People love to talk about ‘heritage’… read about ‘heritage’… but they don’t seem to quite know what to do about ‘heritage’! Its considered politically correct to be concerned about it but the truth is that most people are not sure of how it effects our day to day lives! For instance, in Ahmedabad, there’s a mistaken notion that ‘heritage’ exists only in the pols of the Walled City! We forget that heritage evolves and when the city grew to the West side, our heritage moved with us and thrived as it was passed on from generation to generation (for heritage is not static - its organic). It is only in the last twenty years, with the onslaught of external influences through television and media that we have begun digressing to aspirational lifestyles that have more to do with commerce and less with its cultural relevance. And heritage is all about local relevance.
Any efforts to re-root to our heritage will be successful only if people are made aware of what it really means. Our food, our clothing, our homes, our language, customs and rituals… in-fact, our entire lifestyle was woven on the threads of our heritage. Our heritage is our anchor and without it we are adrift.
It is essentials that children are engaged in different aspects of their heritage right from school and remain so throughout their educational journey. Only then can they cultivate a clear sense of their identity. Unfortunately it is not so. There are few field trips and fewer lessons in the how’s and why’s of the evolution of our culture (and let’s not confuse heritage with history!). This has to change. With government celebrating Gujarat’s 60th year in existence, heritage awareness has to start from the classroom.
If Gujarat is to have the Country’s first World Heritage City in Ahmedabad, the efforts will have to start with the youth. Towards this goal, my company has been involved in restoration and adaptive reuse of architecture and crafts of Gujarat for over a decade. It has introduced two heritage walks in the last four years. An Audio Guided Heritage Tour of the Walled City that gives you a multi-media experience as you walk through the live theatre of life and the other is a Night Heritage Walk that takes you through a maze of pols with a torchlight!
Earlier this year, we launched another initiative, ‘Ahmedabad4whc’ – a Facebook group that attempts to get youngsters to explore our architectural and cultural heritage through a host of activities organized in the Walled City of Ahmedabad. It organizes Photo Competitions, Treasure Hunts, Art Workshops, Art Events and other interactive experiences to spread awareness about the meaning and true value of heritage. This group is also creating a one of a kind Google Map of Ahmedabad that documents all the local crafts, foods, religious places, listed heritage properties and places of interest in the Walled City so that people anywhere in the world can learn about Gujarat’s heritage at click of a mouse.
‘Ahmedabad4whc’ is now approaching schools to introduce regular workshops for their students in the Walled City so that they experience a living tradition first hand and grow up with the clear idea of how their lives have evolved over generations.
Gujarat can become a truly global state and not another ‘wannabe’ Shanghai only if it takes a firmer grip on its rich heritage and nurtures it while it continues its march towards economic prosperity. Jay ho, Gujarat!
-The author is an entrepreneur involved with adaptive reuse of architecture and crafts in Ahmedabad. Write to abhaymangaldas@houseofmg.com with your comments.
It may be a mistaken notion that ‘heritage’ exists only in the pols of the Walled City but it also says that the heritage in the pols requires immediate and urgent attention with the onslaught of Law Garden and Navrangpura in late 1970s there was a slow move from the pols to laal darwaja and beyond the bridge. I saw what the pols were and how people would call playing cards - cats and vadilal - venilal and the aadu no ice cream suddenly coming through. I loved the pols as you may or may not remember that I am half a gujrati and while the pizza parlours will one day become antiques right now the wooden carvings and the scorpions hiding in the bhoira are art forms that would be lost in five years. A cow shitting on cobbled stones is art and people flying patang is actually stupidity and kills pigeons. Being a Bombayite I was never a fan of A'bad but appreciated the art that has.
ReplyDeleteInteresting article on Heritage Abhay.I come from a traditional Sindhi family.My parents knew no other language or way of living so we grew in a very authentic Sindhi atmosphere.I wont say everything was perfect about living an ethnic lifestyle.I won't even say that everything is bad about the modern way of living.But I do feel sad that the new generation knows very little about Sindhi culture.It is literally a dying culture---- schools are closing shop,children are learning all other languages except Sindhi and housewives are turning to packaged food while the traditional recipes have no takers.I feel bad about it more for emotional reasons than anything else.regards Nita Idnani
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