Within a span of six months the centre has successfully conducted an online course on Introduction to Ethnomusicology: Music, Culture and Society from 7th Jan to 29th Feb 2024 co-ordinated by Mekhala Chattopadhyay and Mir Masudul Hoque and is gearing up to conduct its second online course from 10th April to 31st May 2024 on Performance studies titled: “The Expressive Canvas: An Introduction to Performance Studies” under the able co-ordinatorship of Bidisha Chakraborty and Kuntalika Jharimune.
Folklore Studies Network, an arm of CFSR is an active group that boasts of over 60 members worldwide who foster collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of folklore studies which is a monthly and sometimes quarterly online reading sessions in the field of folklore studies. These sessions observe a vibrant engagement of knowledge and discussions through critical thinking.
Apart from the online reading session the centre under the counsel and moderation of Spandita Das, PhD scholar at IIT Delhi conducts the young folklorist’s Talk Series which is a particularly important forum as it allows emerging scholars to share their research areas and engage with the participants.
The centre has successfully constituted a library which houses an extensive collection of over 5000 books which will help promote the learning initiatives among scholars.
Continuous workshops are held with folk artists and performers engaging with diverse traditional artists such as Patua, Jari and Alkap artists, nurturing cultural exchange, preservation and cultivating a deep rooted connect with lesser known traditional folk forms.
The organisation has collaborated for a conference on “Preserving Cultural Heritage: Empowering Folk Artists for a Sustainable Future” under the able guidance of scholar-artist Mrittika Malakar.
The centre has also collaborated with the Rarh Folk Festival held between 8th -10th March 2024 which provided an immense opportunity for exploring the vast arena with cultural performances, workshops, talks, seminars and mutual exchange of ideas.
The Folk Digital Archive is actively involved in curating and archiving resources through extensive field work and visits to various festivals thereby preserving our cultural heritage for generations to come.