Heritage Education and Communication Service - 2017
The INTACH Vadodara Chapter organised a Heritage Art Workshop Contest on 22 Dec 2017 at the Heritage Site of Sevasi Step Well under an Initiative "Heritage in your own Neighborhoods." One of the eminent Artist Kakoli Sen guided and shared some tips about art works to the children. He also presented a short presentation on Step wells. This Unique Step Well - called Sevasi Vaav is very near to this School called Saishav School. Both Private schools as well as Municipal Schools participated in the workshop. The Vadodara Municipal Corporation's- Head of the Heritage Cell closed of the event with some inspiring words. The 3 winning entries with the best Drawings/ Paintings and Heritage Slogan was awarded.
As a part of Heritage Week celebrations, the Route-to-Roots poster-making competition was organised by INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) on the 24 November 2017 at INTACH New Delhi. Over 145 students (classes 6 - 9) from 51 schools of Delhi were a part of the programme. Highlighting a unique identity of one’s family or community, including folk stories, unique languages, rituals, art or craft forms, unique festivals, cuisines and so on was the theme of the poster-making competition.
The programme began with Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service) explaining about INTACH and its initiatives. The activities of HECS were described and students were requested to engage more dynamically with heritage protection and conservation. The HECS film was shown shortly thereafter. A presentation on HECS Heritage Walks was shared by Ms Teresa Walter (Programme Coordinator, HECS) and schools were encouraged to be a part of the walks to help raise heritage awareness among their students.
In the next segment, Dr Swapna Liddle (Eminent Historian and Convenor, INTACH Delhi Chapter) described Intangible Heritage and its constituents to offer a wide-framework for students to explore through their posters. It was explained how culture was constantly evolving and how the intermingling of people, as well as, influences from other cultures or regions contributed to its richness. Examples of changes in iconography; language; cuisines; art and so on were highlighted as an important aspect of a constantly evolving culture. It was described how culture and its quality to adapt, as well as, embrace new influences was undeniably interesting and something worth exploring!
Armed with rich and varied prisms to view culture, the poster-making competition commenced shortly after the enriching and thought provoking talk by Dr Swapna Liddle. The students prepared eye-catching posters to illustrate their unique heritage. Much enthusiasm and a high-level of creativity was evident in each of their art works. It was expressed that the insights about heritage and its ‘routes – roots’, acquired through the programme was indeed invaluable. The competition concluded with distribution of certificates and post cards.
The INTACH Heritage Quiz saw, over 120 city rounds and 20 state rounds conducted by INTACH Chapters in collaboration with Xpressminds Edutainment. The entire event culminated in the National Finals of the event that was organised by HECS and Xpressminds Edutainment at INTACH, New Delhi. Winning Teams from 19 state finals participated in the finals, namely Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Delhi NCR and winners of North East Mega Final.
On 15th, the finalists were invited to INTACH for an introductory session. The event began with Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director - Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) addressing the students. She welcomed the students to Delhi and spoke to them about INTACH and its work in pioneering heritage conservation in India; she also acquainted the students with the work done by HECS. A walk to Lodi Gardens was conducted for the participants post this session. After the walk, the students were addressed by the Member Secretary, INTACH Dr. (Mrs.) C. T. Misra. She also handed over to the students a Heritage Passport and the INTACH Badge.
The National Final of the quiz was held on the 16th. Quiz Master Mr. Kunal Savarkar welcomed the students and explained to them the format of the quiz and the rules to be observed by the participants as well as the audience. The first part of the event saw 4 semi finals being held, of which, the qualifying teams from each semi final were to compete in the national final. The team from Varanasi (The Aryan Internation School) was declared the National Winner of the INTACH Heritage Quiz 2017, followed by the team from Telangana ( Teja Vidyalaya, Kodad). The third position was bagged by the Little Angels High School, from Gwalior while the fourth position was secured by Nath Valley School, Aurangabad. The winners were felicitated by Maj Gen (Retd) L K Gupta, Chairman, INTACH. He was very appreciative of the event and congratulated all the participants.
With an objective to engage, educate and empower children through meaningful films, SIFFCY (Smile International Film Festival for Children & Youth) initiated by Smile Foundation was held on 11th – 17th December 2017 at Siri Fort, New Delhi. As a part of the festival, 18 films from INTACH’s Filmit India project from all over the country were selected for screening on 11th December 2017. Also, on 14th December, a panel discussion was held that focused on natural heritage, climate change and environment. Representative students from three schools in Delhi (Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, St. Mark’s Girl’s Sr. Sec. School and Pinnacle School) were a part of a panel discussion. INTACH has also been invited to screens its films for the Tel Aviv Children’s Film Festival which is scheduled to be held in July, 2018.
The INTACH Mahabubnagar Chapter organized a teacher training workshop to sensitize the teacher about the rich cultural heritage and also introduce INTACH and its role in art and cultural heritage conservation. The workshop also stressed to promote the idea "Art and cultural heritage in my surroundings" among the children and suggest the idea of School Heritage Clubs for discussion was held. Around 134 teachers attended the workshop. The teachers had an interesting day learning all activities in regard to preserving and conserving our heritage and start some serious activities in villages and Government High Schools. The various schools also plan to organise the poster competition and send the winner to the mandal level competition (this will be conducted in the presence of the District Chapter members from Mahbubnagar). The winners of the mandal competition (there are 26 mandals in the district) will participate in the district level competition.
The INTACH Mahoba Chapter organised a Heritage Quiz 9th Dec17 at Saraswati Balika Vidya Mandir Inter- College, Mahoba. 82 students from Class 11 participated in the event. The Quiz focused on the Heritage Sites of Mahoba and India. Before the event commenced, Historian Ramdutt Tiwari spoke to all the students present, about the archaeological importance of the city and as well as well as the country. Principal Mrs. Bina Tiwari also addressed the students. INTACH Members from the Chapter were also present at the event.
The event ended with handing over of prizes to the students who secured the first, second and third position in the quiz.
The Intach Faridabad Chapter organized an on the spot painting competition and also induction of 30 new 1st Year college Girls under the Young Heritage Club at Aggarwal College for Women, Ballabgarh. The new Heritage Club members were given passports and badges. 5 prizes were awarded to the winners of the painting competition.
Another event of inter college heritage painting competition and declamation contest between girls of 5 colleges was organized at K. L. Mehta Dayanand college for Women. 4 prizes each were given to both the categories. Both the events were successful and the students participated enthusiastically showing their talents and creativity.
INTACH Mumbai has done some special restoration projects. They are working on the ‘Restoration and Cleaning of Flora Fountain’ with Architect Vikas Dilawari. The project is nearing completion and the conservationists are working on the cleaning of the Roman statues at the first tier. Central Railways is also undertaking the restoration of the South and East façade of the heritage building. INTACH Mumbai Chapter has been appointed by Central Railway to prepare the Fabric status report for the Southern and Eastern facade of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus building. The report has been submitted. CSMT has been selected by the Prime Minister as one of the ten Swachh Bharat monuments in the country.
Various heritage walks were also organised on various places in Mumbai like Bandra on 28th October 2017, Girgaon on 25th November 2017, and Ballard Estate on 9th December 2017. The walks were led by Alisha Sadikot and Siddharth Fondelkar. INTACH Mumbai and Yes Bank Global Institutes have also collaborated to undertake Heritage Walks in Mumbai over a period of 1 year, November 2017 to October 2018. The inaugural walk was held on 11th November 2017 with a walk of the Fort area, where the city of Mumbai has its point 0. Yes Bank invited their customers and employees for this inaugural walk. Heritage walks of Fort - 11th November, 2017 it was a YES Bank exclusive event that was attended by citizens from the age of seven to seventy. The walks were basically to give a better understanding of the history of Mumbai, its local culture and to have an interactive walk with the enthusiasts.
WORKSHOPS AND TALKS:
Celebrating Heritage Week a Book Binding workshop was conducted on the 19th November 2017 for the members and non-members alike in lieu of heritage week celebrations. Paper conservator, Nupur Mundhra gave a presentation on the history and methods of book binding and on handmade paper, its making and preservation. Various method of book binding used currently was talked about and demonstrated. Those attending the workshop had an opportunity to try out different ways of binding practically. It was a session full of enthusiasm. On 24th November 2017 INTACH Mumbai invited its members and non-members to present their work on the heritage of Mumbai. The event saw a good turnout where the citizens came from different parts of the city to present their work. Kunal from the famous handle @mumbaiheritage presented his collection and history of trams in Mumbai. Omkar A. Mankame and Shashank N. Sawant presented their work on Ambernath temple. They have been involved in the documentation of the temple. It was a great first-hand account of their journey. Our member Mr. R Venkatesh gave a presentation on the forts, churches and fountains of Mumbai.
The National Programme of INTACH Poster Making Competition ‘Route to Roots’ was held on 19th November 2017. The first part of the poster making competition was held for the children from St Mary’s School and Campion School. The competition is an all India competition for school children and every participant will make a poster depicting their roots and will write an essay on what they have drawn. The competition began which Alisha Sadikot questioning the students on what they understood was the meaning of heritage. It was an interactive talk where each one of them shared their idea of heritage that they translated onto a poster. Students were given 21/2 hours to make their poster and write their essay. In these few hours ideas were churned that resulted in some inspiring art work. Towards the end each student did a small write-up on their work and what it meant. We look forward to having more schools for the poster making competition in further slots.
INTACH’s Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS), Heritage and Citizenship programme – ‘JAGO’ aims at promoting heritage awareness and conservation as good citizenship values. The Heritage and Citizenship Training workshop was organised by INTACH HECS in collaboration with INTACH Khajuraho Chapter on 6 December 2017 at Khajuraho. This the second successful year of the ‘JAGO’ programme and the second chapter-level-workshop that marks the launch of the project in the INTACH chapters (Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Uttar Pradesh).
The workshop participants comprising of Convenors, Co-Convenors and INTACH representatives from 11 chapters (Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Uttar Pradesh) appreciated the workshop learning (including, the heritage and citizenship handbooks, ‘Jago’ along with other resource material developed by HECS) to train teachers, societies and students in schools, colleges or communities about heritage and good citizenship initiatives within their respective regions. The workshop began with an introduction to INTACH and an ice-breaker game. The inaugural address was delivered by Group Capt. Rahul Pathak (Retd.) Director, Chapters Division INTACH. He encouraged the participants to take on a leading role in spreading the heritage and good citizenship initiative across their chapters. The session was attended by Mr Narayan Singh Bhayal (Convenor, INTACH Khajuraho Chapter); Dr Murad Ali (Co-Convenor, INTACH Khajuraho Chapter); Mr Geert Robberechts (Convenor, INTACH Belgium Chapter); Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service [HECS]) among other INTACH representatives.
Various aspects of heritage and good citizenship were highlighted by the resource persons. The participants appreciated their informative and thought-provoking presentations. Including, ‘Built Heritage protection, Civil society initiatives and best-practices with reference to the Dubela complex’ highlighted by Mr Narayan Singh Bhayal (Convenor, INTACH Khajuraho Chapter); ‘Natural Heritage protection, the role of stakeholders and citizens in Khajurajo’ explained by Dr Ritu Singh (Director, Programmes, Natural Heritage Division, INTACH) and ‘Understanding Heritage and Citizenship’ as well as, ‘ Education in Heritage and Citizenship’ described by Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, INTACH HECS).
After returning to the venue, presentations were shown on the various activities that HECS does throughout the year, its awareness programmes, outreach, etc. The Hands on Heritage book was discussed and some films from last year’s Filmit project were screened before lunch.
