Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Itinerant Residency

Exploratory residency

Residency brief

This itinerant residency offers a unique opportunity to undertake a research journey across India. Conceived as an open, research-driven residency, it invites the selected laureate to explore the country through movement, encounters, and immersion.

India, with its extraordinary linguistic diversity, layered histories, and vibrant contemporary literary scene, constitutes a particularly fertile ground for writers From the intellectual cafés and publishing houses of Kolkata to the multilingual dynamism of Mumbai, from Kerala’s deeply rooted literary culture to the vibrant oral storytelling traditions of Rajasthan, the country offers a multiplicity of narratives, voices, and imaginaries.

This is a country where literature circulates between languages, where oral traditions coexist with avant-garde practices, and where questions of ecology, identity, memory, and territory are constantly being rewritten. For generations, writers have travelled through India not only as observers, but as participants in a deeper process of transformation, allowing the journey itself to reshape their voice and perspective.

Within this context, this residency welcomes a project that is rooted in the social, cultural or anthropological realities of India and that will result in a written production.

Unlike a traditional residency anchored in a single location, this programme unfolds across multiple sites. Over a period of one to two months, the resident can choose to travel to a maximum of six cities in India. The itinerary is curated jointly by the French Institute in India and the resident, in dialogue with local partners, and tailored to the needs of the project.

  • Thematic focus Literature
  • Location India (up to 6 cities/locations)
  • Dates Between November 2026 - May 2027
  • Length of stay 4 - 8 weeks
  • Apply Now

About the Residency

The itinerant Residency is designed as a balance between structure and openness. While the French Institute in India ensures logistical coordination and access to key cultural actors, the resident retains significant freedom in shaping the trajectory of their journey.

Throughout the residency, the writer can choose to immerse in diverse environments, ranging from major metropolitan centres to more regionally rooted contexts. Encounters with intellectual and grassroots communities, scholarly and literary ecosystems and local contexts will be facilitated, as well as access to relevant archives, bookspaces, and cultural institutions.

Depending on the residency period, the resident may also be invited to participate in a literary festival or public programme, offering opportunities for exchange with audiences and professionals.

As a travelling residency, accommodation will be arranged by the French Institute in India across different cities either in carefully selected accommodations located in iconic or culturally significant parts of the cities, or by partner organisations deeply embedded in the local literary and cultural ecosystem.

Residency conditions

  • The residents’ travel costs to and from his/her home address, as well as domestic travel costs will be covered by the French Institute in India.
  • The resident will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 60 000 per month to cover his/her food and living expenses.
  • The resident will receive a fixed residency grant of INR. 50 000 per month.
  • The resident’s accommodation across the different cities of the travelling residency will be covered by the French Institute in India.
  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of their residency time to participate in literary festivals, lectures, workshops, conferences in local schools/universities and/ or other cultural activities organized by the French Institute in India
  • The French Institute in India expects the selected resident to send them a short text (1000 - 2000 words) or strip testifying of their experience within 3 months of completion of the residency.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant.
  • The resident must have one book (minimum) published by a publishing house. Self-published authors are not eligible.
  • The applicant should demonstrate a strong literary practice and a clear interest in engaging with diverse cultural contexts