and the short booklet in Hindi. Grants funds will pay for travel and living costs, honorarium, professional fee, publication costs, stationery, and an accountant’s fees.

For research to analyse the role of Gujarati little magazines between the 1960s and 1980s as a modern phenomenon which emphatically articulated the voice of dissent and cultivated alternate discourses of nation and culture. By examining the editorials, manifestos, advertisements, literary writings, non-fictional writings and cover pages of the magazines, the project will explore the sociopolitical and culture conditions that contributed to its heydays. It will also investigate what led to the later effacement of the legacy of culture of dissent in Gujarat. The outcome of this project will be a monograph in Gujarati and English. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the monograph and audio visual documentation of magazines and interviews in the field. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel and living costs, professional fees, books and stationary, equipment, library fees, and an accountant’s fee.