Wood-carving in Saharanpur, Panjab
Research Scholar
I received the grant when I was pursuing my MA at the National Museum Institute, New Delhi. It gave me an opportunity to have first hand experience of working in the field. I interacted with local artisans and got a deeper understanding of various aspects involved in woodcarving. I have no doubt in claiming that this was one of the first pieces of work ever to have been done on this art. Without the grant I don't think I could have done such a work, and the award has played a significant role in shaping my career. Later I got admitted into the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, for the PhD programme in philosophy, and was awarded the Institute's Fellowship. There I pursued research in aesthetics of Indian Temple architecture.