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Supporting development issues
`King on Elephant' by Jamini Roy.
Way back in 1936, the gifts and bequests of Henry and Edsel Ford took the shape of a local philanthropy in the State of Michigan in the U.S. Within 14 years, it expanded to become first a national and then an international foundation, which has now completed 50 years of operation in India.
During its golden jubilee year, the Ford Foundation has broadened its geographical reach and identified key projects across the country that will focus on women, Dalits and Adivasis. "This is in keeping with the Foundation's belief that the people nearest to the problem also know the solution. Our job is to fund and facilitate them along the way,'' says Gowher Rizvi, Representative, Ford Foundation.
A glimpse of people-centred development issues that the Foundation has supported in India since 1952 is provided by their collection of paintings, sculpture, folkart and handicrafts acquired over the years and included in the statement of current interests booklet being circulated by them. The traditional tribal Warli wall painting was commissioned by the New Delhi office for its entrance lobby atrium wall and reflects their concerns.
`Woman at a village well' by B. Prabha.
Madhavi Parekh's painting "Man and Animal'' aptly sums up the Foundation's policy as regards community land management. The story of river Ganga told through traditional embroidery on a piece of cloth by the Sujni tribe in Bihar is illustrative of its Water Resources Management policy. Whether it is "Women in Field'' by Jaya Appaswamy or lithographs by Babita Das, the Ford Foundation has made it clear that the sexual and reproductive health needs of women cannot be ignored.
A beautiful Dhokra horse illustrates the lost wax metal craft of Orissa. The painting "King on Elephant'' by Jamini Roy suggests the importance of folklore-based performing arts, which the Foundation has been supporting for a number of years now. "We will be publishing ten thematic monographs by prominent experts in the fields of work that we have been involved in,'' says Rizvi.
The Foundation will also launch a year-long series of workshops, exhibitions and celebrations at different centres across the country immediately after the anniversary celebrations in New Delhi. An amount of Rs. 220 crores has been earmarked as the 50th anniversary fund to facilitate the setting up of a South Asian Fund for Women, a centre for Dalit studies and 23 endowed chairs in different institutions of higher education, research institutes and NGOs.
By Kannan K.
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