Unveiling the Jury | IME Research Grant 2026–27
Reframing Indian Music through Gender and Memory
The museum is honoured to introduce the distinguished jury for the inaugural IME Research Grant 2026–27: Reframing Indian Music through Gender and Memory. Bringing together expertise in cultural leadership, performance studies, and musicology, the panel will evaluate projects that interrogate marginalized narratives and seek to build more equitable music histories.
About the Grant
Part of IME’s Women’s History, Art and Music (WHAM), this grant supports original scholarship that critically examines Indian music through the lens of gender and intersectionality. By centering the histories of women and marginalized genders, the grant aims to foreground overlooked practitioners across folk, hereditary, and classical traditions.
Meet the Jury
Prof. Dr. Urmimala Sarkar (Munsi)
Social Anthropologist & Performance Studies Scholar
Prof. Dr. Urmimala Sarkar (Munsi), is retired Dean and Professor of dance studies at the School of Arts and Aesthetics of Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, is currently a Senior Fellow of the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library, Delhi. She is a social anthropologist and performance studies scholar specializing in performance and intersectionality. She trained as a dancer / choreographer at Uday Shankar India Culture Centre.- Kolkata, and continued her work as a choreographer and performer during her engagement as a faculty at the University. Her most recent publications include her co-edited (with Aishika Chakraborty) book, The Dancing Body: Labour, Livelihood and Leisure (Routledge. 2025); Mapping Critical Dance Studies in India (Springer, 2024). She is currently the Honorary Dean of Dance (Mohini Attam and Tullal) at Kalamandalam (Deemed to be University), Kerala, and is part of the editorial Board of Bloomsbury Publishing Series “Dance in Dialogue”.
Dr. Aneesh Pradhan
Tabla Maestro, Composer & Researcher
Aneesh Pradhan is one of India’s leading tabla players, a composer, and a prolific researcher. A disciple of the illustrious Nikhil Ghosh, he inherited a vast repertoire spanning multiple gharanas. Beyond his acclaimed work as a soloist and accompanist, he is a Fulbright Fellow and recipient of the Aditya Birla Kala Kiran and Vasantotsav awards, known for his cross-cultural collaborations with groups like the Ensemble Modern and the Sirens Big Band. With a PhD in History, Aneesh Ji is a prominent scholar of Hindustani music, having authored several books including Hindustani Music in Colonial Bombay and Chasing the Raag Dream. He currently serves as the Director of Underscore Records and co-curates the Baajaa Gaajaa music festival, balancing his time as a performer, educator, and author.
Preema John
Museum Director, Indian Music Experience Museum
Preema John is a distinguished cultural leader and arts manager driven by the conviction that art is a catalyst for community transformation. Currently serving as the Director of the Indian Music Experience Museum (IME), she spearheads initiatives that bridge India’s rich musical heritage with contemporary public life through immersive programming. A Fulbright Fellow with a deep academic foundation in Arts & Aesthetics (JNU) and Arts Administration (School of the Art Institute of Chicago), Preema has spent her career expanding public access to the arts. Her extensive leadership portfolio includes pivotal roles at the Asia Society India Centre, the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. She remains dedicated to building inclusive cultural spaces that resonate with diverse audiences.