How Students have perceived the Heritage of Mumbai Course in the last 4 years…

Living in Mumbai for 16 years, I never knew that the Bombay fort consists of something more than the Flora fountain, leave alone the architectural styles and experts who made them. The course was practically a pointer towards common things that we have been seeing around but never realised their importance. It was a practical to the theory we have been studying. Never knew Mumbai was so artistic, so beautiful, so wonderful! Today I feel proud to show people something that this course showed me! It is very important to know the place thoroughly that you live in for long and that, this course did! Application of history was always a question! This course showed us the importance of history and the need for its preservation. Proud to be a student of the course in its maiden year. Thank you!
- Nikita Mangaonkar, Ramnarain Ruia College

The Ruia Heritage of Mumbai Course was one of the best course I have attended so far. It was really an interesting course as we were introduced to the various aspect of this city like its communities, transport, architecture etc. Also the field visits like the one to the BEST Museum, Wadala was really an eye opener for us as we never knew that such a museum ever existed. Also the Walk through the Axes of Mumbai was also a really good one as we were introduced to exploring the city's heritage. After this course we did start to explore and understand this city more. So Three Cheers to the Ruia Heritage Mumbai Corse!!!
- Siddhija Kathe, Ramnarain Ruia College

After this course I have understood that a lot of history went behind making this city as popular as it is today. Although a lot of improvement still needs to be made. Our heritage is the story of our past which needs to be preserved and maintained for our future generations and hopefully the change can begin from us!

- Binaisha Bilimoria, KC College

I got to know about the history of Bombay. I never thought it would be so interesting.

It gave me an opportunity to Re-discover Mumbai in a new perspective.

I visited many places which I never had visited earlier. Came to know a lot about them.

Had adventurous time!!

The course did help me in understanding the heritage.

I fell in love with history.

It actually encouraged me to preserve as well as study heritage.

- Comments from students, 2014 course

Valedictory Ceremony

The memories of a successful course...a melange of feelings...exploration – interest – enthusiasm – surprise – shock – questions – appreciation – inspiration –awareness – engagement……just a beginning of a long journey towards sustainability!!!

More photos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8861v92YXo&feature=youtu.be

Competition Winners!

Winners:

                Photography : Devika Mayekar                                   Esaay Writing: Yash Agrawal

Winning Photos

    Intangible Heritage                                                  Tangible Heritage

Bridging the generation gap...                                   Heritage always prevails...


Winning Essay

Interpreting Cultural Heritage Sociologically (An Excerpt)

             The culture of any place is determined by its people and the features associated with them. Cultural heritage consists of folk-tales, language, dialect, myths, beliefs, life-style, cuisine, traditions, religious customs, clothing, indigenous industries and arts, festivals, values and manners, etc.. Mumbai being a metropolitan city has caused migration of people from all parts of India, and thus it has a diverse culture, affected by the ethnic groups residing here. Heritage includes the indications of our history that remain, and it is important to preserve, conserve or record them. Unfortunately, many people do not understand this importance, and they change the nature of surroundings, and damage our heritage. We can preserve tangible heritage such as architecture, but not necessarily some aspects of intangible heritage. Our cultural heritage may constitute both good and bad things. Some practices may be undesirable, unethical or unsuitable in the modern age. For example - superstitions. Yet, it is necessary to ‘record’ them, because they may be useful to us in future in finding what our origins are and finding solutions to our problems that have connection with the past. On the other hand, some activities are better if done in traditional way, than in the modern, newly introduced ways or methods.

But the step before conserving heritage is to interpret heritage. It is easy to understand others' cultural heritage, than to understand one’s own heritage and culture. This is because when we study others' cultures, we are able to identify the differences that they have with our culture, and thus we can know the characteristics of that culture. The study of societies emerged in that way; first the Europeans in the beginning of the modern age studied tribal cultures of faraway lands, and only then they were able to understand and describe their own culture and life-style. The same is true for the study of languages; by the comparative study of languages, scholars were able to understand the common grammatical principles that led to the development of linguistics. On the other hand, it is difficult to study our own culture, though it seems easy to, and though it is easy to practise it and live in it. This is because as we have been continually living by that culture, it has become ingrained in us and becomes a part of our life. We are likely to miss the nuances of our culture, and we may not be able to scientifically and impartially describe it. Some things may seem too common-sense to us, to be called a part of our culture. Thus, researchers may face this problem that their study might become subjective. It is affected by 'cultural relativism of ethics'.

Session 7: Conserving & Managing Heritage

With every heritage course lecture come a bunch of mind boggling facts, truths and some hilarious myths into light. Mr. Vikas Dilawari the keynote speaker and a Heritage Conservation Architect (a.k.a Guardians of Monumental sources of history) talked to us about the need to conserve our heritages and the modes of achieving this objective. His lecture hinted us about the innocence of a Gothic structure being affected by tall intimidating sky scrappers, displaced by them to be precise. Conservation of a monument lies in retaining its authenticity. A monument is historic only when it stands as a reflection of the times it belongs to, without that and with white washing and distemper it is just another building. Some would say it is the corpse of a monument. We sensed his disappointment about the Government and public apathy, towards the safeguarding of our monuments and preserving their sanctity.

Mr. Dilawari also laid down a foundation for Conservation of heritage becoming a Movement and not a fashion, by trying to inspire us. Rightly of him to expect so, as we students are the ones standing at those cross lanes where we have to choose between Rustic or Modern, Stone or Concrete, Revivalist or Progressive, The Roots or The Heights, Memorable or Useful and Careful or Careless!

- Pranav Sarma

Introducing Heritage Management & Conservation Concepts

HERITAGE MANAGEMENT is concerned with what things will be retained from the past, and with how they will be used in the present and future. In the light of acceleration of process of manufacture and discard, there is a fear that these vast remains of the past will be lost forever. As against this danger, heritage management ensures active participation of these resources in the society and contributes to sustainable development.

CONSERVATION is an action of prolonging the existence of significant objects. Conservation may, according to circumstance, include the processes of: retention or reintroduction of a use; retention of associations and meanings; maintenance, preservation, restoration, reconstruction, adaptation and interpretation; and will commonly include a combination of more than one of these. Minimal Intervention, Repair than replace, Reversibility, Maintenance of Visual Setting, Sustainability are some of the important aspects of conservation.