Grant & Projects

Subhendu Bhandari


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Productions that will enable the development and creation of a series of theatrical productions in government schools and districts of West Bengal. Centred on a story developed around the fraught relationship between young adults, social media and the internet, this theatrical production seeks to move beyond the conventional practices and frameworks of proscenium theatre to find a new language of performance that would enable the performance to reach new audiences in the interior districts of West Bengal. The outcome of the project will be the series of performances. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be a copy of the final script, photographs and video documentation of the rehearsals and the final performance. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, printing and stationery, materials, documentation, costumes and sets, hire of venue, purchase of books, and library fees. 

Asif Abbas Rayama


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that seeks to rediscover the lost songs of Sindhi Sufi saint Shah Latif Bhitai in order to fill the gaps in the reception, recognition, and performance of his poetry. Through a rigorous process of sharing, teaching, and learning, the project aims to bring together scholars and musicians in order to study this Sufi tradition of singing and its role in community life across Kutch. The outcomes of this project will be a workshop between older and younger musicians to learn about Shah Latif’s missing surs, a booklet on the artists who perform Shah Latif, audiovisual documentation from the field, and a series of community shows, mehfils, and baithaks. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the booklet and audiovisual documentation of the workshop, baithaks, performances, and artists’ profiles. Project funds will pay for contract fees, workshop, printing, documentation, travel and living, communication, and stationery.

Yaoreipam Makang


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will attempt to understand the evolving cultural identity of the Tangkhul Naga community through an ethnographic and performative exploration of the Luira Festival and its iterations in four diasporic sites - Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Shillong, further drawing up a comparative analysis with Luira celebrations at Ukhrul in Manipur. The outcome of this research will be a monograph and audio-visual documentation of the festival events. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the monograph, audio-visual recording of the festival from five different geographical spaces, excerpts of the interviews from the field, copies of brochures, photographs, and lyrics of songs. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, documentation, hire of equipment and stationery.

Pankti Bharatbhai Desai


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will delve into the undocumented aspects of the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, shedding light on its historical significance and the crucial role played by the Panther magazine in disseminating its ideologies. The outcomes of this project will be a comprehensive research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, a multimedia exhibition complemented by a digital archive of the magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be the research article on the Dalit Panther Movement in Gujarat, in English and Gujarati, the digital archive for the Panther magazine, and audio documentation of field interviews, capturing firsthand perspectives. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, printing, hire of venue, documentation, hire of equipment, library and archive fees, purchase of books and stationery.

Garima Gupta


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will experiment with the making of an artist book in the form of a dragon-scale scroll, containing the micro-narratives of the Mahakali River, as a site of spirituality, and cross-border trade. The outcome of the project will be an artist book experimenting with the form of a dragon-scale scroll. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the soft copy of the artist book, and photographs of the artistic process. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, and materials. 

Manjappa PA


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that aims to explore the inner world of actors through the medium of theatre. By focusing on the actor’s body, it seeks to investigate aspects of physical memory and the possibility of expansion of the acting processes through a theatrical experiment that will involve an actor and a dancer. The outcomes of this project will be audiovisual documentation of the process and a theatre production. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the audiovisual documentation, including photographs, video, brochures and show reports, and a series of performances of the theatre production. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production, travel and living, hire of equipment, and printing.

Poorvi Gaur


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will attempt to revisit the history of the documentary movement of India through the lens of gender, focusing on the first and, for a long time, the sole documentary producer, the Films Division of India. Through a feminist analysis of Films Division’s film praxis, it aims to foreground the invisibility of women’s work in the history of documentary film archives in India. The outcome of this project will be a feminist historiography of state-sponsored documentary film in early postcolonial India and an oral history resource focused on women’s film work in the Films Division (1948-80s). The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA, along with the final reports, will be a written essay, recording of interviews, film DVDs, scanned copies of film posters, and other relevant para-texts obtained from Films Division and National Film Archive of India. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, hire of equipment, materials, purchase of books, and printing.

Shrikant Navalagiri


Project Period: One year and six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that aims to bring together professional backstage theatre artists from the villages across North Karnataka to share their skills and weave the stories of their lives into stage texts and performances. The outcome of this project will be a theatre performance based on the lives of backstage theatre art and artists of North Karnataka. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be a handbook of documented interviews of the backstage artists. Project funds will pay for contract fees, production, documentation, travel and living, hire of equipment, consumables and purchase of books.

