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	India
Education	Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in philosophy, politics and economics
Alma mater	University of Oxford
Occupation(s)	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.[1]

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.[10]

References

1. "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. "Explorer directory". Narional Geographic.