Establishing ways to undertake the Heritage and Citizenship initiative, as well as, carrying forward the legacy within the respective chapters was outlined in the next segment. It was followed by group exercises and presentations made by participants. The workshop concluded on a positive note with the distribution of certificates and a commemorative group photograph with the Chairman INTACH, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) L. K. Gupta, AVSM.
A teacher training workshop was held on 17th and 18th November 2017 for 30 teachers from 13 schools in Yamunanagar. INTACH Yamunannagar Chapter Convenor, Maj. (retd.) Rajinder Singh Bhatti welcomed all the participants and the guests. The students of Sant Nischal Singh Public School, the host school, recited a prayer song followed by lighting of the lamp ceremony by the dignitaries. Maj. Bhatti introduced Ms. Purnima Datt and thanked her for coming to conduct the workshop. He gave a presentation on the natural heritage of Yamunanagar and the ancient river systems and how geologically the rivers flowed on two sides of the “uncha sadak” (an imaginary line that divides the group of rivers flowing from the Himalayas to its left and right). He also discussed the timeline of Yamunanagar starting from the prehistoric times to the modern period.
Dr. Rupendra Batra, Guest Speaker, spoke on the definition of heritage and how it has come to change in the current times. He stressed on not to follow the western culture blindly and take pride in what is ours. He stressed that love and pride will go a long way in protecting our rich heritage.
Ms. Purnima Datt took the next session. She started by thanking Maj. Bhatti for organising a workshop for imparting training on heritage education to teachers again for the second time. She reflected on what Dr. Batra had said that if we had taken care of our heritage then there wouldn’t have been the need to set up INTACH and conduct such workshops all over the country. The INTACH film was screened followed by her detailed presentation on the types of heritage. After lunch, an ice breaker game called “romantic pairs” was played. Another presentation on heritage education was shown and a role play activity was also done with two volunteer teachers. The first day ended with 4 groups being formed for the next day’s group activity.
The second day started with a heritage tour of important places around Yamunanagar. The first place to be visited was Surajkund followed by Chaneti Stupa. Chaneti Stupa is the only standing Stupa in Haryana today which was built by Emperor Ashok. The current form that can be seen today was modified by the Kushans. The last place to be visited was Budhia temple which has a baoli that was renovated a few years back by the temple trust.
After returning to the venue, presentations were shown on the various activities that HECS does throughout the year, its awareness programmes, outreach, etc. The Hands on Heritage book was discussed and some films from last year’s Filmit project were screened before lunch.
Post lunch, the group activity was done and the four groups presented their lesson plans. The workshop ended with the distribution of certificates and resource material to the participants and the vote of thanks.
Mr. Col. R. D Singh the Convenor of Ambala Chapter recently visited the DAV Senior Secondary School, Naraingarh. Meeting with the Principal of the school, Mrs Meenakshi Dogra showed great enthusiasm to be a part of INTACH. Mr. Col. R. D. Singh also met the Heritage Club incharge Mrs Praveen (HOD – Social Science) and also the Heritage Club students Himanshi, Disha, Riddhi, Priyanshi who have tirelessly contributed to Young INTACH. He congratulated them on the hard work they have put in. It was so heartening to see that the Club also maintains a register in which they note down the activities, along with photographs. On behalf of INTACH, Mr. Col. R. D. Singh complimented the Club, and exhorted them to keep up the good work.
The College Heritage Volunteer Workshop organised by INTACH Hyderabad Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service was held on 10 November 2017 at St. Ann’s College for Women in Hyderabad. It was attended by 21 faculty members and 70 students from 8 colleges in the city. Including, Aurora Design Institute; Deccan School of Planning and Architecture; Jawahar Lal Nehru School of Architecture and Fine Arts University; Maestro School of Planning and Architecture; Osmania University College of Law; RBVRR College for Women, Hyderabad; Sri Venkateswara College of Architecture and St. Ann’s College for Women.
An overview of Heritage and its varied dimensions was offered by Ms Shivaa Rawat (HECS representative), while Archaeology: An Introduction and Built Heritage Conservation was offered by Dr K.P. Rao (Professor, Department of History, University of Hyderabad). The Evolution of Built Heritage and the rich historic landscape of Hyderabad was eloquently described by Ms Anuradha Reddy (Convenor, INTACH Hyderabad Chapter).The presentations were interactive, interesting and captivating. They offered a telescopic view of the built, the natural and distinct heritage environments or spaces of Hyderabad.
Establishing a link between culture, heritage and tourism – it was pointed out how conservation, protection and care went hand-in-hand. The students were asked to delve and dive deeper into their city’s natural, cultural and living heritage through group-work exercises. Thereafter, a memorable heritage walk across the army cantonment which housed the then residence of Sultan Nawaz Jung (now being used as an army mess) was organised. It helped illustrate how historically significant buildings could contribute to the city's cultural and economic well-being; promote an environment of awareness, appreciation and heritage sensitive-action. The workshop concluded on an overwhelmingly positive note with participants expressing enthusiasm for exploring their city’s heritage and carrying out varied heritage initiatives across colleges.
Workshop photographs
The Two-day Teacher Training Workshop organised by INTACH Marwar/Jodhpur Chapter and INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) was held on 2 and 3 November 2017 at the historic Chokelao Mahal in the Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur. It witnessed the enthusiastic participation of over 80 teachers from various government and private schools who expressed enthusiasm about establishing heritage clubs and promoting heritage education in their respective schools.
The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Mahendra Singh Tanwar (Convenor, INTACH Marwar/Jodhpur chapter). He described the establishment of INTACH Jodhpur chapter and initiatives undertaken by them. The importance of city development and regeneration was stressed upon. The role of all individuals as citizens and their contribution towards save guarding their heritage was reiterated.
The session on understanding heritage and heritage education in classrooms was conducted by Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH). She offered an overview of heritage - explaining what it meant and its varied dimensions (natural, built, material and living). An emphasis on an inter-disciplinary approach through innovative lesson planning with a focus on three A’s of awareness, appreciation and action in the context of heritage education was stressed upon. The session concluded with a visit to the Meherangarh Art Conservation Centre which offered a glimpse of art and painting restoration work.
The highlight of the second day was the heritage walk to Rao Jodha Desert Garden and an intensive session on Heritage and Citizenship. The Rao Jodha garden with the rocky landscape and its desert vegetation, as well as, interesting life-forms was much appreciated. The session on Heritage and Good Citizenship began with an ice breaker game themed on key heritage and citizenship symbols in the country. Thereafter, the meaning and relevance of Heritage and Citizenship Education was explained. The Constitutional obligation of heritage protection and ways to conduct the programme in schools was described. The participants were encouraged to examine their city’s heritage and use the workshop as a platform to promote heritage and good citizenship endeavours within their respective schools, as well as, Jodhpur city.
Workshop photographs
A heritage awareness programme was organized by the Jharkhand Chapter on the topic “Roots and traditions of Indian Handicraft”. A talk was organized for the teachers and students of classes V and VI at DBMS Kadma High School, Jamshedpur. The session was conducted by Amitava Gosh, Co- convener INTACH Jharkhand Chapter with a specific focus on ‘Chhau mask making tradition in Saraikela’. The interactive session brought out the intricacy and importance of Chhau mask-making as a component in Chhau dance, as well as a potential handicraft that carries the traditions and stories of the local art forms. Mr. Amitava Gosh focused on the indigenous materials, tools and technique used to make the local handicrafts especially the making of Saraikela Chhau mask. How this and other handicrafts has its roots in rural areas, which is a very integral part of the culture, traditions and practices of this area and how it helps the local economy by creating livelihood on one hand and keeping the tradition of Chhau dance on the other. He also stressed on the role of handicrafts in preserving and promoting culture, traditions and heritage of our great country and also the intangible cultural heritage. The students were also taken on a visit to Saraikela to take part in the Chhau mask-making workshop at the residence of Sri Sushanto Mahapatra who is an eminent mask maker of Saraikela style of Chhau dance.
The INTACH Kakinada Chapter conducted a Teacher Training Workshop for 110 teachers, at Saraswathi Gana Sabha, the workshop was organised for the municipal schools of the city. Through the workshop the Chief Patron of the Chapter Sri Karthikeya Misra I.A.S., spoke to the participants about the work of INTACH Kakinada Chapter and the efforts taken by chapter in preserving and documenting the heritage of the city. The Chapter co – convener, gave a brief introduction about INTACH to the participants along with a presentation on Chapter activities. A talk on local heritage was given by Dr.M.Narayana Rao, member from Tuni. Through the workshop the participants were engaged in activities that helped them to understand the various types of heritage in their city and make a comprehensive conservation strategy that can be undertaken with the help of students. The workshop ended with distribution of resource materials and certificates.
The INTACH College Heritage Volunteer Forum was held on 27 October 2017 at the Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Kamachha in Varanasi. Organised by INTACH Varanasi Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS), the interactive forum was attended by over 90 participants (comprising of 82 colleges students and 14 faculty members) from seven colleges across Varanasi.
Following the College Heritage Volunteer Workshop (held last year in the city), the Forum offered an interactive platform to discuss heritage based sustainable development of Varanasi. The presentations by the resource persons were highly enriching and thought provoking. Dr Ajay Srivastava (Former Superitending Archeaologist, ASI) described 'eritage based Development, Built Heritage Assets in Varanasi'; while Dr Subash Chandra Yadav (Kheshtriya Puratatva Adhikari) spoke about the 'Significance and need to care for Heritage'; Ms Mudita Agrawal (Architect and Heritage Conservationist) showcased a successful and inspirational heritage restoration case-study undertaken at the Guleria Ghat. The interactive sessions helped raise general awareness on heritage issues, in addition to, facilitating an exchange of ideas, knowledge and best practices for heritage protection.
With the unique co-existence and confluence of all types of heritage [(natural - Ganga; architectural - ghats; music - Ganga Arti; festivals and rituals (at the ghats); arts and crafts - wooden toys, stone carvings, metal and stone works; textiles and pink enamel; cuisines)] within one city – ‘Varanasi’ was indeed a unique and special heritage space. The students were encouraged to use the Forum as a platform to explore the heritage and culture of Varanasi as well as, examine ways in which it could be utilised as a ‘vector’ or 'tool' for sustainable development. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks from Mr Ashok Kapoor (Convenor, INTACH Varanasi chapter) and a commemorative group photograph.
A teacher training workshop was held in Mansar, Jammu and Kashmir on 25th and 26th October 2017, for government school teachers. The workshop was organized by INTACH Jammu Chapter and Surinsar – Mansar Development Authority. Mr. S. M. Sahni, Convenor Jammu Chapter welcomed the participants and gave a brief about the programme. He also welcomed the Chief Guest – Mr. Arvind Kotwal, KAS, CEO Surinsar-Mansar Development Authority. Prof. Sudhir Singh, who was invited as resource person gave a talk on the local heritage of Jammu and Kashmir. He spoke in the local Dogri language. His talk was followed by a brief introduction of INTACH and HECS’ activities by Ms. Purnima Datt. She spoke about the different divisions of INTACH and thanked Jammu Chapter for its continuous support throughout. The Chief Guest, Mr. Kotwal then addressed the participants. He said that he has been a part of heritage activities conducted by Jammu Chapter in the past. He stressed on the urgent need to save heritage as many practices and traditions are vanishing at an alarming rate.
Ms. Datt took the next session and showed her presentation on the different types of heritage. She interacted with the participants and discussed with them the different forms of heritage that existed in their midst and what they really cared for. Since Mansar has a very big lake, almost everyone identified themselves with the natural heritage of Mansar and felt that it was very important to safeguard it.
The next session started after the lunch break. Heritage education and its need in the school curriculum was discussed through a powerpoint presentation. A role play activity was also done where two teachers volunteered. The first day ended with teachers being divided into four groups for a group activity to be held on the next day. They were given 30 minutes to discuss their activity before the day ended.
