Sparsh Ahuja

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
Born
EducationBachelor of Arts (B.A.) in philosophy, politics and economics
Alma materUniversity of Oxford
Occupation(s)Peace activist and documentary filmmaker
Known forProject Dastaan

Early life and education

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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.[1]

Career

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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.[10]

References

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