Research Scholarships
Heritage Awards
INTACH Journal of Heritage Studies
INTACH Scholarship 2023
UK Scholarship Category
To understand the craft of wooden shipbuilding in Beypore as part of a broader environmental and cultural ecology of people, resources, architecture, industries and maritime networks and to assess the relationship between building practices and climate change including the ecology of the Chaliyar river system.Asha is a British Architectural Designer and Researcher.With overlapping trajectories in research and practice, her interest lies in understanding how ecologies of making and exchange overlap across land and water. Other projects include work on the Wooden Shipbuilding Industry in Gujarat and the design of a Restorative Sea Farm for the Archipelago of Chilean Patagonia.
Research Scholarship (Indian Citizens)
To understand how the Sali community is the driving force for sustainable development of the town Yeola.Amruta Uplekar is a conservation architect based in Nashik. She has expertise in structural restoration and repair techniques of heritage buildings, understanding traditional construction methodology while adapting new techniques in conservation, documentation and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Her interests primarily include adaptive reuse, researching intangible heritage, photography, documentation and research.
The Research aims to enquire about layers of the salad bowl like the nature of Surat between 1837 A.D. to 1980 A.D. by evaluating Influences of development and Socio-Cultural-Economical structures on motifs, facade architecture and streets.Ms Binita Pandya is an architect and adjunct faculty at Auro School of Design, Auro University, Surat. She completed her Masters in Town & Regional Planning from Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat. She has an experience of 30 years in the field of academics and field work. She has previously worked on an allied article for Sahapedia UNESCO Fellowship 2017.
Ms Miral Hadakia is an architect, amateur photographer and heritage enthusiast based in Surat. She has been working on Surat’s heritage and Architectural projects with her mentor as a research assistant and junior architect for the past 4 years.
The aim of the research is to rediscover the deep connect between the historic cities of the erstwhile princely Kingdom of Travancore and the Kandyan Kingdom of Ceylon with respect to the culture of the communities and resultant city architecture.Dr Binumol Tom is a Conservation Architect and has expertise in conserving timber heritage. As a researcher and writer, she has authored “Traditional Conservation practices of Timber Architecture– a case study of Thai kottaram, Travancore published by INTACH UK Trust (2007 has also authored chapters in various books including “Jiirnnoddharana, the Hindu philosophy of Conservation” in the book Asian Heritage Management: Contexts, Concerns, and Prospects, Routledge, USA (2013) along with media publications.
The research aims to understand the dynamics of the community residing in the Tajganj, on how the Taj impacts their lives. The research seeks to highlight that the dynamics of heritage authenticity can be found within the Tajganj local community, in a deep-rooted sense of place, shared culture and pride in centuries of relationship with the Taj Mahal.Damayanti Datta, a researcher, a teacher, a communicator, a correspondent, an editor and, now, an independent writer started with a PhD in history from Cambridge University, her career path has taken her toward storytelling in various fields. She has been honoured with numerous fellowships and awards, including the first Press Council of India Award for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. Sugar: The Silent Killer is her maiden book on public health, which published by Rupa Publications in 2022.
To study the living heritage of the clay artisans community (Rudra Paul) of west Tripura (Agartala), their origins, and settlements; the impact of migration and the challenges that occurred on the livelihood of the clay artisan community of Agartala; the present interconnection between the socio-economic profile of the artisans and its correlations between product, gender, community, and region; and to identify the cultural heritage and sustainable developmental strategy of clay artisans in Agartala.Nilkanta Das is a dedicated scholar currently engaged in the pursuit of a Ph.D. in History of Art at Kala-Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. With a profound passion for the exploration of art history in Southeast Asia, particularly focusing on the Eastern Indian provinces, Nilkanta’s academic journey is marked by a fervent commitment to uncovering the rich cultural tapestry of the region.
