The judging panel for the BASAS Graduate Essay Prize 2026 is delighted to announce the following as joint winners:
- Mihika Banerjee (left), ‘Choreographing Absence: Postcolonial Heritage at the Khajuraho Dance Festival’
- Oishi Dhar (right), ‘Steam, Patriotism, and Subaltern Mobility: Indigenous Maritime Enterprises and the Politics of Technology in Colonial Bengal’
The judging panel made the following comments:
Mihika Banerjee’s paper does a wonderful job of bringing together interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the Khajuraho festival, providing fascinating insights into the politics of dance and the entanglements between heritage, performing arts, tourism and state practices. The paper is engaging and very well written throughout, and was a pleasure to read.
Oishi Dhar’s paper is impressively researched and very well written, making important points and offering a valuable contribution towards theory-building. The panel particularly noted the strength and potential of the work, considering the paper eminently publishable.
We would also like to give special mention to two papers:
- Tanmay Kulshrestha, ‘Accompanying Mrs. X as an Ayah’
- Dharti Sharma, ‘Ritual, Space and the Politics of Belonging: Transgender (Hijra) Practices at the Bahuchar Mata Temple’
Congratulations!