GUWAHATI, Oct 30 - Writer, translator and researcher Shalim M Hussain has been selected for the �India Foundation for the Arts� grant 2017-18. The grant has been sanctioned for four short films on nau khela, lathibari and kobi bayat, three performative arts from the char-chaporis of Assam and gasshi rati, a semi-religious ritualistic performance.
Hussain, who hails from Sontoli village of Kamrup district of Assam, has been working on the literature and culture of the char-chaporis (river islands of Assam) for a long time. In 2010, he co-directed a short documentary film on lathibari. He is one of the founders of Itamugur, an art group focusing on promoting the literature and art from the char-chaporis of Assam.
Hussain is a PhD scholar at the Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia, and is currently working on Assamese literary aesthetics. He has also translated the popular Assamese novel, Asimot Jar Heral Sima by Kanchan Barua, into English.
�Since very little work has been done on the char-chaporis and lesser still on the cultural practices from these areas, it is hoped that this study and the proposed set of documentary films will help in introducing the chars to a wide audience, and dispel doubts and stereotypes surrounding the area. It is also expected that this will lead to better and more informed debates on the char-chaporis in the future,� a statement said.