To formulate a conservation proposal to Revive the weaving community in Kodumbu (Palakkad district, Kerala) to make for a self-sustaining ecosystem with better infrastructure and a holistic socio-economic model that can attract more interest in the future generations to join the handloom industry, thereby making for a sustainable weaving community. The study also aims at promoting their products through proposals of initiatives that would bring people from all over India.Rama Raghavan is an Architect and Academic based in Pune. She is currently an Assistant Professor in SMEF’s BRICK School of Architecture, Pune. She graduated from Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai, and post-graduated from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. She is passionate about expressing her ideas through Research and Architectural Writing to enrich the perspectives she brings as a pedagogue.
Ramiya Gopalakrishnan is an Architect based in Pune. She has completed her graduation from Tamil Nadu School of Architecture, Coimbatore, and is currently pursuing her master’s in Conservation from Sinhagad College of Architecture, Pune. She has worked on various projects panning from architectural to furniture and is also associated with SMEF’s Brick School of Architecture, Pune. Her interests include reading, writing, and exploring new ideas in the field of architecture, history, society, and culture.
This research aims to construct an understanding of the contributions to cultural production through the structure of Architecture, by two largely overlooked, yet substantial components under the institutional agency of the Public Works Department – (i) Modest utilitarian structures like barracks, bungalows, bridges, post-offices, storage, sheds, guard rooms, etc. (ii) Architectural Draftsmen, most junior ranks of the establishment. The study is focused to the boundaries of the now City of Chennai, in the then Presidency of Madras.Viswa is a young architect from Madurai. Documenting people and built environments via photographic medium plays a seminal role in her imaginations and enquiries.
This research aims at looking at the evolution of a physical space- Varanasi and its symbolic manifestation- Kathak, as individual identities and also look at their connections, growth and the value that they add to each otherA current student of Heritage Management and an aspiring Heritage Manager, Samiksha aims at making heritage accessible and innovative through her work. Being a dancer and a poet, her inclinations toward intangible cultural heritage are justified, however, through her work she wants to break through these boxes and redefine heritage as a concept.
Capacity Building Support
The research aims to evaluate the dynamics of the cultural diversity of the historic core of Thrissur town by studying the various communities of the area.Radhika is a Heritage Conservation Architect currently working with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Thrissur Chapter. She has completed her post-graduate studies (M. Arch) in Architectural Conservation at the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi in 2020. She is a co-founder of the heritage initiative ‘INHERITANCE’ which aims to promote cultural heritage of Kerala through interdisciplinary approaches of heritage conservation.
Lakshmi is a Heritage Conservation Architect, currently associated with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) Thrissur Chapter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Govt Engineering College Thrissur (2016) and a master’s degree in ArchitecturalConservation from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi (2020). She is a co-founder of the heritage initiative ‘INHERITANCE’.
Research proposals were invited for a city-based inquiry engaging all the key stakeholders involved in making, saving, and enhancing the culture of a city and its people.
“The right to participate fully and freely in cultural life is vital to our cities and communities.”
Culture is the expression of values, a common, renewable resource in which we meet one another, learn what can unite us and how to engage with differences in a shared space. Those differences exist within and between cultures. They must be acknowledged and engaged with. An inclusive, democratic, sustainable city enables that process, and is strengthened by it too (The 2020 Rome Charter). There are a number of charters that talk about historic monuments, sites and cities, but very few that focus on inhabitants. Whilst historic buildings are essential for cultural memory, evolution and identity, it is vital to include ‘people’ who built these historic buildings in the first place.
- What are the effective policies for an evolved public participation in culture, manifested in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other global treaties/ conventions?
- It is people, who form the fundamental blocks of a culture and shape the city through their culture. How does a city respond to the inhabitants utilizing it fabric to develop their potential and contribute, in return?
- Culture provides its inhabitants with opportunities of shared spaces, places of learning and engagement which is led by an experience of differences and diversity within. What are these enablers which help cities to move towards an inclusive, democratic and sustainable way of life?
