The Sahapedia – UNESCO Fellowships 2017

About the Fellowship

To provide enthusiasts, students and scholars an opportunity to engage with cultural heritage and follow their pursuit of the knowledge systems of India, Sahapedia is pleased to announce its Fellowship programme.

“Saha”, Sanskrit for “together with”, is an invitation to explore together the richness of our cultural landscapes. The Sahapedia – UNESCO Fellowship programme is an extension of this invitation to engage with the rich and diverse range of arts, heritages and cultures of India.
UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003 (referred to as UNESCO 2003 Convention hereafter), refers to “importance of the intangible cultural heritage as a mainspring of cultural diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development.” The Sahapedia – UNESCO Fellowships are a part of the efforts to raise — at local, national, and international levels — awareness of the importance of intangible heritage, and accessibility of the same to communities, groups and individuals. The content documented and curated as a part of this fellowship programme is expected to fulfill, in part, the aims and objectives of the UNESCO 2003 Convention.

Through this initiative, Fellows will be encouraged to carry out documentation and critical research in diverse areas of cultural knowledge, while interacting with and enhancing networks that contribute to the creation of the same. This research of the Fellows will be published on the Sahapedia web portal, contributing to the online resource.

The Fellowship programme offers two variants currently – the Sahapedia Project Fellowship and the Sahapedia Research Fellowship. This gives the applicant the option of participating either at the level of primary documentation or of the content curation process.
Deliverables
Sahapedia Project Fellow (SPF):

• The Project Fellow shall coordinate the contribution of different kinds of multimedia content revolving around a particular theme.
• The module to be created on the theme could be in the format of one core article, a couple of allied articles, an image gallery and/or video recording, interviews and quick facts, for instance. *
• The project taken up is expected to be fulfilled in the period of 12 weeks.
Sahapedia Research Fellow (SRF):

• The Research Fellow position is meant for both academic engagement and primary field-work and documentation. The Research Fellow shall submit a minimum of three or four elements surrounding one or multiple topics.
• The deliverables for scholars and field-workers could involve, for instance, interviews with other scholars or practitioners, review of scholarship, interview discussing key issues of the topic, overview or introductory material or primary multimedia documentation on the topic. *
• Students and young researchers could potentially work on the documentation process (through field photos/videos, plans, sketches, and the like), transcription and translation of interviews, and/or compilation of quick facts (like filmographies, compositions, choreographies, etc.). *
• The tasks taken up are ideally to be completed in the period of 8 weeks.

A 400-word proposal has to be submitted during the time of application with details of the work the applicant aims to carry out and relevance of this work to Sahapedia, and a tentative list of deliverables specific to the assignment in question. Young scholars and researchers may enlist the guidance of teachers, professors or mentors, in this application, if required. The exact deliverables shall be discussed and fixed for each Fellow based on this proposal, on their being shortlisted.
*For pointers, find a list of links to different kinds of content on Sahapedia (Annexure – 1) and a note of ways to use the Representative List and Urgent Safeguarding List of the UNESCO 2003 Convention (Annexure – 2). We hope these will act as starting points for applicants to conceptualise their contribution to Sahapedia.

Eligibility The Fellowship is available to post-doctoral scholars, doctoral candidates, post-graduates, and graduates (including those students due to graduate in the summer of 2017). It is expected that the area or domain being applied for by an applicant is their area of expertise, or that this area has been the focus of one of their pursuits. Fellows are free to work jobs or engage in professional or academic work, as long as they find sufficient time to finish the projects taken up as a part of the Sahapedia Fellowship.
Duration

The project taken up by the Fellow is expected to be completed in the time-frame of twelve weeks for the SPF and of eight weeks for the SRF.
Funding

The SPF shall be granted an award of Rs. 40,000 and the SRF an award of Rs. 15,000. Once the deliverables have been fixed for individual Fellows, a detailed plan is to be drafted for submission, including an expenditure plan. The first installment (20%) of the award will be paid after the approval of the plan. The subsequent installments shall be paid on completion of specific elements in the assignment plan.
Benefits

Through this programme, Fellows shall receive an opportunity to work and conduct research in their area of interest, while receiving access to networks of scholars and professionals in the heritage sector. Their work will be made visible on the Sahapedia portal, making it accessible to wider audiences.
Application Guidelines

The following materials are to be submitted as a part of the application:
1. Resume or curriculum vitae;
2. A proposal of not more than 400 words; **
3. A writing sample (previously written essay).

Please find attached the terms and conditions, providing details of the contractual agreement (Annexure – 3), and a time-line of the process (Annexure -4) for your benefit.

**If the resources provided by Sahapedia are to be utilized for work already in progress, a note explaining this work with a brief description of how this will be developed into publishable material should be provided.
Contact

The documents listed above should either be emailed to: fellowships@sahapedia.org
Or sent to:
Sahapedia
C-1/3, First Floor,
SDA (Safdarjung Development Area)
New Delhi – 110016.

For queries, write to fellowships@sahapedia.org or contact +918826622261.

Apply NOW