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JUNE 12, 2020 | NORTH AmERIcAN Newsline | The Indian Eye 31
South Asian Arts resiliency fund awards grants to
24 artists from various disciplines over two-month period
Our BureAu about $40,000, which is being an ambassador wanting to give Massive. Awardee Sanjib Bhat-
rapidly distributed to grantees. Nepali music a wider audience. tacharya from Ohio is a global-
New York, NY “The money is being donat- To focus on creative work is not ly recognized Manipuri dancer
A easy without financial support, who is also an award recipient
total of 24 South Asian ed mostly by individuals who
artists from various are passionate about the arts
as gigs have been cancelled. I from former Indian President,
disciplines,
including and want to support those who
Sarangi tutorial materials, and arts worker and artist Tulika
dance, visual art, theatre, film dedicate their lives to it,” says now have time to work on my Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Illinois
and design, have been awarded Raoul Bhavnani, one of ICF’s the grant allows me the free- Ladsariya’s paintings have been
grants by the South Asian Arts Co-Founders. “From filmmak- dom and time to focus on that.” written about in publications
Resiliency Fund (SAARF), an ers to performance artists, visual Despite many of the ap- such as Elle and Time Out.
arts project funding program artists, writers and musicians, the plicants being accomplished Mr. Bhavnani adds, “Despite
created by the India Center grantees hail from across South in their fields, they are find- the easing of lockdowns around
Foundation (ICF), over two Asian countries of origin who ing it hard to fund their work the country, artists are likely to
rounds since mid-April. A third represent its culture through during this pandemic. Round see restrictions on the ability to
round is currently underway with their art here in the U.S.” two grantees include artists practice their crafts for many
an application deadline of June Nepali musician and grant like sitarist and teacher Abhik more months. In years to come,
15th. The Fund, open to South winner Shyam Nepali says, Mukherjee from New York, it will be their creativity that will
Asian-American artists and arts “This grant is very important who has received a scholarship help us recollect this unprece-
workers who have been impact- for me because as a musician from India’s Ministry of Cul- dented time. It’s so important
ed by the economic fallout of from Nepal living in the U.S., I ture and is a member of the im- to give them the resources now
COVID-19, has already raised am here not just for me, but as mensely popular Brooklyn Raga to do just that.”
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