A study of Hebbar and his contemporaries
This award was given to me when a student in MS University Baroda. It was timely and helped me to be more articulate by using photographs, travelling to Mumbai to meet the late K K Hebbar. My document was the first critical assessment of the artist and was published in Bangalore (where I was then Lecturer at Chritakala Parishath, in the local language Kannada.
Contemporary arts in Bengal: modernity and status
This grant was helpful in preparing a convincing research proposal for the doctoral programme at the Faculty of Fine Arts, the M S University of Baroda. Subsequently I was engaged in documentation works towards the study. The research experience also gave me the confidence to handle the ambitions and take part in a major art exhibition - Art of Bengal, Past and Present - a joint venture with the Centre of International Modern Art, Kolkata.
Living Art of Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh
This award motivated and helped me to explore the art and cultural heritage of small folk pockets of Rajasthan & UP. I was pursuing my Masters in History of Art when I got this award. The classroom studies provide us with a theoretical know how of any subject. To get involved and understand the practical significance and importance of arts and culture in rural areas one has to deeply interact with the local habitats.
Analytical study of museum education in Indian museums
I received the grant soon after completing my masters in museum management from the MS University of Baroda. The award came at the right point in my career. It gave me an opportunity to travel to important Indian museums and understand the status of museum education; my theoretical knowledge of museology was augmented by observing practical working of state and national museums. It also gave me an opportunity to interact with museum professionals from important Indian museums.