Millo Ankha


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will delve into the mythological world of nature worship in the ancestral land of Ziro valley, Arunachal Pradesh. In collaboration with the elders, women and girls of Apatani community, a speculative visual archive will be staged through performance, drawing, and photography. The outcome of the project will be a visual archive created as a zine. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be a zine, and selected images from the visual archive. Project funds will pay for contract fees, travel and living, materials, hire of equipment, communications, and printing. 

Aadithya S


Project Period: One year

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA that will facilitate research and analysis to uncover the historical significance of lobby cards and explore the broader discourse on intersection of cinema, design, and spatial dynamics based on the collection of Tamil film lobby cards at The Cinema Resource Centre. The outcomes of the project will be a series of scholarly essays, an online catalogue, zines, lecture performances and heritage walks. The Project Coordinator’s final deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be soft copies of the writings and essays, hard and soft copies of the printable zines, audio and video recordings of lecture performances, and photo and video documentation of the heritage walk. This is a collaboration with The Cinema Resource Centre in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Project funds will pay for travel and living, printing, contract fees, documentation, hire of equipment, website building, hire of venue, and materials.

Prithiraj Borah


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Neighbourhood Engagements that will examine notions of ‘belongingness’ and ‘neighbourhood’ through an understanding of food habits of the ‘indigenous’ and ‘tribal’ communities from the northeast in Kalyan Nagar. Through collaborative ethnography, this project will interrogate the constructs of caste, gender and race, as well as identity formations and negotiations through the lens of food. The outcomes of this project will be a photo exhibition that will capture narratives around northeast food in Kalyan Nagar, and a short video documenting northeast food stalls in that neighbourhood. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photo and video documentation of the process and the final photo exhibition, a copy of the documentary video, and any writings / articles that might emerge from this project. Project funds will pay for hire of equipment, hire of venue, printing and travel.  

Shivesh Kumar


Project Period: Eight months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Explorations that will delve into involving Chhau dancers in contemporary theatre towards the making of a devised theatrical production. The outcome of the project will be the playscript in Hindi and the pre-production process of the devised theatrical production. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the playscript, and the audio-visual documentation of the artistic process of the devised piece. Project funds will pay for contract fees, and travel and living. 

Roshini M


Project Period: Six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Neighbourhood Engagements that will enable a multi-pronged creative engagement with Rajajinagar. This project will involve residents of the neighbourhood to reflect upon and engage with the various historical, cultural and artistic elements that constitute the neighbourhood of Rajajinagar. The outcomes of this project will be a cultural mapping of important locations in the neighbourhood, sketching and personal memory-mapping exercises, guided thematic walks and the short video. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photo and video documentation of mapping exercises and the walks, copies of the sketches and maps, and a copy of the short video. Project funds will pay for hire of venue, contract fees, travel and food, and printing and stationery.   

Chandra Keerthi B


Project Period: Six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Neighbourhood Engagements that will enable an engagement with the legacy of Majestic through personal and collective memories and narratives. This project will juxtapose personal histories with the larger social and cultural histories of the area enabling a collective reflection on Bangalore’s metamorphosis and an appreciation for how the city has evolved over time. The outcomes of this project will be a solo theatre performance and a guided walk. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photo and video documentation of the performance and the walk, and a copy of the performance script. Project funds will pay for contract fees, sets and costumes, documentation, hire of equipment, materials, food and library and archive fees. 

Lakshmi Nagaraj


Project Period: Six months

For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA under Neighbourhood Engagements that will enable a memory mapping engagement in Yelahanka New Town. Based on a mapping of personal memories of recent and long-time residents as well as a remembering of lost establishments of the neighbourhood, this project will explore the intersection of people’s histories in Yelahanka and Yelahanka’s relationship with the growing city of Bangalore. The outcomes of this project will be an artist book and a public installation in Yelahanka. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photo and video documentation of process and the public installation, copies of the small maps created by residents and copies of the artist book. Project funds will pay for contract fees, materials, printing and travel.  

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