A heritage walk was organized on the second day. The participants visited an old haveli next to Mansar Lake. Prof Anita Biloria, Director, Centre for Heritage Studies, University of Jammu gave a talk on wall paintings inside the haveli and gave a brief historical background of the haveli. This was followed by a short nature walk along the boundary of the lake which was guided by Dr. C M Seth, (retd. IFS)Co-Convenor, INTACH Jammu Chapter and an eminent environmentalist.
Ms. Purnima Datt took a short session and explained heritage club activities to the schools. She also discussed the different types of resource materials that HECS produces. Dr. C M Seth then gave a talk on the natural heritage of Mansar and its vicinity in the local language. Ms. Sheetal Nanda, (IAS) Deputy Commissioner, Samba was invited as the Chief Guest on the second day. The 4 different groups of teachers gave their presentations in her presence. In her address, she lauded the efforts of INTACH for being the leader in serving the cause of culture and heritage and briefed teachers to start heritage activities in their respective schools. The workshop ended with the distribution of certificates and resource material to the teachers by Ms. Nanda, Prof. Biloria, Dr. Seth, Mr. Kotwal and Mr. Sahni. Dr. Seth gave the formal vote of thanks.
A Teacher Training Workshop was organised by INTACH Guntur Chapter with the support of INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) on 10 – 11 October 2017 at the Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology (VVIT) International School, Nambur (Guntur).
The two-day workshop was attended by 39 teachers from 20 schools helped examine heritage and highlighted heritage education in classrooms. It was inaugurated by Mr S V S Lakshmi Narayana (Convenor, INTACH Guntur) and Mr Vidya Sagar (Chairman, Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology [VVIT], Nambur) who emphasised on the importance of heritage and the need to care for it.
An interactive session on understanding heritage was conducted by Ms Shivaa Rawat (National Coordinator, HECS, INTACH) and Mr Abhishek Das (Programme Coordinator, HECS, INTACH). It was followed by an intensive session on Heritage Education in Classrooms. Wherein, an inter-disciplinary approach through innovative lesson planning, practical exercises using flash cards, role-plays and object identification was demonstrated. Thereafter, the heritage education process was described and teachers were encouraged to establish heritage clubs.
The highlight of the second day was a site visit across the Rock cut Hindu Cave Temple, Undavalli which was lead by Mr Y Nagendra Raju (Archealogical Survey of India, Vijaywada circle) and Mr S V S Lakshmi Narayana (Convenor, INTACH Guntur). It was explained how it was an Anantasayana temple with three stories with the earliest group of caves (dating 5th - 6th century) belonging to the early eastern Chalukya dynasty. A commemorative group photograph was taken outside the site.
Thereafter, Heritage Education in Classrooms was demonstrated through the participants presentations highlighting different aspects of Guntur’s heritage such as the Uppalapadu Bird Sanctuary; temples in Amravati; Kalamkari work; bangle-making and so on.
The workshop concluded with the distribution of certificates and teachers expressing enthusiasm to embrace the three A’s of awareness, appreciation and action - in the context of heritage education
Workshop photographs
A one-day workshop was organised by the Heritage Education and Communication Service Division, INTACH and INTACH Bhilwara Chapter for 36 teachers and 28 schools at Maha Nandini Turning Point, Bhilwara on 6th October 2017. The workshop was targeted at involving and training teachers from various disciplines. The workshop began with talks about heritage and the need to spread awareness about it amongst students by Sh. B.L. Jaju, Convenor, INTACH, Bhilwara Chapter, Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH, Sh. S.S. Joshi, Co-Convener, INTACH, Bhilwara Chapter, Sh. Muktanand Agarwal, District Collector, Bhilwara, Sh. L.N. Dad, Ex. Chairman, Urban Improvement Trust, Bhilwara. Ms. Datt highlighted the importance and responsibility of teachers in moulding the students and sensitising them with respect to heritage. During the workshop, the various types of heritage – natural, built, material and living, and their relevance were discussed. Various activities took place to help the teachers understand how learning aids can be used to make heritage education more interesting and also to help students think, question and develop opinions. Teachers were asked to role-play as an ancient inkpot and a modern day plastic pen and talk about the heritage value of the objects. A group activity took place where teachers discussed the heritage of their city and the activities they would make students do, in their school heritage clubs, to involve students more actively in heritage conservation. The workshop ended with distribution of certificates and resource material to the teachers.
The Jammu Chapter celebrated the World Tourism Day on 27th September, 2017 as part of the Heritage Awareness Education programme. A painting competition for the school children, classes 6th-12th was organized. The young students of classes 4th-5th also performed a skit on “Swatchhta- Hi- Sewa’ where they showed great enthusiasm, demonstrating “Swachh Bharat Abhyan” on how to keep the class rooms, school, home and the surrounding areas neat, clean and green. Around 25 students participated in the painting competition.
A National Letter Writing Competition- “Dhai Akhar” was held on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. It was organized by the Government of India, Department of Posts. The topic was, “Dear Bapu you inspire me!” with two categories– under 18 and above 18. It was an all India completion, which saw a huge response of nearly two lakh entries from across the country, with 3866 entries from Haryana itself. On 2nd October the prize function for the Haryana state was held in the SD Vidya School, Ambala Cantt. Colonel Sukhdev Raj, Chief Postmaster General, Haryana Circle, Ambala, was the chief guest, Mr Jagdish Gupta, Director, Postal Services, a number of officials from the Ambala Postal Department, and many INTACH members (teachers and students) were also present. Colonel R D Singh (retd) won the first prize in the Haryana state in the Inland letter category and Madhu won a consolation prize in the envelope category. Sweta Saha a teacher from the Army School, Ambala (Heritage Club in charge), also won a third prize. The postal authorities displayed the 10 best entries in each group. Even the pondium was shaped like a letter box, with letters and stamps so beautifully displayed. The art of letter writing was revived through this completion and also remembered Bapu. It instilled oneself to the fine art of letter writing.
A teacher training workshop was held on 13 – 14 September 2017 at the Mahatma Montessori School, Madurai. The workshop was attended by 46 teachers from 18 schools. Mr Arvind Shankar (Convenor INTACH Madurai Chapter) shared how the Chapter was celebrating 10 years and described the various heritage activities undertaken by them. Ms Purnima Datt (PD HECS) discussed the types of heritage and what makes India diverse yet culturally unique. The workshop concluded with a heritage walk to Narasingham Temple and the Jain Beds in the Yaanaimalai Hills.
Workshop Photographs
A teacher training workshop organised by INTACH Coimbatore chapter was held on 11 – 12 September 2017 at Dr GRD College of Science with the support of Crafts Council of Tamil Nadu. It was attended by 42 teachers of 18 schools who participated enthusiastically. The chief guest was Mr Raj Kumar (renowned scholar and ex-Convenor Coimbatore chapter) and Ms Sushila Williams (Chairman, Crafts Council Cell of Coimbatore). The workshop was inaugurated by Dr Suresh (Convenor, Tamil Nadu State Chapter), Mr Ramachandran Prasad (Convenor, Coimbatore Chapter) and Ms Shashi Gulati (ex-Convenor Coimbatore chapter). Dr Suresh spoke about the built heritage of Coimbatore specially its museums and Roman connections. The highlight of the second day was a field visit to the Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery And Textile Museum and group activities by the participants.
Workshop Photographs
The Heritage Citizenship Workshop organised by the INTACH Jamnagar Chapter was held on 27 August 2017 at the Bhavans School. It was attended by 60 participants, including teachers, parents and students from various educational institutions. Such as, the Taheri English Medium School; the Shree Satya Sai Vidyalaya; the Bhavans School; the Air Force School and the Nand Vidya Niketan School.
The workshop sessions were interactive and enriching highlighting heritage. The resource persons and experts described various aspects of their specialisation - Mr Chapiya; Mr Joshi; Mr Sahdevsinh Jadeja and Ms Heer Mehta. The power point presentations by Mr Jungiwala on the National Heritage and INTACH Jamnagar chapter, Air Commodore, SS Tyagi, VSM (Retd.) on the Local Heritage were informative and much appreciated. The one-day workshop concluded with a group photograph and a site visit to Nageshwar.
Nageshwar known for the famous ancient Mahadeva Temple with one of the 12 Shiva jyotirlings in an underground sanctum. It is a sacred religious site of lord Shiv.
Nageshwar was also known as 'Darukavana', is an ancient epic name of a forest in India. According to legends, 'Balakhilyas', a group of dwarf sages worshipped Lord Shiva in Darukavana. Thereafter, Lord Shiva promised his divine presence in Darukavana as 'jyothirlinga' forever. According to another legend, in the Shiv Purana, there was a demon couple (named Daruka and Daruki), the forest was named after them – as Daruka Van (forest), later as Dwarka.
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A one-day heritage and citizenship workshop was organised by Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH and INTACH Shekhawati Chapter for 47 teachers from 15 educational institutions and NGOs at Dundlod Vidyapeeth, Dundlod on 23rd August 2017. The participants were from multiple disciplines, schools, colleges and teacher training institutes. Ms. Dharmendar Kanwar took upon the dais and shared the purpose behind conducting heritage and citizenship workshop in Shekhawati and encouraged that we all must gear up and took part in heritage awareness. Sessions on the local heritage and history of Shekhawati was taken by Mr. Siddharth S. Jadon, Conservation Architect, Modi University, who familiarised the participants about the origin of the Shekhawati region and its rich history. He shared that Shekhawati was an important trading town in early 18th century. Mr. Ramesh C. Jangid shared a brief report of the heritage initiatives undertaken by the Shekhawati Chapter and the work particularly at the grassroot level. Mr Arvind Sharma traced the history of Amer and its rulers and the legacy left behind by them. Rulers of Shekhawati were active in Mughal Court. He shared that Shekhawati was divided into two parts. Remains from the Indus Valley Civilization are also traced from here. The HECS team was represented by Ms. Teresa Walter and Ms. Bashobi Banerjee who conducted session on Heritage and Good Citizenship. Participants were made familiar with the heritage of India including Natural, Built, Material and Intangible or the Living Heritage. In an interactive session, the teachers and students were familiarised with different aspects of heritage that makes India unique. In a session on Heritage and Good Citizenship, participants were explained that what are the rights and duties of being a good active citizenry and how with a training and understanding of heritage education and awareness help everyone take the required action towards conservation and protection of local heritage. The need for heritage and good citizenship also helps in mutual understanding, respect and tolerance for others. Training in heritage and good citizenship helps in creative dialogue, democratic ideas, social unity and understanding of one’s fundamental rights and duties. The workshop ended with distribution of resource material and certificates.
Photographs Of The Workshop:
The FilmIt Workshop in Chandigarh was held on 21 August 2017 at St. Kabir’s Public School. It was attended by 98 students 15 teachers from 11 schools. The workshop began with an introduction to the FilmIt Project by Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH). The participants were welcomed by Mr Virinder Kapoor (Convener, INTACH Chandigarh Chapter). The Home Secretary, Mr Anurag Aggarwal and Justice Vimal Verma were the Chief Guests.
Ms Datt shared how the FilmIt project had completed 10 years in India and congratulated the students, as well as, their teachers for their efforts. It was announced that special prizes would be instituted this year. Through the workshop children were briefed about the themes, as well as, technical inputs session conducted by the team from Tuning Fork films, Mr Ankit and Ms Shreya.
