Month: November 2023

Photographing faith: Tarun Bhartiya

On a neon orange background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Fringe & Geekery Below, the headline: Photographing faith Below, a subhead: Unaddressed picture postcards from the Khasi-Jaintia Hills Next, the session date: 26th November, 2023 Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Tarun Bhartiya And below that, a descriptor: Documentarian, poet, political activist Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Tarun is a documentary filmmaker and photographer, a poet writing in Hindi, and an activist based in Shillong. His imagemaking has been an adjunct to his preoccupations on themes of everyday life of resistance movements, borders and belonging, destruction of indigenous modes of production and, these days, authoritarian religious fundamentalist remaking of the Indian state and society. His films include Brief Life of Insects, The Last Train in Nepal, When the Hens Crow, and Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. As an editor he has worked on notable films with film-makers like Vasudha Joshi, Sanjay Kak, Ranjan Palit. He returned his Indian National Film Award in protest against the Indian government’s inaction against the attacks on minorities in India. A part of his long-term photo project Niam/Faith/Hynniewtrep, Unaddressed Picture Postcards from Khasi-Jaintia Hills, was exhibited at Kochi Biennale and Diffusion, Welsh International Festival of Photography. His poems and their translations have appeared in various anthologies including Dancing Earth: Contemporary poetry from North East India (Penguin), Das Baras – Hindi Kavita Ayodhya ke Baad (SAHMAT).

Valley of refuge: Karen L Donoghue & D Junisha Khongwir

On a neon blue background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Fringe & Geekery Below, the headline: Valley of refuge Below, a subhead: Tales of the Mizo diaspora in Happy Valley Next, the session date: 26th November, 2023 Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenters with their names: Karen L Donoghue & D Junisha Khongwir And below that, a descriptor: Educators and co-authors Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Karen teaches in the Dept. of Journalism and Mass Communication, NEHU Shillong. Her PhD is focused on media representations of Northeast India on mainstream Indian media and her research interests include media representation, media and gender, and oral history. She enjoys reading, playing the guitar and listening to music, loves long walks with her dogs and writes poetry occasionally.
Junisha is a Khasi woman born and brought up in Laitlyngkot, Meghalaya. She is an educator and a visual artist. She graduated from AJK Jamia Millia Islamia University. She’s an assistant professor at the Department of Mass Media, St Anthony’s College, Shillong. She is also the curator at the North East India AV Archive.