Can a personal collection be looked at as a museum? Visual artist and filmmaker Khandakar Ohida engages with John Xaviers from IFA. They speak about her IFA-implemented project Museum on the Moon between 2022–2023, where she reimagined her uncle’s decades-long collection of seemingly mundane objects—from miniature paintings to photographs—into a digital and virtual museum that also informs a feature-length film. The project involved archiving, storytelling, and exploring memory through 3D and VR spaces. The episode offers an in-depth look at her research process, the creative and technical challenges she faced, and how personal histories can become collective narratives that expand the possibilities of contemporary art and museum practice.
How do oral narratives preserve the memory and resilience of marginalised communities? Folk singer and researcher Mohan Kumar N engages with TN Krishnamurthy from IFA. They discuss his IFA-implemented project Aadalitashaahi Dhoranegalu mattu Kadu Gollara Asthitva (Hegemonic Administrative Attitudes and the Resilience of the Kadu Golla Community) (2022–2023), which explores Veera Tammanna, a local hero of the Kadu Golla community, and highlights gaps in mainstream historical records. The project involved collecting oral narratives, reimagining these stories, creating songs, and a monograph. The episode offers insight into Mohan’s research, the folk tradition of the community, and how storytelling preserves resilience and marginalised voices.
This episode is in Kannada.
What do colonial-era photographs tell us about identity and power in Kerala’s High Ranges? Scholar and writer KP Jayakumar engages with Pranav Sethuratnam, Senior Project Associate: Archives at IFA. They speak about his IFA-supported research that examines the visual legacy of European photographers in the region, with a focus on hunting imagery and its lasting impact. Drawing from archives, travelogues, and field visits, Jayakumar reflects on how these photographs contributed to colonial stereotypes and continue to shape postcolonial nostalgia. The conversation delves into the politics of representation, the framing of indigenous cultures, and the enduring power of images in shaping cultural memory.
This episode is in Malayalam.
How does photography bear witness in times of conflict? Filmmaker and writer Sanjay Kak engages with Menaka Rodriguez, Executive Director at IFA. They speak about his IFA-supported project that traces three decades of photojournalism in Kashmir through the journeys of nine Kashmiri photographers. The conversation reflects on cultural silence, memory, and the visual language of resistance in a region marked by long-standing conflict. Sanjay shares insights into the making of the photobook Witness: Kashmir 1986–2016 / Nine Photographers, and explores how the act of witnessing through a camera becomes a form of storytelling, testimony, and cultural practice.
To purchase the book, visit Yaarbal Books on Instagram.
Limited editions are also available on Amazon Singapore and independent bookstores.
What role have Bengali Little Magazines played in shaping intellectual and artistic discourse? Writer and editor Susnato Chowdhury discusses two of his IFA-supported research projects with Biswadeep Chakraborty, Archivist at IFA exploring the radical design and editorial practices of these magazines in West Bengal. He also delves into Darjeeling’s overlooked printing history, sharing insights from his exhibition and panel discussion. This episode uncovers the legacy of Little Magazines and their lasting impact on publishing. This episode is in Bangla.
IFA Grants to Susnato Chowdhury:
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What does life in an artist's studio reveal about their creative process? Feminist writer and art critic Rosalyn Dmello engages with Menaka Rodriguez, Executive Director at IFA. They speak about her IFA-supported research undertaken between 2019 to 2022, where Rosalyn examined the intimate environments of visual artists’ studios. The project fell right in the middle of the pandemic, and Rosalyn adapted to the situation by delving into her own archives and conducting remote research. Her project expanded to include reflections on matrilineal artistic inheritances and daily artistic practices. The episode offers an in-depth look at her research process, the challenges she faced, and the hidden aspects of artists' lives that she uncovered.
