Anahad Fellowship Program – India

Aim of Anahad’s fellowship program is to cultivate deep expertise in cultural development and production skills. They achieve that by supporting fellows over 3-month period during which they carry out immersive cultural research across various Indian states, exploring rare folk musical forms, designing cultural development programs and empowering musicians through contemporary mediums.

Anahad works towards intangible culture preservation while generating livelihood for folk musicians. They are looking for young passionate individuals who are determined of bringing change in their communities. Extensive professional experience in the proposed area is not always necessary; fellowships are aimed at developing advanced knowledge and professional skills, not necessarily awarding research or reporting opportunities to those who already possess them.

AFP is a 3-month residential program. The program in itself gives you teaching of the experience gain in the daily work routine of a social sector. This fellowship gives you an opportunity to interact one on one with the benefactors and understand their life. The program will equip extraordinary individuals from across India with the knowledge, support system and practical wisdom to unlock their full potential and drive positive change in society.

Fellowship Areas

• Production – Fellows learn live production skills through Anahad’s backpack studio technology, producing two music videos and website content for artists. During the program, the fellow contributes to graphic designing, video editing, filmmaking, etc. The fellowship trains how to produce in challenging environments and circumstances with diversified content.
• Research (Ethnomusicology/Musicology) – With Anahad’s extensive research on the folk musical heritage of India fellows can do extensive research on the folk scenario in the country. The opportunity shall give the fellow a wide scope to meet the folk artists personally and get to know about their philosophy of music, further going ahead with research.
• Journalism – This field aims to draw public attention to the conditions in which marginalised communities live, situations requiring social change and the effectiveness towards it. This thematic area believes that using media and communication to affect awareness and change is essential to any meaningful dialogue about empowerment and social issues.
• Development (Business) – It is a wonderful opportunity for a budding social entrepreneur to become a fellow of this program as it leaves one with very crucial learnings about the development of an organisation as a whole. Running an organisation and keeping all the aspects balanced is the key to make an organisation run successfully. The program will teach to create an efficient operational model of an organisation.
• Marketing – Marketing, even for non-profits have become quite a task and thus training and experience with it in the real field is experience gained. This will give the fellow an opportunity to learn and get acquaintance with the marketing trends, software and things to keep in mind while on it.

Stipend/Accommodation

• This is a 3-month residential program in Greater Noida, with extensive mandatory travelling ( all cost covered by the organisation) in different states of India.
• A basic stipend of Rs 10,000 would be paid monthly.
• Since it is a residential program, rooms will be allotted as per the fellows’ gender. Rooms will be shared among the same gender fellow. Fellows will be staying in twin – double beds room, and each room will have a private bathroom to be shared amongst them. The same shall be followed while on field trips.
• All travel and accommodation costs of the fellows (pertaining to the program) would be covered during the program.
• Meals will only be covered when the fellow will travel for the project.
• 100% attendance is mandatory (exceptions shall be made for emergency depending upon the case)
• The fellows are expected to spend about 40 hours per week in the office during the program.
• There shall be five working days in a week (might vary if travelling).

What to expect out of the program?

• Space to innovate and grow
  • The fellowship will facilitate your personal and professional development. For individuals working on some of the most complex problems in society, this space will help you to learn and grow and introduce exposure to new ideas and techniques.
• Personal growth and enhanced status
  • The exposure, access to networks, and diversity will help you acquire new skills and fast-track your careers. It will also give a fillip to your social status and increased recognition from your families and social networks.
• Contribution to issues and society
  • You will be the change agents even after the duration of the fellowship, making you seen as thought leaders, stay connected to social justice, contribute to innovation, programmes and policies, and continue to give back to your organisations and society at large.
• Cultural Immersion
  • During the learning journey, you will need to visit the field, meet and interact with the stakeholders and understand their way of life and culture, which may be similar or very different from your own. You will also get the opportunity to stay on the field and get to observe and engage with the community very closely, understand traditional wisdom and other practices, the local ways to addressing issues, thus adding to the richness of your learning. Further, you can immerse the beautiful folk performance by the targeted groups which are rare and unique in nature but absolutely mesmerising. Further, the cultural diversity brought in by the stakeholders from diverse geographies in itself presents a huge opportunity for cross-cultural learning.
    • Skills learning: No concrete idea is required. Come to learn.
    • Prepare for a career in industry and gain an ‘edge’ and a taste of skill that your peers won’t have during the job search.

Eligibility Criteria

• Qualification in the fellows:
  • Should be an individual.
  • Can be from any sector.
  • Has exhibited academic proficiency, demonstrated leadership, strong organisational skills and are inclined to make a commitment to the community.
  • Students and professionals with a minimum of Bachelor’s Degree or enrolled in a Bachelor’s Program at the time of joining the Fellowship are invited to apply.
  • Should be critical thinkers and problem solvers.
  • Have the ability to demonstrate interpersonal skills through their interactions with various stakeholders.
  • Should be well versed in both English and Hindi language.
  • Should be of minimum age of 21.
  • Should be full time committed to resolving cultural issues.
• Technical requirements:
  • Should be physically present for the entire duration of the program.
  • There should be a concrete connection with the field.
  • Strong personal integrity and moral imagination.
  • Should be committed individual ready to go through an intensive yet fun-filled transformation.

Program – Specific Requirements

• For Production
  • Basic graphics and video editing skills.
  • The idea of colour correction (CC) and camera handling.
  • Aspiring audio engineers must have knowledge of at least one recording software along with basic recording and mixing skills.
  • The applicants are required to make a digital portfolio of their previous work and upload it on a private YouTube link. The link of the portfolio should be mentioned in the resume.
• For Journalism
  • Aspiring journalist/ journalism student who is well aware of news reporting, feature writing, production/subbing and using the internet as a source and making web pages.
  • Experience in the areas of print, online, radio, and television media and also have proof of the same.
  • Know how to create digital media content, and audience development and engagement strategy.
• For Development (Business)
  • Pursuing or hold an MBA or MS in Business, Economics, Marketing and Sales, Organizational Behaviour, or Finance.
  • Strong analytical, business judgment and problem-solving skills.
  • Proficiency in Office suite.
  • Knowledge of, and passion for, social entrepreneurship and impact investing.
• For Marketing 
  • Have a degree in Marketing, Business or equivalent.
  • Has a huge following base on social media, or has supported or worked for particular project likewise.
  • Experience in running marketing campaigns on social media.

For more information, visit Anahad.