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The College Heritage Volunteer Workshop was organised by INTACH Udaipur Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) on 24 August 2017 at the Rajasthan College of Agriculture in Udaipur (Rajasthan). The workshop was attended by over 80 college students and 27 faculty members from various educational institutions in the city. Including, representatives from the Arts College; the Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (MPUAT) - College of Technology and Engineering, College of Home Science, College of Dairy and Food Science Technology, Rajasthan College of Agriculture; the ML Sukhadia University; the Vidya Bhawan Gandhian Institute of Educational Studies (Ramgiri); the MLSU Udaipur; the Bhupal Nobles’ University.
The workshop was inaugurated with an introductory welcome address by the Convenor, INTACH Udaipur Chapter and Principal Adviser, Natural Heritage INTACH New Delhi, Mr S K Verma, I.F.S. (Retd.). He introduced the eminent guests and workshop resource persons. The role of youth and their contribution as champions of heritage was emphasised upon. The Chief Guest, Prof. US Sharma (Vice Chancellor, MPAUT Udaipur) spoke about heritage and its varied manifestations. Among the special guests Prof. J.P. Sharma (Vice Chancellor, MLSU Udaipur) discussed the social relevance and significance of protecting heritage; while Prof. P.K. Dashora (Vice Chancellor, University of Kota) referred to the workshop as a learning centre and need to connect to the past with a deeper sense of commitment. Prof. BP Bhatnagar (Former VC) reiterated the importance of heritage and its impact on lives. Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service) encouraged participants to examine their heritage and explore what it meant to them. She shared a message from the INTACH Chairperson, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) L.K. Gupta, AVSM encouraging students to engage as youth volunteers in a movement to protect heritage. The inaugural session concluded with the presentation of the INTACH momentos and a vote of thanks by Prof. R S Swaminathan (Dean, Rajasthan College of Agriculture).
Understanding heritage and appreciating various aspects of Udaipur’s heritage were among the highlights of the presentations. Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service [HECS]) offered an overview of ‘Heritage’ and helped understand its various dimensions. While Mr S.K.Shrimali (Senior, Town Planner Udaipur) described the ‘City’s Built Heritage’; Dr Satish K. Sharma RFS (Retd.) highlighted the ‘City's Natural Heritage’; Dr Shail Choyal (Painter, print-maker and teacher) showcased the ‘City’s Living Heritage’. Encouraging and promoting heritage volunteerism among college students, Ms Shivaa Rawat (INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service [HECS] Delhi) explained the objectives of INTACH’s ‘College Heritage Volunteer programme and ways in which they could contribute’.
The enriching day-long workshop helped examine the rich heritage resources of the city and efforts required to save guard the same. Concluding on a positive note, students expressed enthusiasm to protect their heritage and spread an awareness in educational institutions through the College Heritage Volunteer initiative.
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Heritage Education and Communication Service at Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage organised a Filmit Workshop at Little Flower School, Varanasi on 17th August 2017. The city is the latest addition to the project. The workshop began with lamp lighting. The students of Little Flower School performed Shiv Stuti. HECS film, ‘Helping Hands’ was shown by Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service. Mr. Ashok Kapoor, Convenor, INTACH Varanasi Chapter talked shared that each year starts with training workshops for teachers in schools and colleges. He encouraged the participating schools to get involved with INTACH. Next was the content session conducted by Ms. Purnima Datt. She showed a PPT on the themes chosen for the current year. The themes this time targeted the organisations and individuals who are committed to protect, conserve and restore heritage in their cities along with the unique professions and any indigenous innovation by an individual or an organisation that is helping the environment and cultural space in the country from getting deteriorated or damaged. Ms. Datt in an interactive session asked students to think of things they associate with taste, smell and memory. The ideas poured in like, a village in Bihar, mother’s role in a child’s life, Benarasi paan, Lucknowi food, biryani, smell of earth after rains, smell of an earthen vessel or a kulhad, smell of the river, Benarasi chaat, ancestral home, a well in Durga Temple, history of Varuna and Assi River, looking after the cows and cowsheds. In the category of lesser known monuments, students suggested buildings like St. Thomas Church, kunds, old homes at the Ghats of Varanasi, traditional homes in outskirts of Varanasi. Among unique professions, the boat makers of Varanasi, sweet sellers, communities working for cremation, interview with people at Moksha Bhawan were suggested. In the category of unique indigenous inventions, a film on scrapshala was suggested along with festivals like Ramleela celebration celebrated in Varanasi. The technical session was conducted by Mr. Ankit Pogula and Mr. Sumit Sisodia of Tuning Forks. Techniques were explained in ways in which one can shoot their film like planning and research which covered the ideas, stories and what topics to cover; in terms of shooting, Mr. Ankit Pogula explained about the camera angles, getting the appropriate shots as the highlight of the movie. Mr. Sumit Sisodia then discussed the Windows Moviemaker software which would help students to edit and add effects in their movies. A small movie making exercise was given to the students and the feedback was given. The workshop ended with the distribution of the Filmit DVDs of year 2016-17. School visit was planned to W.H. Smith School, Sunbeam School and cameras were handed over.
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The FilmIt Goa Workshop was held on 11 August 2017 in Goa. It was attended by 127 students accompanied by 28 teachers from 16 schools across the city. An address was given by the Goa State Convenor, Ms Fatima Da Silva Gracias who described the chapter activities. Thereafter, the Principal Director, INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service, Ms Purnima Datt encouraged the students to think about what heritage meant to them. A brainstorming session around the filmit themes was undertaken. Many ideas were shared including how the smell of books; old ancestral homes; Goan dishes (Humann, fried fish, dhabdhabit, fish udid methi, arroz doce, balchao, bebik, cafreal, chamuca, chourico) reminded them of heritage. It was followed by a discussion on the themes of this year’s filmit (mountains and water heritage; lesser known monuments; traditional green homes; history of professions; unique low cost inventions using local recycled material; traditional story tellers, folklore, theatre forms; my family heritage). The celebrations and special awards for the tenth year FilmIt programme were described with the project timelines. Three films made by students were shown to exemplify the varied themes or content treatment in each. The technical section of the workshop was conducted by Mr Vinod Shridhar (film-maker). He asked students to make a freeze frame of a film shot. He utilised different film making shots to discuss shooting, editing, shots and angles. The three stages of film making were outlined through planning and research [idea/story/ what topics to cover]; shooting [getting the shot/interviews]; editing [putting the visuals together/ what to put/remove/ music]. Thereafter, he demonstrated different shots and angles in filming by showing an example of four photographs; how camera angle affected perspectives; talked about softwares - Windows Movie Maker and how to use the software to edit films by giving a hands-on-demonstration. The edible spoons film was shown and students were encouraged to edit films they had shot. They were advised to select the best shot/ angle/ interviews and then put it in sequence; making it a story with an interesting beginning, middle and a good ending.
Workshop Photographs:
The workshop in Mumbai was held at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum. Around 80 students along with their teachers from 10 schools attended the workshop. The students were welcomed by Ms. Gargi Masruwala, an associate of the Bhau Daji Lad Museum and member INTACH Greater Mumbai Chapter. This was followed by an introduction to the Film it project, by Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, HECS, INTACH. After this a discussion commenced on the film themes that the students are required to work on this year. Students were asked what all can they associate the following words with - heritage smell, taste or memory. The students responded that the heritage taste reminds them of karela, recycled paper etc, their favourite heritage memory related to their ancestral village, grandfather’s places, and gardens among many others. The association with heritage smell brought to fore interesting responses such as smell of wood, pickle, ash and even the garbage that pervades on Mumbai streets!A brainstorming session required students to discuss film ideas. Many interesting ideas were exchanged to make films like Pinguri – a traditional way of Story- telling, Mud homes, Old homes of Bandra, Traditional Hindu Maharastrian Kitchen,Traditional methods of cooking,Old homes and Ice stove in Kalaghoda among others.The technical session was conducted by Mr. Vinod Sreedhar. The film ‘’edible cutlery’’ was screened and this film was used an example for students to explain to them the 3 main stages of film making namely, planning and research; shooting and editing. Also discussed were the various shots and angles that can be used. A movie making exercise was done with the students where the Objects of the Museum and their stories were focussed upon. Few films were shown to the audience and the resource person gave the students feedback respectively. Software Windows Movie Maker was explained and ways to use the software for film editing. The workshop ended with distribution of DVD’s of best films from the past 10 years.
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In collaboration with INTACH JAIPUR Chapter, Heritage Education and Communication Service was organised at the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls School, Jaipur for 19 teachers and 73 students from 10 schools. The Filmit Project is currently in its 10th year and this time the themes were expanded to the community contribution towards protection of one’s heritage. The workshop began with a general introduction to Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage’s primary mandate of safeguarding India’s natural and cultural heritage. The HECS film, the Helping Hands was shown to the audience to familiarise them with the workings of the Division headed by Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, HECS INTACH. Followed by which the content themes of the Fimit 2017-18 were discussed by Ms. Bashobi Banerjee, HECS INTACH. A brainstorming was followed next wherein students came up with interesting ideas for their movies like in the category of lesser known monuments; the students came up with lesser known places like Sar ka Suli, Yam Darwaza and Galta Ji. In the category of unique professions like the lac jewellery makers, traditional potters and the role of local puppeteers and their livelihood at the time of western toys made of plastic and easily available that too in bulk. They also suggested that they would interview the horse drawn carriage drivers that how they still sustain themselves in the age of radio taxis like Ola and Uber services. The students also discussed that if they could make movies on their grandparents and great-grandparents and discover a family tree in the process.
After the content session, followed the technical session conducted by Ms. Shreya Kakria and Ms. Pulkita Parsai of Tuning Forks Films. The shots and camera angles were explained by Ms. Pulkita. She explained the techniques and in ways in which one can shoot their film like planning and research which covered the ideas, stories and what topics to cover; in terms of shooting, Pulkita explained about the camera angles, getting the appropriate shots as the highlight of the movie that included monologues and interviews and the most importantly, editing which included putting the visuals and clips together while discarding the bad ones and retaining the clips needed for the story. Ms. Shreya Kakria then discussed the Windows Moviemaker software which would help students to edit and add effects in their movies. Soon the participants dispersed for a refreshment break. A small movie making exercise was given to the students wherein they were asked to shoot a movie which would be taken later for editing. Many students interviewed their teachers and their fellow classmates using the angles and camera shots they were demonstrated during the technical session prior. After the break, students were shown their respective clippings and were given positive and constructive feedback in the ways they could improve them further. The workshop ended with the distribution of the Filmit DVDs of year 2016-17 that contained the overall best films made by children from across the FilmIt cities.
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The FilmIt workshop in Ahmedabad was held on 9th August, 2017 at Shreyas Foundation. Seven schools with 16 teachers and 51 students attended the workshop. The workshop started with an introduction by Pawan Bakeri, Co-convener of Ahmedabad. Invocation song was presented by Nariani Pandit along with the students of Shreyas Foundation after which, Mrs. Purnima Datt, Principal Director HECS (Heritage Education and Communication Service) INTACH gave an introduction about INTACH and HECS. Mrs. Datt also gave an introduction to the project and shared with the audience that this year the programme has reached its tenth year. The film ‘Helping Hands’ was shown which mentioned the objectives of the HECS Division. This was followed by the discussions of the themes of this year’s Film It like mountains and water heritage; lesser known monuments; traditional green homes; history of unique professions and unique low cost inventions using local recycled material; traditional story tellers, folklore, theatre forms and my family heritage. The students enthusiastically participated in the discussions and also shared on the taste of heritage- halwa, ginger tea; smell of the soil after the rain, grandmother’s garden, stories told by grandparents, wooden floors of grandmother’s home etc. The students also shared on the themes like- Night watchman, mud vessels, homeless people etc. The technical session was taken by Pulkita and Shreya Kakria who are documentary filmmakers from Tuning Forks Films Ltd. They talked about the basic aspects of film making. The students were also taught on the technicality of how films are to be made and the areas where one should focus while making a film. The first step is to find a topic, what all to cover and how to visually cover it. The students were also taught on how to take shots and angles of the camera while shooting and how to approach the film from different directions. A hands-on demonstration on how to edit the film was shown to the students with the help of software- Windows movie maker. The students were also given a movie making exercise at the end of the workshop. The films were later given feedback on how to improve their respective films.
