BVN Sai Sagar

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA will explore the role played by Telugu-language journals and magazines, particularly Bharati and Gruhalakshmi, in shaping the discourse on art and nationalism within the context of the New Andhra School of art from the 1920s to the 1940s. BVN Sai Sagar will be the Coordinator of this project.

BVN Sai Sagar is a writer and researcher. He recently completed his Master’s degree from the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has taught as guest faculty at Shri Ram Centre for Performing Arts, New Delhi (2022) and Bhavans Vivekananda College, Hyderabad (2021). He is committed to documenting and sharing diverse arts, with a specific focus on the vibrant culture of the Deccan region. Given his interest and background, Sagar is best suited to be the Project Coordinator for this Foundation Project of IFA.

Sagar observes that the Andhra School of Art led by Damerla Rama Rao, his brother Damerla Venkat Rao, and sister Butchi Krishnamma, emerged as a counterpoint to the dominance of the Bengal School led by Pramod Kumar Chatterjee at the Andhra Jateeya Kalasala. In this research project titled, Navigating Discourse on Art and Nationalism in Telugu Journals and Magazines (1920s–1940s), the Project Coordinator will examine how Telugu language magazines and journals propagated the aesthetics of the New Andhra School and how this influenced the conversation about the arts and the independence movement in the region and the country. The following themes will be considered by Sagar when he examines these publications: the representation of women, domestic space and Hindu social life, political discourse and advocacy.

The research will utilise a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. Sagar will obtain the archives of the journals Gruhalakshmi and Bharati from 1928 to 1948 from a number of sources, mainly the libraries in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The text and illustrations in these publications will be photographed, and in-depth textual and visual analysis will be undertaken. For the conceptual framework of the research, Sagar will study the writings of authors such as Partha Mitter, news pieces written by Madhu Jain, essays by OJ Couldrey about Damerla Rama Rao, and the dissertation of BS Rohini Iyengar about the female artists of the Damerla family.

The outcomes of this project will be a monograph. Alongside the text, it will contain images of the artworks, photographs, drawings and paintings. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be the monograph, rare publications purchased during the project term and a digital repository of collected images.

This project suitably addresses the framework of IFA’s Arts Research programme in how it critically examines the largely overlooked history of the Andhra School of Art and its role in the cultural renaissance of art in the Andhra region, through an in-depth study of Telugu language publications of this period. This also highlights the historical importance of literary magazines in the dissemination of artistic discourse.

IFA will ensure that the project is implemented on time and that the funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is complete and deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with the Trustees.

This project is made possible with support from BNP Paribas India.