TM KRISHNA - PARI AWARD
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TM Krishna and the People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) are proud to announce the TM Krishna-PARI Award, instituted in 2024 to honour individuals who bridge the worlds of art and journalism. This prestigious annual award celebrates contributions through writing or art, with a special focus on professionals from marginalized backgrounds. The award includes a cash prize of ₹1 Lakh.
The TM Krishna-PARI Award was established to highlight the intersection of art and journalism, emphasizing storytelling that amplifies the voices and struggles of marginalized communities. By recognizing talents, the award hopes to inspire further exploration of socially engaged art and journalism.
The People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) is a unique digital platform dedicated to documenting and celebrating the lives, struggles, and achievements of rural communities across India through compelling journalism, photography, and storytelling.
For more details visit: ruralindiaonline.org
The first recipient of the TM Krishna-PARI Award is Labani Jangi, an artist and painter from Dhubulia, located in the rural Nadia district of West Bengal. Labani’s work reflects the resilience and complexities of rural India, combining artistic expression with critical social commentary.
About Labani Jangi
At 34, Labani Jangi is a research scholar at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta, where she is pursuing a doctoral thesis titled “The lives and world of Bengali migrant labour.” Her academic journey has been supported by the UGC-Maulana Azad National Fellowship for Minority Students (2016–2020). In 2020, she was a fellow at PARI, where she enriched the platform with her thought-provoking illustrations.
Labani received early training in painting before rediscovering her passion for art in 2016 during her M.Phil. studies. A self-taught artist, her illustrations draw inspiration from her lived experiences and the sociopolitical realities around her. She sees her art as inherently political, shaped by her identity as a Muslim woman and the daily struggles faced in a world where systemic violence and hatred are increasingly normalized.
“My work with PARI focuses on capturing stories that bring attention to both the systemic challenges, and the enduring spirit, of rural life. By integrating these narratives into my art, I aim to create visual expressions that resonate with the complexities of these experiences. My illustrations become a medium through which I contribute to preserving and sharing the cultural and social realities of rural India,” says Labani Jangi.