Workshop Photographs:
Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH organised the Filmit Technical Workshop on 4th August 2017 at INTACH. The workshop was attended by 33 teachers and 96 students from 33 schools. Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH familiarised the participating teachers and students with the importance of heritage and how one should take pride in the values and traditions passed on by our past generation and make it our own ‘personal heritage’. Ms. Datt then talked about the Filmit project and its fruition over the years and in 2017 Filmit is celebrating 10 years. Ms. Datt then discussed the themes for the current year with the students. The students shared their ideas on the movie that they would make based on the themes provided. The technical session was conducted by Mr. Ankit Pogula and Ms. Shreya Kakria of Tuning Forks Films Ltd. The technical session began with the basic aspects of film making like how and why films are powerful. Ankit discussed about the 3 stages of film making: Planning and research; Shooting and Editing. Later he demonstrated in detail about the different shots and angles. Next, Ms. Shreya Kakria talked about the software- Windows Movie Maker and how to use the software to edit films by giving a hands-on demonstration. After the session, the students were engaged in a camera exercise wherein they were asked to shoot a film with general instructions. The workshop concluded with editing of few films made by the students by Ankit and Shreya and feedback was given on how to improve their respective films.
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On 3rd August, 2017, the Filmit workshop was held at Sri Sri Academy in Kolkata for 15 schools. The proceedings started with a formal introduction to the programme and the viewing of the INTACH – HECS film. The principal of Sri Sri Academy, Ms. Suvina Shunglu welcomed all the participants and encouraged them to make good films. Mr. G M Kapur, Convenor, INTACH Kolkata Chapter congratulated them for making beautiful films over the years and encouraged them to keep making such films in the future as well. This was followed by a presentation and the discussion of the current year’s themes by Mr. Abhishek Das, HECS, INTACH. Various ideas were exchanged and discussed with the students. Pointers for making a good film were also discussed. Technical resource persons, Ms. Pulkita Parsai and Mr. Sumit Sisodia from Tuning Fork Films then spoke to the students and asked them what topics they would like to make their films on. Ms. Parsai gave tips on how to make a film. She demonstrated this through a presentation on tips to shoot a film – preparation – shooting – editing. Different types of shots and angles were discussed. A film on gardening was showed to the students which were used for editing on the Windows Movie Maker software. The technicalities involved in working with the software were explained to the students. They were shown how to work on a storyboard and add music, adjust volumes, add narration and animations, etc. that can be used. This was followed by a 45 min break where students were given an exercise shoot a 1 to 2 minutes film which had at least 6-8 shots without any editing.A short film on ‘edible cutlery was shown as an example. Students were asked what they liked in particular about the film. Some kids liked the shots and angles, the interviews and the concept behind the making of the film. Some of the short films that the students had made were then shown. The workshop ended with the distribution of the 10th anniversary filmit DVD to the schools.
Workshop Photographs:
The Film It Content Workshop for Delhi was conducted on Friday, 28th July 2017. This marks the 10th running year of the project. It was attended by 31 schools from all over Delhi and NCR and saw the presence of over 130 students along with their teachers. The resource person for the workshop was Mr. Feisal Alkazi who conducted an interactive session with the students, helping them develop ideas for films based on the themes set for this year. The workshop began with an activity where students had to write about what heritage means to them, which brought out a variety of responses. Working on these write-ups, there was a discussion on how films can be given a new, unique angle to attract the attention of the viewers. The second half of the workshop involved elaborate brainstorming sessions on what the film content could be about. The students learnt a lot about the principles that should be followed while deciding on the content of their films and how they can arrive on a topic which would be interesting for them to work on, as well as for the viewers to watch. The workshop ended with Maj. Gen. (Retd.) L.K. Gupta, Chairman INTACH and Dr (Mrs.) C.T. Misra, Member Secretary felicitating the schools by giving a DVD containing best films made by children over the last ten years.
The Heritage and Citizenship Workshop organised by INTACH Solapur was held on 13 July 2017 at MIT MAEER’s Vishwashanti Gurukul, Solapur. It was attended by 124 participants from 34 colleges and 13 citizens from six NGOs. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr E. N. Ashok Kumar (Director, School of Social Science, Solapur University, Solapur); the resource persons were Mr Bharat Chedda and Mr Arvind Joshi; Dr. Rakesh Ranjan (Principal, MIT Vishwashanti Gurukul) and Pushpanjali Katikar (Co-Convener, INTACH Solapur) and event coordinator, Dr. E. N. Ashok Kumar expressed happiness that a workshop celebrating heritage and the need for every citizen undertake responsibility. The proceedings were compered by life member, Prof. Narendra Katikar, Life member INTACH.
Ar. Seemantini Chaphalkar (Convener, INTACH Solapur) presented on how to identify various heritage aspects; national symbols; constitutional acts and provisions of the constitution of heritage protection for every citizen. The participants made presentations on selected heritage issues through posters, poems, and speeches. During thevaledictory session, Dr. Satish Deshpande (Jt. Director Higher Education, Solapur Division) appreciated the participant's efforts and thanked INTACH Solapur for conducting the workshop.
INTACH’s Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) launched the Heritage and Citizenship programme - JAGO aimed at promoting heritage awareness and conservation as good citizenship values. Following the Heritage and Good Citizenship Training Workshop (organised by INTACH HECS with the support from INTACH Jaipur Chapter) held on 6 - 7 December 2016 at Jaipur, the participants from 19 INTACH Western zone chapters were required to conduct similar workshops within their respective chapters.
Among the first-chapter-level programmes, was the city-workshop organised by the INTACH Alwar Chapter in collaboration with Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) of INTACH on 18 July 2017 at Mount Litera Zee School, Alwar. It was attended by 43 participants comprising of principals, headmasters, head teachers and senior faculty members from various government schools in the city. Sessions by senior experts and resource persons were interesting and informative. Including, Ms Pratibha Yadav, Department of Tourism, Superintendent Museum, Alwar ; Prof. (Mr) DC Choubey (History Department, GD College) - Built Heritage: History and Monuments of Alwar; Prof. Neeraj Saini (Zoology Department, RR College) - Biodiversity of Alwar; Mr Hava Singh (Nirvanavan Foundation) – Rock Paintings of Alwar; and Mr Narendra Singh Rathode (Vijay Mandir and Sapna NGO) – Site visit of Vijay Mandir Palace.
References to the rich heritage and bio-diversity of Alwar were made throughout the workshop sessions. Participants were encouraged to undertaken heritage awareness and conservation activities within their respective educational institutions. The Additional District Education Officer, Mr Ashok Gupta was among the senior government officials present during the session and urged the participants to spread awareness about their ‘sanskritic dharohar’. The workshop concluded with group presentations and distribution of certificates by the Convenor INTACH Alwar Chapter, Mr Nirvana Bodhisattva.
The Heritage and Citizenship Workshop organised by INTACH Karauli Chapter in collaboration with the INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) was held on 27 July 2017 in Karauli. It was attended by over 50 participants representing diverse professional and academic backgrounds. Including, educational institutions (school principals, teachers, faculty members from college); bank officials; senior citizens; defence (retd. Army); government officials; media personnel among others. The programme was inaugurated by the chief guest, the District Collector, Mr Abhimanyu Kumar along with senior officials, the District Forest Officer, Mr Shashi Shankar; the District Education Officer, Mr Ramdhan Jat with the Co-Convenor INTACH Karauli Chapter, Mr Shivraj Pal Singh Rao. The District Collector spoke about fundamental rights and corresponding duties of every citizen. Moreover, the role of educational institutions in promoting heritage sensitive values was emphasised upon. Thereafter, the My City, My Heritage (national essay writing and poster making competition) regional winner Kumari Dheeraj was felicitated by him.
The sessions on various dimensions of heritage were informative and enriching. ‘Natural heritage’ presented by Mr Shashishankar (District Forest Officer, Karauli); ‘Karauli Chapter’s Heritage Report and an overview of the city’s heritage assets’ by Mr Shivraj Pal Singh Rao (Co-Convenor INTACH Karauli); ‘Heritage - a legal status’ by Arjun Dhabayee (Lawyer); ‘Role of senior citizens in Heritage’ by Bajrang Lalji Sharma; ‘Karauli’s tradition of peace and harmony’ by Mr Hazi Hakim Mahmood; Role of media in Heritage Preservation by Mr K G Shukla. The sessions on Heritage and good Citizenship was presented by Ms Shivaa Rawat (INTACH HECS).
The workshop was interactive with participants examining heritage and suggesting ways in which they could contribute through heritage clubs, awareness raising activities, adopting monuments and so on. The programme concluded with an address by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Mr Raj Narayan. He spoke about the historic past and the need to stay in touch with one’s heritage. The vote of thanks was delivered by the Co-Convenor INTACH Karauli Chapter Mr Shivraj Pal Singh Rao. Thereafter, the participants were felicitated with certificates by the ADM and the Co-Convenor.
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A teacher training workshop was held at Meerut on 13th and 14th July 2017 at Howard Plested Girls School which was attended by 30 teachers from 15 schools. The Principal, Mrs. Winnie Singh gave the formal introduction by welcoming the teachers and INTACH resource persons. Convenor, Dr. R. K. Bhatnagar, then spoke about INTACH to the participants and welcomed them to the workshop. He felicitated the resource persons. Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Educations and Communication Service (HECS), spoke to the teachers and the INTACH film was shown to them.
Dr. K K Sharma was invited as the local resource person who spoke about the heritage of Meerut. He spoke to the participants about many historical places in and around Meerut, covering almost all local sites. He stressed that Meerut was directly linked to the Harappan period and was a place of prominence during the Mahabharat period. He also mentioned Meerut’s role in India’s first war of independence in 1857.
After his talk, Ms. Datt spoke to the teachers and showed them a presentation on India’s different types of heritage. She also explained in detail about India’s geological formation and geographical features. After her presentation on natural, built, living and material heritage, she explained them how to form a heritage club in their schools. The second presentation that she showed was on heritage education. She explained to the teachers about heritage education and why is there a need for it in the curriculum and the challenges that are faced by teachers in today’s generation. Various methods to impart heritage education were also discussed with a role play activity done with the teachers to help them understand better. The first day of the workshop ended after lunch.
On the second day, the teachers were shown a film on the HECS division. They were further explained on the activities that could be carried out in their heritage clubs. The teachers were divided into two groups for a group activity where in they were given two topics on natural and material heritage. They gave their presentation by explaining what activities they wanted to do to look after their heritage. One group also sang songs and gave a dance performance. After their group activity, the teachers were awarded certificates and resource material for their schools. The workshop ended with a heritage walk to Sri Vilveshwar temple and the Meerut Museum.
A two-day teacher training workshop was conducted at the G.D.Goenka Public School, Sector 48, Gurugram in collaboration with the INTACH Gurgaon Chapter. The workshop was attended by 27 teachers from 14 schools. The welcome address was given by Mr. Atul Dev, Convenor, INTACH Gurgaon Chapter. He gave a brief introduction about the ideology behind establishing a voluntary organization like INTACH, what is its primary mandate and major activities in the field of heritage awareness. He also shared the activities undertaken by the INTACH Gurgaon Chapter in spreading heritage awareness amongst schools. Ms. Namrata Mishra,Gurgaon Chapter encouraged the teachers to utilize the opportunity to the maximum. Ms Anuradha Handa, Principal, G.D. Goenka Public School thanked Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH for giving them the opportunity to host the workshop. Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, HECS, INTACH started with an interactive session with the teachers and explained different kinds of heritage and what makes India’s landscape, its culture, its customs, traditions, communities unique from the rest of the world. Followed by this, the teachers were demonstrated the way in which they can include innovative lesson plans in heritage education within their mainstream education curriculum. The teachers were then given group activity wherein they had to prepare some suggested activities to be taken in their heritage clubs. A visit to The American Institute of Indian Studies, Gurugram was organized for the teachers on Day 2. The workshop concluded with distribution of certificates and resource material.
