Sparsh Ahuja Explained

Sparsh Ahuja is an Indian-Australian peace activist and documentary filmmaker.[1] He founded Project Dastaan along with Sam Dalrymple and Saadia Gardezi.[2]

Sparsh Ahuja
Birth Place:India
Education:Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in philosophy, politics and economics
Alma Mater:University of Oxford
Occupation:Peace activist and documentary filmmaker
Known For:Project Dastaan

Early life and education

Ahuja was born in India and grew up in Australia.[3] He graduated from University of Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in philosophy, politics and economics as a Fitz Randolph Scholar.

Career

Ahuja founded Project Dastaan which is a peace initiative aimed at reintegrating refugees displaced by the Partition of India of 1947 with their ancestral homes.[4]

Ahuja is the director of Child of Empire, a VR docu-drama based on the 1947 partition. It premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.[5]

Ahuja directed a documentary titled Birdsong: the dying whistled language of the Hmong people in northern Laos in 2023.[6] [7] It was awarded a special mention at Palm Springs International ShortFest and was shortlisted by International Documentary Association for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards.[8] [9] The documentary was shortlisted for a Gierson Award, and later acquired by The Guardian.[10]

Ahuja is an explorer with National Geographic.

Notes and References

  1. News: 2022-08-13 . Project Dastaan: Partition survivors travel to their ancestral villages through VR . 2024-01-15 . The Times of India . 0971-8257.
  2. News: 2022-11-08 . Derby Museum exhibition to explore legacy of Partition . 2024-01-16 . BBC . en-GB.
  3. News: 2022-08-05 . Partition: My journey to the ‘place no-one spoke of’ . 2024-01-15 . BBC . en-GB.
  4. Web site: Habib . Waquar . 2023-08-30 . Samuel Dalrymple On Showcasing The Partition With Sensitivity . 2024-01-16 . Outlook Traveller . en.
  5. News: Khan . Arman . 2022-01-28 . Flashback 75: Partition in virtual reality in ‘Child of Empire’ . 2024-01-15 . The Hindu . en-IN . 0971-751X.
  6. Web site: Birdsong: the dying whistled language of the Hmong people in northern Laos . 2024-01-15 . the Guardian . en.
  7. Web site: Messages born of melody – hear the whistled language of the Hmong people Aeon Videos . 2024-01-15 . Aeon . en.
  8. Web site: 2023 Palm Springs International ShortFest announces award winners . 2024-01-16 . The Desert Sun . en-US.
  9. Web site: Carey . Matthew . 2023-10-24 . ‘Going To Mars,’ ‘Bobi Wine,’ ‘In The Rearview’ Nab Spots On IDA's Shortlist Of Year's Best Documentaries . 2024-01-15 . Deadline . en-US.
  10. Web site: Explorer directory . Narional Geographic.