UNESCO has declared the week of November 19-25 as World Heritage Week. Every year during this time, various groups come together to celebrate our shared heritage. In an attempt to encourage greater visitor footfall at heritage sites, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has declared entry to monuments such as Taj Mahal and Red Fort gratis during this week.
However, these are popular heritage sites receiving several visitors a day. In order to create a real impact, there needs to be community building and participation to serve the larger aim of heritage preservation and promotion. A sustainable practice many countries are advocating.
Unfortunately, this comes with a set of challenges that range from funding to proper management and planning. So why are government entities such as regional organisations, state tourism boards as well as the ASI not allocating funds for celebrations such as these that have the ability to create a bigger impact?
Community engagement, where heritage is concerned, has a cornucopia of benefits ranging from helping with loneliness to facilitating in building identity as well as providing people with a sense of belonging. The World Health Organisation has termed loneliness as a silent epidemic impacting mental and physical wellbeing. Investing in community activities at historic spaces has the power to inspire and connect societies for public prosperity. In an attempt to find a sense of belonging, people also travel near and far. Travel and tour operators have a new segment of heritage tourism gaining popularity where people are traveling to their place of origin to reconnect and in many cases connect with their roots and families.
I still recall working on an archaeology excavation during my Masters programme at Durham University where skeletal remains were unearthed. After reconstructing these remains and using resources such as DNA ancestry testing, the remains were traced to the prisoners who were held captive in the historic town of Durham during the Battle of Dunbar in the 16th Century. After studying these remains, understanding the historic significance, the University’s research team had an insightful exhibition. The present generation of people connected to those skeletal remains actually visited the exhibition and connected with their heritage. I do believe there is a sense of rootedness and security when there is a sense of belonging. Tools such as these can facilitate people having no direct knowledge of their genealogy to trace their family origin and have a sense of identity.
There are countries who have understood this and are now monetising on this trend of ‘roots travel’ providing the roots seeker a repository of information online and offline. The Italian Ministry of Tourism is also calling 2024 the ‘Year of Italian Roots in the World’. In a country as populated as India, having the world’s largest diaspora, it is time we tap into this growing heritage tourism sector. Promoting roots travel successfully can have a deep impact on people living outside of India. Some may feel incentivised to contribute to their hometowns economic and social development while others may also promote the region's heritage bringing in more visitors.
There are also several not-for-profit organisations who are attempting to harness the power of the community to protect heritage, making citizens key decision makers in the preservation of historic sites and community spaces. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture are some of the entities doing this on a national level by creating community clusters where citizens are encouraged to document their own heritage and preserve their local monuments.
While there is a sense of gratification while doing this, I do believe that a sense of responsibility also comes into account. Students part of Young INTACH for example, are more aware of their local history and culture. Information which is not taught to them in the confines of the school classroom. This leads to them being responsible and respectful citizens, keeping their surroundings clean and their heritage well-maintained. Integrating the community can also lead to better planned towns and cities as local municipalities as well as architects and town planners are more sensitive to the region's historic fabric.
There are also individuals spearheading such initiatives and integrating the community. For example, Delhi based conservation architect Aishwarya Tipnis spent a considerable amount of time working in the colonial town of Chandernagore in West Bengal for which she has received several accolades. While discussing community participation and its benefits to a region, she says, “Heritage conservation is a tool for us to find a sustainable future for our cities, built and natural environments. And sustainability can only be achieved with a genuine engagement with the custodian community. Our work is hinged on bringing about people-centric solutions, co-creation and ideation with local communities. From engaging communities for civic activation in Chandernagore, to working with school communities at The Doon School and Woodstock School we try to encourage all voices in developing design solutions that help make their lives better.’
It is important that global celebrations such as World Heritage Week offer more than free public access to nationally recognised heritage sites for there is more to heritage.