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INTACH’s Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) launched the Heritage and Citizenship programme - JAGO aimed at promoting heritage awareness and conservation as good citizenship values. Following the Heritage and Good Citizenship Training Workshop (organised by INTACH HECS with the support from INTACH Jaipur Chapter) held on 6 - 7 December 2016 at Jaipur, the participants from 19 INTACH Western zone chapters were required to conduct similar workshops within their respective chapters.
Among the first-chapter-level programmes, was the city-workshop organised by INTACH Pune Chapter on 28 June 2017. It was attended by 93 participants comprising of representatives from colleges with students and faculty members; school students with teachers; institutions; an NGO; professionals from varied backgrounds (including, architecture, construction, journalism, environment and heritage).
The sessions on the various dimensions of heritage were enriching and thought-provoking. Including, initiatives undertaken by the heritage department of the Pune Municipal Corporation by Mr Shyam Dhavale; Built Heritage - preservation and heritage-sensitive practices by Prof. Ar. Vaishali Latkar; Natural Heritage – biodiversity management by Dr Rahul Mungikar; community initiatives undertaken for heritage preservation by Mr Vivek Velankar. It helped examine heritage and ways in which participants could contribute towards saveguarding it. During group work, participants examined their city’s heritage and how they could use the workshop as a platform to promote heritage and good citizenship endeavours within their respective institutions, as well as, Pune city. The workshop concluded on a positive note with participants expressing enthusiasm to engage in varied heritage initiatives and distribution of certificates by the Co-Convenor, INTACH Pune Chapter, Mr Sharvey Ramesh Dhongde.
The College Heritage Volunteer Workshop organised by the INTACH Wai Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) was held on 27 June 2017 at the Kisan Veer Mahavidyalaya College in Wai. It was attended by 67 students and 25 faculty members from the college who were introduced by Prof. Anand Ghorpade (NSS Coordinator and Head of Psychology Department, Kisan Veer Mahavidyalaya) during the inauguration. It was followed by lighting of the inaugural lamp and paying homage to the founders of the college. Thereafter, a welcome address by the Principal Kisan Veer Mahavidyalaya, Dr C G Yeole Aeole encouraged the students to be a part of the College Heritage Volunteer initiative. An introduction to INTACH and the workshop objectives was shared by Mr Jagarnath Jadhav (INTACH Wai Chapter). He highlighted the varied and rich heritage of Wai. The two school students who were winners of the My City, My Heritage national essay writing competition were felicitated as well. The session concluded with an address announcing the launch of the College Heritage Volunteer programme in Wai and requesting all students with their faculty members to take on a leading role in spreading the heritage awareness, appreciation and preservation by Ms Vinita Jadhav (Convenor INTACH Wai Chapter).
The workshop began with a film on INTACH highlighting the heritage activities undertaken by the organisation. It was followed by a detailed session on understanding heritage by Ms Shivaa Rawat (National Coordinator, INTACH HECS). It offered an overview of heritage - explaining what it meant and an overview of its varied dimensions (natural, built, material and living). It was an interactive session with participants sharing an understanding of heritage and exploring the rich heritage of their region. Thereafter, Heritage Volunteerism and ways to contribute INTACH’s ‘College Heritage Volunteer programme’ was explained by Shivaa Rawat and Christina Shangne (INTACH HECS). The group work and presentations by participants on the diverse heritage of Wai was the highlight of the next segment. A film on Wai (prepared by the chapter) capturing the vast and unique array of heritage embedded in the city - its temples, lakes, ghats was appreciated. The workshop concluded with a vote of thanks from a senior faculty representative of the Kisan Veer Mahavidyalaya, Dr. V R Vaidiy and a commemorative group photograph.
A two-day teacher training workshop was organised in collaboration with the INTACH Nashik Chapter on from 23rd -24th June 2017 at Espalier-The Experimental School for 31 teachers from 16 schools. INTACH Nashik Chapter Convenor, Mr Shailesh Ramesh Devi welcomed the participants to the workshop and encouraged them to fully utilise the two days and get the required training in setting up of the heritage clubs in their respective schools. Ms Krushna Rathi, INTACH Member and Coordinator Heritage Walk gave a brief introduction of the work undertaken by INTACH Nashik Chapter over the years and how it is trying to map the tangible as well as intangible heritage of the city. The participants were made familiar with the typology of heritage in India and what makes it unique. Followed by this, sessions on Heritage Education and the myriad activities undertaken by the division were explained by Mr Abhishek Das and Ms. Bashobi Banerjee from Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH with the help of PPTs and resource material. The teachers were also introduced to Citizenship Training module with the help of a PPT. Teachers later gave their respective group presentations on the topics assigned to them as a part of group activity. The workshop concluded with distribution of certificates and passports and badges.
The College Heritage Volunteer Workshop organised by INTACH Meghalaya Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) was held on 8 June 2017 at Seng Khasi College, Shillong in Meghalaya. It was attended by 12 faculty members and 50 students from three colleges. Including, Mawlai Presbyterian College; Seng Khasi College and Synod College. In addition to, representatives from the Department of Forest and Environment; Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board; Shillong Municipal Board; Town Planning and Meghalaya Urban Development Authority; senior retired government officials together with INTACH members.
The workshop was inaugurated with an address by the Convenor, INTACH Meghalaya, Mr A.H. Scott Lyngdoh. He spoke about heritage and drew attention to the state of the Wah Umkhrah river. Describing how it was a sparkling stream 60 years ago with pristine and clear waters, its current state was indeed a matter of concern and demanded immediate attention. He encouraged the college students to identify corrective steps and undertake necessary action to clean the stream. Reflecting over the endangered state of this natural heritage, INTACH Member, Ms Pauline Warjri requested participants to come together to save it. It was re-iterated that the role of citizens was crucial and an appeal for collective action to - restore, revive and rejuvenate Wah Umkhrah was emphasised upon.
An intensive session on understanding heritage and its varied dimensions by the Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS), INTACH, Ms Purnima Datt was appreciated. It helped the students receive an overview of heritage and examine the rich heritage of their region. Presentation and talks on heritage-conservation and management, with special reference to the Wah Umkhrah river was a focus of the remaining sessions. With presentations on its Water Quality Assessment by Dr D. Tariang; Government interventions on waste management by Mr F. B. Chyne and Waste Management Rules by Mr W.R. Kharkhang. The sessions were hugely informative, insightful and thought provoking. The students were encouraged to become more proactive in an initiative to save, clean and restore the Wah Umkhrah. In addition to, a collective plea to reduce the use of polybags, plastics, proper garbage and waste management measures was suggested.
In the final segment, Heritage Volunteerism and ways to contribute through INTACH HEC’s ‘College Heritage Volunteer programme’ was described by National Coordinator, INTACH HECS, Ms Shivaa Rawat. Thereafter, ways in which college students could contribute towards cleaning the Wah Umkhrah was discussed through group presentations. The workshop concluded on a positive note with a vote of thanks from the Co-Convenor, INTACH Meghalaya, Air Commodore Hazarika and a commemorative group photograph.
A one day workshop was organised and supervised by Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH and INTACH Jalandhar Chapter for 19 teachers from 11 schools at Jalandhar Height Club Hall, Jalandhar on 20th May 2017. The workshop targeted at involving the social science school teachers and principals to set up heritage clubs in their schools. Maj. Gen. Balwinder Singh, VSM (Retd.), Convenor, INTACH Jalandhar Chapter welcomed the participants with the objective to inculcate awareness and appreciation of the heritage of Jalandhar city in particular and our country in general. He said that a teachers training is the first step to fulfil this objective wherein with proper awareness about heritage along with conscious classroom teaching and heritage activities outside of it helps develop sensitivity among the children about their local heritage. The session began with Mrs Anjali’s presentation on how to establish heritage clubs in the schools. She also focused on the importance of heritage and citizens and children’s role in safeguarding India’s heritage during discussion with all participants. They were also provided with the necessary resource material that would aid and assist in the formation of Heritage clubs. The workshop concluded with a need to involve students to protect their heritage and valuable contribution of Principals’ and teachers in spreading awareness within their respective educational institutes. Lt. Gen. Bahia in his concluding remarks summed up the urgent requirement at all levels to participate in this movement. The participants were given certificates and the resource material to start heritage clubs in their schools.
The College Heritage Volunteer Forum held on 17 May 2017 at Sikkim University Conference Hall, Tadong(Gangtok) Sikkim was organised by INTACH Sikkim Chapter in collaboration with INTACH Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS). Attended by 54 college students from five colleges accompanied by eight faculty members, the forum offered a platform to discuss heritage-conservation and management in Sikkim. The interactive session provided a framework to discuss heritage based-sustainable development in Sikkim and ways in which college heritage volunteers could contribute.
The welcome and introductory address was delivered by Convenor, INTACH Sikkim, Mr Dong. He spoke about development and its changing discourse, ranging from being merely an economic concern, towards a wider more inclusive conceptualisation embracing social, as well as, environmental factors. He placed the role of INTACH within this framework of wider-social inclusion and cultural development. The session was attended by representatives of the Cultural Affairs and Heritage Department; Mr S. K. Sarda (Co-Convenor, INTACH Sikkim); Ms Komal Chamling (INTACH Sikkim member); Ms Shivaa Rawat (National Coordinator, INTACH HECS) and Ms Smriti Rajvanshi (Programme Coordinator, INTACH HECS), among other guests.
The resource persons highlighted different aspects of heritage, ‘Significance and need to care for heritage’ by Dr Sunita Kharel (Historian). ‘Restoration and revival of a heritage site (case study)’ by Mr Sonam Gyaltsen (Product Designer, Cultural Development) through the Singhik Heritage Conservation Project and restoration of monasteries in the aftermath of the earthquake. ‘Conservation and Restoration of Thangka Paintings’ by Ms Joana Wongden (Heritage Conservationist).
The session concluded with an emphasis on ‘Culture / Heritgae’ as ‘collective’ and how community efforts or people’s participation was necessary. Wherein, the role of students in research, documentation, listing and awareness raising was crucial. Moreover, the students expressed enthusiasm in establishing heritage clubs to undertake various heritage activities. The forum ended on a positive note with a vote of thanks from the Co-Convenor, INTACH Sikkim, Mr S. K. Sarda and a commemorative group photograph.
Photographs:
International Museum Day is celebrated on 18th May every year. This year’s theme is Museums and Contested Histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums. INTACH Belagavi Chapter celebrated the day by visiting the Geology Museum at Govindram Seksaria Science (GSS) college in Belagavi.
The Department of Geology is one of the oldest departments at GSS College, started in 1964. The department is well known for its academic excellence in this part of the country. The alumni of the department have spread all over India.It is active in Coastal Research of Uttara Kannada and Southern Maharashtra Coast, researches undertaken by Dr.Pramod. T. Hanamgond through major research projects funded by DST, UGC & MoES; and has contributed many national & International publications by which the department has gained international fame.
The department got a huge collection of beautiful Zeolites, rare and expensive minerals, rocks and fossils donated by Mr.M.F.Makki, a geology lover and promoter of Geology. As a part of Golden Jubilee Year, the Geology Museum has been developed and named after the late president as “Bharat Ratna Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam Geology Museum”, and was inaugurated on 15th August 2015 at the hands of Mr.Makki, Pune.
