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 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 trace the history of the music labels of audio cassette in Kashmir and explore the articulations they fostered. The research will focus on marginalised sections and communities of Kashmir, whose interventions challenged the existing social and cultural norms, cultivating a new and popular music scene. It will also put into perspective how these forms impacted the production of media and continue to influence the contemporary music culture in the Valley. The outcome of this project will be an essay. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essay and audiovisual documentation of the interviews. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, travel, copyright acquisition, stationery, audiovisual documentation and an accountant’s fee.
This Grant was amicably cancelled based on reasons mutually agreed upon by the Grantee and IFA due to unavoidable circumstances.
For research to explore the history and chart the boundaries of Qawwalis in Hindi cinema as a genre of music different from others. The project aims to analyse how the industry used these songs to narrate different stories as well entertain, often subverting this traditional form beyond its norms. It will also attempt to understand ways in which cinema has influenced the performance of traditional Sufi Qawwalis. The outcomes of this project will be an essay and multimedia audiovisual documentation on a digital platform. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be the essay, audiovisual documentation generated during the fieldwork and a link to the digital platform. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, professional fees, reference material, stationery and consumables, communication, internet and website domain charges, travel, food and living costs and an accountant’s fee.
For research to study the contributions of courtesans in the shaping of Hindi cinema during the first half of the twentieth century. The project will explore how courtesans became not only some of the first singers, dancers and actors but also directors, producers, lyricists and music composers, thus highlighting their entrepreneurial roles that built the foundation of the industry. It will also study the creative and economic labour of courtesans and Kathak dancers whose narratives are absent in the mainstream discourse on cinema histories in India. The outcome of this project will be a multimedia exhibition with audiovisual interviews, podcasts, short narrative films and graphic illustrations. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final reports will be multimedia material generated for the exhibition and a link to the website that will host this content. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, equipment, professional fees, travel and living costs, exhibition costs, books, stationery and website domain costs, consumables and an accountant’s fee.
For the implementation of a Foundation Project by IFA, to create an audio-visual archive of the lives of 10 ‘stateless people’ who have served in detention centres in Assam. The project titled Facing History and Ourselves, will attempt to problematise the official narratives of the state in the public domain, with a series of open-ended conversations of a more personal nature around the ideas of home, kinship, friendship, work, and experiences in the detention centres. It will also address the larger questions which the artist has been engaged with over the years around memory, citizenship, and the location of the nation-state in the state of Assam. The outcome will be a series of audio/video recordings, each accompanied by a descriptive text about the person being interviewed and their family. The Principal Investigator's deliverables to IFA with the final report will be the audio/video recordings and text. This is a collaboration with the People’s Archive of Rural India - PARI. Project funds will pay for honorarium, travel, and post-production expenses.
For an exploration of the history of social media in India over the past 25 years through embroidery on textile and stop motion animation. A storyline with 100 frames will be embroidered on pieces of textile which will then be stitched together as a single fabric. This will be documented to create a stop motion animation film. The outcomes from this project will be the embroidered cloth and the stop motion animation film. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be a detailed documentation of the embroidered textile and the stop motion animation film. Grant funds will pay for honorarium, post-production, materials, professional fees and postage and local conveyance.
For the making of a zine that explores aspects of sexuality on the internet, through the erotic lives and experiences of people online. The project encompasses a wide range of issues and concerns related to menstrual and mental health, adolescence, sexual orientation, cyber crimes, pornography, cybersex, consent and privacy. The outcome of the project will be the zine. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will also be the zine. Grant funds will pay for printing and publications, honorarium, communications and purchase of e-books and online subscriptions.
For an exploration of trans-human and cyborg identities through the creation of an e-Devi - the Goddess of faster internet connections and better download speeds - and a portal with the rituals for online darshans by devotees. This project attempts to study the construction of digital deities, while also highlighting the need for crafting a more ethical and critical engagement with the virtual world. The outcome of the project will be a cyborg goddess in Augmented Reality; a mobile-friendly e-darshan portal; and a bilingual - Hindi and English - devotee initiation pledge about safe online behaviour. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA along with the final report will be documentation of the project, free access to the portal, and the portal downloaded on a drive. Grant funds will pay for website creation and professional fees.
