Zindagi Research Grant

Titled “Reworlding Ecologies: Experiences, Knowledges and Practices from Indigenous Communities", this grant is rooted in the belief that the stories we tell have the power to transform the world. With a dual aim of providing a platform to members of marginalised communities, especially those belonging to the indigenous tribal groups, to tell their stories - unbiased and unafraid, and to break away from the savarna dominated media, the Zindagi Research Grant looks forward to support unpublished writers, researchers, and storytellers who are eager to explore the field of indigenous knowledge systems and alternative conservation practices as a potent response to contemporary ecological crisis. 

This isn’t an academically focused endeavor. We encourage engaged, decolonial, field-rooted projects—whether you're a writer, photojournalist, activist, community historian, or first-time researcher, your lens matters. Often, indigenous experiences of ecology are filtered through elite, Savarna perspectives. This grant gives priority to those from within the communities to do reflexive, ethical, anti-caste research practices. Zindagi Research Grant by Project Mukti and The Third Eye will offer humble funding along with access to mentorship, networks, and publishing platforms. It is an opportunity to make your work accessible to a larger audience.

Selected candidates will be provided with a remuneration between INR 25,000 - INR 40,000, depending on the kind of project. The final remuneration amount shall be decided by the selection committee, and their decision will be final. 

1. You must be a Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi or Tribal person from India.

2. You must be at least 18 years old and under 40 years old.

3. You must have working knowledge of English or Hindi.

4. You are committed to completing the proposed project within the given timeline.

In the context of this grant, Indigenous includes Adivasi communities of Central India and other regions of India including the tribal groups from North-Eastern India, who have distinct cultural, ecological, and spiritual relationships with land and nature. It also encompasses communities practicing ancestral knowledge systems rooted in oral traditions, local cosmologies, and alternative frameworks of sustainability. The term is inclusive of a range of marginalised knowledge systems that have been historically erased or appropriated by colonial and Brahmanical narratives.

No. Applicants are allowed to submit only one proposal for consideration under this grant cycle.

While a specific academic background is not a prerequisite, we are looking for a grounded understanding of ecological and social justice, from an anti-caste perspective, and a commitment to ethical research and storytelling.

Your submissions can take the form of a journalistic essay, photo essay, research paper or narrative based essay. We are open to any non fiction written project, as long as it is explorative and falls within the ambit of our theme. We encourage proposals that are anti caste, anti colonial and of participatory framework.