US student awarded USD 25,000 to work with art groups in India

Starkman, a firm believer in ‘artistic activism’ and a recipient of the prestigious Wallenberg Fellowship.

Washington

: A US student has been awarded a grant of USD 25,000 to travel to Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore to study how art is used as a tool for improving lives of people and achieving social justice.

Meredith Starkman, a student of University of Michigan, will travel to the three cities to work with groups that use music, dance, theatre and the visual arts to improve the lives of people living in the margins of society.

This is the first visit of Starkman to India. Starkman, a firm believer in "artistic activism" and a recipient of the prestigious Wallenberg Fellowship.

"I'm most scared of being lonely," said Starkman, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre performance.

"I've never stayed in a place this long without knowing people in the country. I only know two people. But anyone I know who has ever been to India or has family in the country has given me names. It's just a matter of reaching out and finding my own way," she said.