“Letters from Delhi” is a documentation of life in Delhi, India, during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the eyes of young writers from the city’s low-income neighborhoods. These writers are affiliated with Ankur, an alternative education NGO in Delhi that has run writing centers in the city’s low-income areas for almost four decades. Through alternative pedagogy, Ankur seeks to empower young people in the city’s marginalized areas to reflect on their life experiences and strive for a life of dignity. This project was initiated by Prabhat Jha and Thalia Gigerenzer and funded by Princeton’s Mellon Initiative in Architecture, Urbanism and the Humanities. You can find the project here: www.lettersfromdelhi.com
“Breathing Space: Creativity and Play in a Toxic Environment,” investigates the struggle of children in a highly toxic area of Delhi to find literal and figurative breathing space—the space to play and create. Located next to a landfill and chemical factory, the low-income neighborhood of Khichripur is infamous for being the most polluted neighborhood in the city. Ankur Society for Alternatives in Education (Ankur) has been collaborating with youth in Khichripur to document everyday life in Delhi’s most polluted neighborhood. The Khichripur Project is a collection of writings, photos and videos made by youth in Khichripur. You can find the project here: https://khichripur.org
