Research Scholarships
INTACH Awards
INTACH Journal of Heritage Studies
INTACH Scholarship 2015
INTACH (UK) Scholarship Awardees
Ranee Om Prakash
She aims to stabilise and conserve Wallich’s correspondence “Numerical list of dried specimens of plants in the Museum of the Honourable East India Company (EIC) which have been supplied by Dr. Wallich, superintendent of the botanic garden of Calcutta”. She will prepare a report on the basis of her research, train her colleagues at Botanical Survey of India in conservation aspects of handling fragile and archival material and publish a paper in a reputed journal within 6 months of completion of her research.
Adam Perchard
He aims to chart in detail the ruptures and convergences between the geography of Rushdie’s book and that of the physical city itself, to theorise these in terms of Rushdie’s use of the city as a stage on which to explore ideals of cultural hybridity and secular humanism, and to contextualise this move in terms of Indian historiographies of inter-religious tolerance during Akbar’s rule, and contemporary Indian scholarship on cultural hybridity.
Sarah J. Lawton
She aims to research the performance of the Sanskrit Hand Gesture and Mudra embodiment, by connecting to Odissi and Bharatnatyam dance, to study dancers’ gesture through interviews, observations and drawing, to implement action workshops which engage design students from both India and UK, and to deliver and disseminate her research through the delivery of papers internationally.
Catherine MaClean
Her research will examine the Mackenzie Collection that remains in the Indian institutions. She will spend dedicated time at each key institution in India examining the Material that each institution holds from the Mackenzie Collection – while simultaneously connecting with the Artists and Creative professionals in each area. Her research will build a wider framework around the understanding of the collection in the context of where it was collected and to the culture and arts which it is connected to.
James Blinkhorn
This project will return to two Palaeolithic sites in Kachchh identified in the preliminary season in order to recover stratified artefact assemblages and associated sediment samples. It will conduct a comprehensive attribute analysis of lithic artefacts, and complement this with diacritic illustrations and a photographic inventory. The research also aims to complete sedimentological studies to clarify the environmental context in which Palaeolithic occupations in Kachchh occurred. It will also evaluate hypotheses for the dispersal of modern humans into India via the coastal corridor.
INTACH Research Grant Awardees
Bessie Cecil
This research aims to document and create a reference directory on identity and technicality of handloom textiles of India, with actual fabric swatches. The scholar will prepare an inventory of technical handloom textiles with actual fabric swatches in book format, enable better understanding of Indian handloom techniques, provide easy reference of technical handloom textiles, and preserve handloom technique in book format for posterity.
AR Chaudhri
This research aims at carrying out advanced multidisciplinary research to obtain multi-proxy evidence regarding unraveling the ground evidence of the existence of the erstwhile vedic Saraswati River and geoscientifically validating the civilization and heritage nourished by this fluvial system in northern plains of the Indian subcontinent as the Saraswati River Civilization.
Nupur Prothi Khanna
The research aims to develop guidelines to ensure that historic planting as executed onsite maintains authenticity as defined in our particular cultural context. It will explore the prevalent literature related to historic planting and identify gaps in the current knowledge with respect to the Indian context. The research will look at best practice projects from India/South Asia which have adequately addressed the issue of authenticity in historic planting. It will also investigate the particular issues of availability and access to secondary information, availability of horticulture material for site execution in relation to historic planting with regards to authentic research and on site execution of historic planting.
Sangeeta Bais
The main objective of the proposed research to create a scientific database of the historic incised plaster works of monuments of Delhi. It will enhance the existing significance and knowledge about incised plaster patterns for each time period, will initiate process for prolonging the life of existing incised plaster works and explore the practical aspects of lost craftsmanship.
Vishwanadha Kumar Giduthuri
The survey and documentation of colonial built heritage will demonstrate existing state of the British Colonial built heritage (after the cyclone); care and attention paid to them and enthusiasm and efforts put to sustain them in Vishakhapatnam city. These outcomes will unravel the conservation aspects in vogue further to the contribution of critical thinking on risk preparedness to perpetuate the existing precious, fragile and non-renewable heritage resources of the city.
Bhawna Dandona
The study will identify and effectively document the Lakhori brick in Mughal period in Delhi and Haryana and survey critical properties and the defects and of brick through tests. Some prevalent methods for its conservation (repair and maintenance) shall also be reviewed. The research will throw light on history and development of Lakhori, methods of manufacture, types and styles, uses (structural and non structural), composition and properties of scientific testing, defects and current methods of repair and maintenance.
Jayarajan Vayalkara
The study will compile the traditional performing arts having body paintings of South Indian states and study them with its cultural and ritual contexts. It will critically examine the performing arts with its anthropological, historical, folkloric, sociological and artistic perspective.
Priyaleen Singh
This research, envisioned in the form of a manual, will explain the Florence Charter on Historic gardens, using it also as a framework to address various issues directed specifically to the conservation of historic gardens in the Indian context. The envisioned manual will bring historic gardens and the need for their proper conservation on the radar of conservation professionals and conservation activists in India.
Prajakta Panshikar
The aims of the research is to study the impact of the proposed large-scale Pune Metro Project on the natural and cultural heritage of Pune city in context of the existing legal framework for protection of conservation sites and the proposed Development Control Rules in the City Development Plan. The study also aims to suggest modifications to the proposed Metro plan and recommendations for the development control rules for heritage sites, particularly along the suggested metro corridor.
Richa Agarwal
This study aims at assessing the structural performance of some prime modes of construction followed in Indian historical architecture namely trabeated, corbelled and arcuate modes. The focus will be on the evolution of significant masonry spanning systems along with cross cultural parallels and influences. The study will also discuss the advantages and limitations of each kind of structural system.
Neeta Das
The study will extend to the area in and around Kolkata that may have been traditionally sourcing the building materials and technology for construction. The findings of this study will be useful for conservation of all brick buildings in Bengal, Bihar, UP, and the North India that fall along the Gangetic plains.
