ENGAGE- INIDA Working Paper Series
Role of Cultural Institutions in Urban Resilience: The case of Ahmedabad
Authors
Jigna Desai: Associate Professor, Faculty of Architecture, CEPT University; Executive Director, Center for Heritage Conservation, CEPT Research and Development Foundation, Ahmedabad.
Juhi Bafna: Research Assistant, Center for Heritage Conservation, CEPT Research and Development Foundation, Ahmedabad.
Abstract
Historic City of Ahmedabad has through its history seen earthquakes, floods, fires, famines, riots and epidemics. The historic city was also considered to be the ‘epicenter’ of the COVID 19 pandemic. On one hand there are many narratives that blame the urban settlement pattern, density of people, culture of constant communication and a general lack of upkeep as what negatively affects the city during these times; there are also, on the other hand, recorded instances of cultural (religious and non-religious) institutions that are embedded in the city, that get activated during these times and provide the support for residents to recover and bounce back to their lives. This research looks into these institutional networks, their processes and their outreach during these times. The study will also include the role of cultural heritage as markers of these networks and processes. A historic perspective of this will be developed through literature studies. COVID 19 provides a possibility to study responses of these institutions in such situations. Interviews of residents, institutional custodians and experts will be conducted for this.
Understanding Humanitarian Heritage in India’s Craft Communities: Craft of Bangle making in Firozaba
Author: Anjali Mittal
Institution: School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi
Abstract
A shift from product to process centric approach involving the people results in a better sustenance of intangible heritage systems in a contemporary society. This research sets out to explore an alternative approach to the conceptualization of ‘heritage’ extending beyond the tangible to the intangible. Craft and its formulation is understood as a result of the basic nature of human expression which is in turn reflective of the social, cultural and economic values in a given place and time. Self-expression is a fundamental nature of human society and any craft that gets established over a period of time in a place as a result of this collective expression gets intertwined and is generated out of its socio-cultural fabric.
In the backdrop of material culture and its production processes the research will focus on “Craft” based society in the North Indian city-Firozabad as its Genus Loci. Interlacing the residential, commercial and industrial sectors of the city, the production of bangle, penetrates the daily cycle and lifestyle of the people of Firozabad. A humanitarian approach in reading the structures and patterns situated around improvisation of skills that have been passed on from generation to generation, is employed for understanding existing traditional way of life.
Giving a new perspective to this historic town and settlement, the study will focus on:
1. Whether the craft of bangle making of Firozabad can be established as an aspect of humanitarian heritage?
2. How does this shift from product- to process-centric approach can result in better sustenance of these intangible heritage systems in the present scenario?