The Museum has a collection of over 1500 specimens having a variety of beautiful minerals including fascinating Zeolites that include 160 donated by Mr.Makki; variety of ore minerals and industrial minerals; variety of Igneous-sedimentary and metamorphic rocks; variety of corals, variety of invertebrate & plant fossil specimen; various models & photographs of geological processes. It also has a collection of rock samples from Antarctica.
Prof. Suraj Mense, Asst. Prof. at GSS College, Dept. of Geology, guided the members and explained the significance of this museum. Led by INTACH Member, Dr. Smita Surebankar, Principal of RPD College, the team that visited the museum included Dr. A. R. Rotti, Swatee Jog, Bharat Alasandi, Mahaveer Upadhye, Prof. Uday Lawate, Shilpa Kulkarni, etc.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Port Blair, 26th January: Around 175 students from 10 schools participated in the All India essay and painting competition My City My Heritage.
Assam
Dibrugarh, 26th February: Dibrugarh Chapter of INTACH successfully organized the My City My Heritage essay and painting competition at Sampoorna Kendra Vidyalaya. Mr. Chandan Sharma, Deptt of History, Dibrugarh University was invited as the Chief Guest.
Andhra Pradesh
Srikaulam, 28th January: The INTACH Srikakulam Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition with the 10 meritorious government schools of the city. The District Education Officer Mr .Devananda Reddy and the Deputy Educational officer Mr Subbarao graced the event and interacted with the students.
East Godavari, 29th January: The East Godavari Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in 14 schools. Around 122 students attended the event. Dr. Abel Raju Babu, Associate Prof. & Head of the Department of History, SKVT College Rajahmundry was the Chief Guest for the event.
Machilipatnam, 13th February: The INTACH Machilipatnam Chapter conducted the My Competition. The event was organised in 12 schools of the city and each school saw the participation of around 50-60 students.
Visakhapatnam, 25th-27th February: The INTACH Visakhapatnam Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in two parts, so that a larger number of children can become part of such exciting activities. A total of 100 students from seven schools of the city attended the event. Dr Sharada Reddy Ex – Principal of Visakha Valley School who is also an INTACH member from the chapter interacted with the students and spoke to them about Vizag’s heritage and encouraged them to express their creativity via this competition.
Kadapa, 6th March: The Kadapa Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Sri Shanthinikethan High School. 116 students from 8 schools of the district attended the event. The programme was also covered by local media channels.
Bihar
Bhagalpur, 27th January: The Bhagalpur chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition as a part of the festivities of the INTACH Foundation Day. 84 students from 6 schools of the city attended the event. The event also sought to familiarise students with the history of the city and the importance of preserving our heritage.
Patna 19th March: The Patna chapter conducted My City My Heritage at the Bihar State Archives Auditorium. 59 students from 6 schools of the city participated in the event. The Director of State Archives Dr. Vijay Kumar spoke to the students about the ancient history of the city which was known as Patliputra.
Chhattisgarh
Bilaspur, 16th January: The Bilaspur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Deokindan Girls Higher Secondary School. 68 students from 19 schools of the city attended the event. Ms. Bharti Bhattacharya the retired principal of the venue school spoke to the students about the importance of protecting their heritage especially by young children.
Raipur, 3rd February: The Raipur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Balaji Vidya Mandir. 131 students from 9 schools of the city participated in the event. The event was organised in collaboration with the Inner Wheel Club of Raipur. Dr. D. N. Parihar, an expert in ancient history along with Pt. Ravi Shankar Shukla of the Tourism Department was the Chief Guest for the event. Dr. Parihar spoke to the students about the history of Chattisgarh and urged them to take a keen interest in our history, culture and society.
Goa
Panjim, 28th February: My City My Heritage essay and painting competition was held at the Sunaparanta Centre for the Art, Altinho, Panjim, Goa. Six schools from Panjim, Salcete, Saligao, Ponda and Sanquelim with a total of 28 students participated in the competition with great enthusiasm.
Gujarat
Rajpipla, 4th January: INTACH Rajpipla Chapter conducted the event at Rajpipla club which is a heritage building. 160 students from 14 schools participated and students wrote their essays in English, Hindi as well as Gujarati language. District Education Officer Mr. Baria was the Chief Guest for the event. The event was well covered by the media.
Jamnagar, 13th February: Summair Sports Club, Jamnagar, hosted the My City My Heritage Competition which is a heritage building donated by Late Jam Saheb HH Ranjitsinh of Nawanagar in 1929. 54 students from 5 schools participated with many students writing in their mother tongue Gujarati.
Haryana
Panipat, 9th February: My City My Heritage competition was organized amongst the students of class VI to IX on 9th of February at Arya Girls’ Public School, Panipat. 99 students from eight schools of the city participated.
Ambala, 10th February: 70 students from 15 schools participated in the prestigious all India competition My City My Heritage. Lt Gen Ranjit Singh (retd) was the chief guest, and his wife also graced the occasion. The Principal of the APS, Mr Paramjit Singh, was also present to motivate the students. The event was widely covered by the local media.
Yamuna Nagar, 4th February: Yamuna Nagar Chapter conducted My City My Heritage at Dyal Singh Public School, Jagadhri. 104 students participated from 10 schools. Eminent doctor and educationalist of the area, Dr Rupinder Singh was invited as the Chief Guest. The event was well covered by the local media.
Himachal Pradesh
Kangra, 21st January: INTACH Kangra Chapter organised the competition on 21st January at Govt. Sr. Secondary School where 60 students from 13 private and govt. schools participated in spite of bad weather. The chapter members invited the rural area schools so that more awareness could be spread instead of jus focusing on the urban kids. Mr Ashwani Dhiman, principal of the host school gave a talk on heritage.
Mandi, 1st February: INTACH Mandi chapter successfully conducted the All India essay and painitng competition – My City My Heritage on February 1st, where 81 students from the district participated. Dr. K K Pruthi spoke to the students about Mandi and inspired them to write their essay well.
Jammu and Kashmir
Leh - Ladakh, 9th December: INTACH Ladakh Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage competition which saw participation of 46 students from 7 schools. Mr. Mipham Otsal, an eminent artist and alumni of National School of Drama was invited as the Chief Guest. The local media covered the event well.
Karnataka
Bangalore, 26th November: INTACH Bengaluru organised the Bangalore-level event of HECS’s Essay and Painting Competition in collaboration with National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru in their premises, in the shadow of the heritage building that houses the NGMA. Children wrote and drew about the city’s old markets, its two palaces and its gardens.
Dharwad, 22nd December: Baalabalaga High School hosted the All India competition My City My Heritage where 150 students from 30 schools. Dr. Sanjeev Kulkarni, distinguished Gynaecologist and President of Baalabalaga Srujanasheel Shikshan Trust presided over the function.
Belgavi, 8th January: ‘My City My Heritage’ was organised at the premises of Kamal Basti. 64 students from across the city’s schools participated. The Chief Guest was Shri Prakash Sidnal, nationally renowned artist and an art teacher at RMS, Belgaum spoke to the students and demonstrated his art by sketching at the occasion. INTACH member Swatee Jog anchored the event.
Bijapur, 4th February: ‘My City My Heritage’ was held at historic Gol Gumbaz. 211 students from 12 Schools participated in the competition. Shri Susilendra Nayak Journalist and Local reporter for Times of India, inaugurated the function Vijaypur Maha Nagar Palika member Shri Premanand Biradar was the Chief Guest.
Bagalkot, February 12th, 2017: VMSRV Arts, Science & VS Bellihal Commerce College, Hunagund, hosted My City My Heritage competition. 69 students from 10 schools participated. Dr. shilakant Pattar, eminent historian and heritage scholar of Badami was invited as the Chief Guest who motivated students to protect and preserve their heritage. All Intach chapter members were present at the programme. The event was well covered by the local media.
Gulbarga, 18th February: The competition was held at Rotary School in collaboration with Rotary Club. The programme was inaugurated by Mr. B G Patil, MLC, Legilative Council, Karnataka. Prof Vasant Kustagi, well known Kannada writer, gave a special lecture on heritage of Gulbarga. 380 students from 22 schools participated.
Kerala
Kasargod, 18th and 27th Feb: The INTACH Kasargod Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in two parts in order to cover the entire district. A total of 125 students from around 16 Malayalam as well as English medium schools participated in the event. Renowned art historian, Shri K.K. Marar, addressed the students and stressed on the need of conserving heritage for posterity.
Calicut 22nd Feb: The Calicut chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Sri Gujarati School.66 students from 9 schools of the city participated in the event. The event was inaugurated by Mr. Poppen, Principal of the venue school. The ex- convenor of INTACH-Calicut Mr. Mohan, spoke to the students about the interesting history of Calicut.
Trivandrum 25th Feb: The Trivandrum Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Trivandrum Golf Club, which is an iconic heritage structure of the city. The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. S.N. Raghuchandran Nair, Hon. Secretary of the Golf Club. He spoke to the students about the various heritage structures of the city and the challenges they are facing today. He also explained to the students the historical value of the Golf Club and the efforts that have been taken to maintain its heritage character.
Madhya Pradesh
Mandla 4th December: The Mandla Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Sanskriti Bhawan. 99 students from 10 schools of the city participated in the event. The convenor and the co – convenor of the chapter interacted with the students and shared with them the importance of preserving our heritage.
Jabalpur, 6th and 8th December: The Jabalpur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage competition in two phases. A total of 269 students from 9 schools of the city participated in the event. The event was also covered by the local media.
Gwalior, 19th January: The Gwalior Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya. The event saw the participation of 300 students from 14 schools of the city. Ms. Kamakshi Maheshwari, Member of the GC INTACH spoke about the importance of heritage in our lives. The Convenor INTACH Madhya Pradesh Chapter, Dr.H.B.Maheshwari ‘Jaisal’ acquainted the students on the history and heritage of Gwalior.
Dhar, 22nd January: The INTACH Dhar Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Dhar fort. The Convenor of the chapter spoke to students about the city’s heritage. 120 students from 13 schools of the city participated in the event.
Shivpuri, 18th Feb: The Shivpuri Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Happy Days School, 65 students participated in the event.
Burhanpur, 26th February: The Burhanpur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 72 students from 10 schools of the city participated in the event. The event saw the presence of INTACH members from the Chapter, teachers and parents who gave their whole hearted support for the success of the event.
Maharashtra
Mumbai, 24th November: 58 students from 7 schools participated for My City My Heritage competition organized by INTACH Mumbai Chapter at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. Mr Kaiwan Mehta, an expert of architecture, literature, Indian aesthetics and cultural studies was invited as the guest speaker.
Solapur, 10th February: 217 students from 21 schools participated in the All India competition My City My Heritage organised by INTACH Solapur Chapter.
Chandrapur, 19th February: 63 students participated for My City My History competition held at Hindi City High School. Convenor, Ashok Singh Thakur inaugurated the programme and briefed the students. The Chief Guest was Mr. Pravin Kaveri. The event was coordinated by Mr. R R Bhramane.
Wai, March 15th, 2017: INTACH Wai – Panchgani chapter conducted the competition at Old Ganesh Temple complex for 9 schools. All the material was provided to the students and it was a great success.
Dahanu, March 2017: The competition was conducted at Anant Janardhan Mhatre Marathi Medium Vidyalay, Narpad and Shalini Ramachandra Patil English School, Narpad. 71 students participated. Mr. Sanjay Adhiya was invited as the speaker as he represents 5 generations living in Dahanu. He told the students how things used to be in the past and covered some facts about Dahanu's history and the fort.