Artists and Painters mentioned in the episode:
● Richard Bartholomew - Painter
● MF Hussain - Painter
● Ram Kumar - Painter
● Ganesh Haloi - Artist
● Jogin Chowdhury - Artist
● Mithu Sen - Artist
● Mrinalini Mukherjee - Sculptor
● Pablo Bartholomew - Editor
IFA Grants to Rosalyn Dmello:
● https://indiaifa.org/grants-projects/rosalyn-dmello.html
Explore Rosayln Dmello writings on STIRWORLD
● https://www.stirworld.com/author-rosalyn-d-Mello
● https://www.rosalyndmello.com/biography
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Puppeteers Anurupa Roy and Ranjana Pandey discuss the landscape of Indian puppetry with Sumana Chandrashekhar, Programme Lead at IFA. They explore their IFA-supported projects from 2014 to 2015 that aimed to develop puppetry scholarship in India through workshops with traditional and contemporary puppet masters. The episode traces their personal journey in the realm of puppetry, reflecting on the need for strengthening puppetry pedagogy and the complexities involved in archiving a performing tradition.
UNIMA: Union Internationale de la Marionnette - International Puppetry Association’ (1929)—Paul Jeanne
UNIMA India Foundation Course for Puppeteers
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Grants to Anurupa Roy and Ranjana Pandey:
https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/504
https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/274
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Architect turned playwright Makarand Sathe engages with Menaka Rodriguez, Executive Director at IFA. They explore his research journey with two IFA-supported projects between 2008 and 2012. The first project involved crafting a Marathi manuscript exploring the socio-political history of modern Marathi theatre spanning over 150 years. The second grant facilitated the translation of his work into English, expanding its reach to a wider audience. The episode explores Makarand’s research process, his engagement with diverse archives, and the unique treatment of his book and research.
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Grants to Makarand Sathe: https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/7
https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/196
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Singer-songwriter and researcher based in Kolkata, Moushumi Bhowmik in conversation with Arundhati Ghosh, recounts her ‘listening’ journey over three IFA-supported projects between 2003 and 2014. Two grants made to her were towards research, documentation and dissemination of biraha (songs of separation) in the folk music of Bengal, and one for research into the life and work of Dutch ethnomusicologist Arnold Bake. Her research can be accessed on www.thetravellingarchive.org
Texts mentioned in the episode:
‘Women in Concert: An Anthology of Bengali Muslim Women’s Writings, 1904-1938’—Edited by Shaheen Akhtar and Moushumi Bhowmik
‘Muktir Kotha’—Directed by Tareque Masud and Katherine Masud
‘Kura Pakhir Shunne Ura’ —Directed by Muhammad Quayum
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Grants to Moushumi: https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/543, https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/357, https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/323
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Cover Image courtesy: Jannatul Mawa
Rustom Bharucha, writer, director and dramaturg based in Kolkata talks to Arundhati Ghosh about the IFA-supported projects with Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Arts and Research between 2005 and 2011 that documented the various performance traditions of the epic Ramayana. The work, which tapped into archives of different kinds, culminated into a book, edited by Rustom and Paula Richman, which locates the mythological text in the modern, contemporary landscape of today.
Texts mentioned in the episode:
‘Performing the Ramayana Tradition: Enactments, Interpretations, and Arguments’ (2021)—Edited by Paula Richman and Rustom Bharucha
‘Pebet’—Heisnam Kanhailal
‘The Awakening of Japan’ (1904)—Okakura Kakuzō
‘We are One’—Okakura Kakuzō
‘Finding the Raga’ (2021)—Amit Chaudhuri
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Grant to Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Arts and Research: https://theifaarchive.org/user/single_grant/314
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In 1995, IFA began its work as a new foundation providing support to projects that push new frontiers in knowledge production and tell stories that challenge dominant narratives and speak truth to power. Twenty years on, the IFA Archive was conceptualised as a place that would hold together the materials produced from these numerous projects. What does it take to build an archive of this kind? Arundhati Ghosh (Executive Director, IFA, till May 31, 2023), Menaka Rodriguez (Executive Director, IFA, from June 01, 2023) and Biswadeep Chakraborty (Archivist, IFA) take us through the genesis and journey of the Archive.
Visit the IFA Archive website
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