#2020: Learning from Indian Heritage: some experiences in the last decade
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My name is Jyoti and here is a small article about my heritage experiences in the last decade (2011–2020). Most of the experiences were random and didn’t intend to achieve anything specific. However, it left an impact and took me to places I never imagined I’d be. Have a look!
Around 10 years ago (2011), I had visited the Surajkund Mela (Fair) in Faridabad, which is one of the biggest cultural or craft fairs of India & the world. It was an incredible platform to witness Indian crafts and the diversity of craftsmanship present in India. Spending an entire day at the fair triggered many thoughts about handicrafts. However, the lack of knowledge about the field had left me with questions. Questions that were asked to family members, teachers but there was no answer to it. There was a feeling that stayed in my heart that eventually motivated me to find answers to some of the questions in my mind.
My first exploration led me to the National Crafts Museum in New Delhi. The museum provided a unique space & learning opportunity for individuals like me to experience the cultural heritage present in India. I witnessed various art forms including tribal folk art, sculpture, two galleries on Indian textiles, traditional houses, a craft bazaar, a souvenir store etc. I had acquired a new meaning of Indian diversity and my understanding of Heritage had changed completely. The experience at the museum inspired me to go ahead and understand more. As a result, I found myself volunteering at organisations like Happy Hands Foundation & INTACH in Delhi. These experiences began to introduce me to the artisans across India, some issues prevailing in the sector and opportunities to engage with the crafts at a personal level.
One particular engagement with an organisation called Pravah, took me to a small village called Jhiri, in Jhalawar district, Rajasthan. The experience presented me with a chance to know about a farmers collective which had initiated a handloom production in the village. Through my interaction with the people working at the grassroots, I started to understand the issues of the farmers, which were not very different from that of artisans. Some common struggles were the lack of natural resources in the form of raw materials or water, lack of support, ignorance of urban dwellers, etc.
Another project at Pravah and Community- the Youth Collective (CYC) organised a week-long bus campaign that started in Delhi and went to Lucknow via Bareilly. It was an effort to discuss issues of discrimination and social exclusion where we visited numerous communities like Kite makers in Bareilly and Zari workers in Lucknow. There were stories of hardship, struggle but a strong determination to work towards preserving one’s identity & heritage. All such events led to a gradual understanding of the crafts sector. These experiences began to leave a mark in my life and I constantly found myself using the word ‘heritage’ in my everyday life and it was a part of my interest areas that I wanted to explore further.
During my bachelor’s in history from the University of Delhi, I found myself enrolling in a course called the ‘Appreciation of Popular Culture’ at Daulat Ram College where I got another opportunity to interact with artisans from different states of India, learn from them through discussions and various hands-on workshops with them on Madhubani art, Calligraphy, Paper mache, and so much more. I was certain that I want to pursue this as part of my academics. At the same time, I had enrolled myself in a volunteer guide program called the Yuva Sathi at National Museum, New Delhi. It was a year-long training program where I gained knowledge about the museum, the old artefact and received intensive training to conduct guided tours at the museum for schools. While I completed the one-year training with so much enthusiasm, I couldn’t start conducting tours as I was selected for an exchange program in Germany.
My voluntary experience in Germany was now of the turning points in my life. The program was hosted by Misereor (based in Aachen) and I worked with Caritas (based in Cologne) in Germany. I was engaged in programs focusing on pedagogy and children’s education for various age groups. In addition, I worked in a youth cafe which was a space for interactions and cultural activities for young people. One year in Germany opened up possibilities to understand cultures across the globe and understand the preservation of heritage in Germany as well as Europe. My travel experiences taught me a lot about heritage preservation & management in Europe and how it is an integral part of Universities. It encouraged me to look for similar options in India and pursue them once I am back in the country.
Sahapedia heritage walks …………..
Motivated to work in the heritage field, it was saddening to see the lack of formal educational programs for such a vast sector. The cultural organisations were the only platform available to connect with India’s rich cultural history starting from engaging with the artisan, being part of craft exhibitions, workshops etc. What would often leave me disappointing was this ‘heritage’ was never introduced in the classrooms while we talk about about the rest of the world.
After a search for more than a year, I finally go to know about a course on Indian heritage and management. I enrolled myself in a post-graduation course in Heritage Management from the Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University (2018–2020). At the University, I also realised how collective spaces are an integral part of learning and how young people bring so much more energy and new ideas. As a result of this process, I, along with my classmates, initiated to bring out diverse perspectives by creating a space called Sharitage.
I have become a heritage manager now but my journey of heritage experiences has only started. The COVID crisis has given me time to reflect on my life experiences in the last decade (2011–2020) and document them together through this article. It has also made me think of new ideas to share so many stories. One of them is a small initiative called Culture Qisse, a platform to share stories of Indian heritage.
Hope to work more and learn from experiences in the upcoming years and future.
Have more questions? Reach out to me at shukla20.jyoti@gmail.com