Mizoram
Aizawl, 28th January: 41 students from eight schools participated in My City My Heritage competition at Govt. Chaltlang High School in Aizawl. The chapter Co-convenor Mr C. Chawngkunga addressed the students. Several teachers and parents were also present at the event which was widely covered by the local media.
Odisha
Bhadrak, 18th December: The Bhadrak Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at B.M. Bagurai High School. 69 students from 11 high schools of the city participated in the event. Through this event the students were acquainted with the importance of preserving and conserving tangible and intangible forms of the city’s culture.
Mayurbhanj, 8th January: The Mayurbhanj Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in 12 schools of the district, in which 100 students participated. Dr. J.P. Nath a heritage enthusiast interacted with the students. Local media also covered the event.
Balasore, 19th Feb: The Balasore Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. Students from 8 schools of the city participated in the event. Through the event an emphasis was made to instil the idea of conserving heritage in young minds.
Punjab
Amritsar, 17th February: The essay writing & poster making competitions under the HECS national programme My City My Heritage were organised by the Amritsar Chapter at Khalsa College Public School Amritsar. Around 100 students from different schools with the school teacher in charges attended the programme with sixty students participating in the competition.
Patiala, 23rd February: Patiala Chapter organised the competition at Senior Secondary Model School, Punjabi University, Patiala. 57 students from 5 schools participated.
Maler Kotla, February 24th, 2017: Maler Kotla Chapter conducted the competition with 5 schools taking part in the event. Many students chose to write in their local language Punjabi. The competition was a success.
Faridkot, March 4th, 2017: 5 schools from Faridkot participated for INTACH’s My City My Heritage competition held at DCM International School, Kotakpura. All INTACH members were present at the event including the chapter convenor and co-convenor. It was well covered by the local media.
Rajasthan
Shekhawati, 5th December: The Shekhawati Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in schools of Dundlod. Through the event an effort was made to make young students aware of their city’s endangered heritage.
Sawai Madhopur, 14th January: The Sawai Madhopur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 247 students from 25 schools of the city participated in the event. The local media also covered the event.
Barmer, 27th January: As part of the celebrations of the INTACH Foundation Day, the Barmer Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 100 students from 11 schools of the city participated in the event. The Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Jasol Rawal Kishen Singh who spoke to the students about the natural heritage of Barmer especially the Luni River which is gravely threatened due to environmental pollution. Through the event an attempt was made to recognise the urgency of protecting our heritage
Udaipur, 2nd February: The Udaipur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the Maharana Mewar Public School. 98 students from 9 schools of the city participated in the event. The Chief Guest for the event was Dr. Shri Krishna ‘Jugnoo’ a renowned Indologist spoke to the students and stressed on the need of preserving art, heritage and culture.
Ajmer 7th Feb: The Ajmer chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at The Turning Point Public School. 240 students from 8 schools of the city participated in the event. The event was also covered by local media.
Alwar, 12th February: The Alwar Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage competition at the Fatehjung Gumbad premises. 100 students from 8 schools of the city participated in the event. The event also was reported by the local press as a unique attempt to rescue and bring into focus the city’s heritage.
Jodhpur, 23rd February: The Jodhpur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 157 students from 15 schools of the city participated in the event. The convenor INTACH Jodhpur Chapter Dr. Mahendra Singh Tanwar spoke to the students about the importance of learning about heritage, because heritage education was the first step towards conserving our heritage.
Karauli, 4th March: The Karauli Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 363 students from 11 schools of the city participated in the event. The event also saw the participation of 30 differently abled children from a school for deaf and dumb students.
Jhalawar, 4th March: The Jhalawar Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition. 108 students from 10 schools of the city participated in the event. The Convenor of the Chapter acquainted students and other dignitaries about the work of INTACH as India’s premier heritage conservation organisation.
Bikaner 15th March: The Bikaner Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at I.G.N.D High School. Around 100 students from various schools participated in the event.
Kota 4th March: The Kota Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition, 400 students from 5 schools of the city participated in the event, through the event an emphasis was made to make students aware of their built as well as natural and the importance of the conservation of the latter. The event was widely covered by the local media too.
Baran 12th March: The Baran Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in which 122 students participated.
Uttar Pradesh
Orai, 8th and 15th December: My City My Heritage competition was held on two days at Gurukulam Public School and Ramshri Devi Public School in Orai. Around 94 students participated in the event.
Mahoba, 27th, 28thand 29th December: INTACH Mahoba chapter conducted My City My Heritage competition on three consecutive days 27th, 28th and 29th December across schools in Mahoba. 32 students from Saraswati Bali Vidya Mandir Inter College, 50 students from Vidya Mandir Inter College, 16 students from Nehru Inter College, 41 students from Sai Inter College and 40 students from Gyansthali Public School participated.
Varanasi, 21st January: The programme was organised at Little Flower School. More than 100 students from around 12 schools participated. Dr. Ratnesh Verma, Regional Culture Officer was invited to speak on the heritage of Varanasi. The event received good media coverage.
Gorakhpur, 22nd January: The all India essay and painting competition was held at Mahatama Gandhi Inter College Bank Road Gorakhpur with 106 students from 12 schools participating. Former head of department of ancient history of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University and a renowned authority in heritage gave a lecture to children telling them about heritage.
Allahabad, 25th January: On World Tourism Day, INTACH Allahbad Chapter organised the National Competition’ My City My Heritage’ at K.P. Girls Inter College. Freedom fighter Sri Bagwig Prasad Biguliya, who is possibly the only Soldier of Independence Struggle in Allahabad, spoke to the children about life and times during the freedom struggle for Independence. Ten Schools participated in the event with a total of 80 children. In all about 200 children and 25 teachers attended the event.
Brajbhoomi, 22nd February: the competition was conducted at Brilliant Public School Aligarh. Dr. Lalit Updhayaya from INTACH spoke to the students about the work of INTACH and Aligarh’s heritage. 34 students participated.
Meerut, February 26th, 2017: INTACH Meerut Chapter organised My City My Heritage at S.D. Inter College, Meerut Cantt. 125 students from 9 schools participated in the event.
Rohilkhand, 8th March: My City My Heritage competition was held at Jamuna Devi Inter College focusing on the participation from rural areas of Rampur. Around 100 students participated. Co- Convenor, Mr. Kashif Khan spoke to the students and expressed pride in conducting the competition in the rural areas. The event was well covered by the media.
Kanpur, February 15 and March 17th 2017: Shree Santan Dharm Education Centre and Shri NLK Vidya Mandir Inter College, Kanpur help the all India essay and painting competition where 92 students from 15 schools participated.
Tamil Nadu
Nagarcoil, 7th January: The Nagarcoil Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Scott Christian Higher Secondary School. Around 92 students from 10 schools of the city participated in the event.
Madurai, 27th January: As part of INTACH’s Foundation Day Celebration, the Madurai Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage competition, at the Thiagarajar College. Around 113 students of various schools of the city participated in the event. Dr. R. Venkatraman, a retired professor of art history at the Madurai Kamraj University was the keynote speaker spoke on the history and heritage of Madurai.
Thanjavur, 31st January: The Thanjavur Chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at Nav Bharat Matric Higher Secondary School. The Chapter convenor Mr. Bhonsle also inaugurated the Tamil issue of the Young INTACH newsletter. 116 students from 14 schools of the city participated in the event. Mr. S. Rajendran of Architectural and Traditional Engineering Heritage Division spoke to the students regarding the heritage of the city.
Chennai, 4th February: The Chennai chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition in around 20 schools of the city. Around 225 students participated in the event.
Nilgiris, 10th February: The Nilgiris chapter conducted the My City My Heritage Competition at the YWCA. 113 students from 5 schools of the city participated in the event. The students were from English and Tamil medium schools. Mr. M.D. Radhakrishnan, a former correspondent with The Hindu was the Chief Guest for the event; he spoke to the students about the heritage of Ooty by showing a presentation.
Gangtok, March 3rd, 2017: The competition was held at Deorali Girls Sr. Sec. School, Gangtok where 133 students from 19 schools participated. Out of these many were rural schools. Convenor Mr. Dong and life member Ms. Komal Chamling encouraged the students. The event was well covered by the media.
Jalandhar, March 2017: My City My Heritage was conducted at Jalandhar at two places – SPPS Convent School, Begowal and Army Public School. 52 students participated in the competition.
A delegation of two Senior Cultural Officers, Mr. Kelzang Jamtsho and Mr. Shacha Gyeltshen from Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, Bhutan visited Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage. Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service INTACH explained to them the cultural dynamics of the country in terms of its unique heritage in its natural, built, material and living heritage. HECS film, Helping Hands was shown which gave them an opportunity to know about the various cultural activities the Division undertake locally and at national level. Then Ms. Purnima Datt briefed them about various national programmes conducted over the years involving the school and college students. The exhaustive list of publications that are part of the resource material for setting up of the heritage clubs in schools were discussed and samples were shown. A film called ‘Mystical Colours of India’ was also shown to them which was a part of the FilmIt India project. The session ended with a round of questions and answers wherein Mr. Kelzang Jamtsho observed that the way heritage education is imparted in India is unique and covers all aspects of country’s heritage. He also was amazed with the number of languages spoken in India as against the two official languages used in Bhutan- English and Dzongkha. The senior officials complimented Ms. Purnima Datt for the efforts she puts towards spreading the heritage education with the common public and not just restricted to particular community or institution. Later it was also suggested for a possible cultural exchange with INTACH in near future.
A two-day workshop was organised by Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH and INTACH Varanasi Chapter for 37 teachers from 19 schools at Little Flower House, Nagwa, Varanasi on 10th -11th May 2017. The workshop was targeted at involving the school teachers not only from social sciences but other disciplines as well. Mr. Ashok Kumar Kapoor, Convenor INTACH Varanasi Chapter welcomed everyone to the Teachers Training Workshop and encouraged them to fully utilise the platform to understand heritage and spread amongst their fellow teachers and students. Dr. Subhash Yadav, Regional Archaeological Survey Officer, Varanasi gave a presentation on the built heritage of Varanasi. He debunked several myths associated with the history of Varanasi and encouraged the participating teachers to take personal initiative to explore and understand the history and culture of Varanasi. Ms Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service explained the types of heritage and the importance of integrating heritage education in the mainstream school curriculum. On day 2, a heritage walk was conducted at Gurudham Temple, built in 1814 AD. Dr Subhash Yadav, Regional Archaeological Survey Officer, Varanasi explained the spiritual importance of the temple and yet its heritage value is not appreciated by its own surrounding local community. Through an interactive session teachers were encouraged to set up heritage clubs in their respective schools and to utilise the resource material to develop innovative lesson plans. Later the teachers made presentations on the various heritage activities that will take up in their schools. The two-day workshop concluded with a felicitation wherein teachers were given certificates and HECS publications on heritage education and awareness.
The Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) of INTACH launched the Heritage and Citizenship programme - 'JAGO' nation-wide for promoting heritage awareness and conservation as good citizenship values in December 2016. As a part of the initiative, a Heritage and Citizenship Teacher Training Workshop was held on 5 May 2017 at INTACH New Delhi.
Attended by 44 teachers from over 40 schools across the city, the workshop highlighted ‘Heritage-sensitive urban development, in the context of Delhi and good citizenship practices’ by resource persons, Prof. AGK Menon [Founder Member and Conservation Consultant INTACH; Architect, Urban planner and Conservationist]; ‘Heritage of Delhi and the Role of the Government and its Citizens (specially the youth)’ by Dr. Narayani Gupta [Historian]; ‘Development Alternatives (DA) – Clean India Campaign’ by Ms Usha Srinivasan (Senior Advisor, Development Alternatives, DA), Mr Bijoy Basant Patro (Senior Programme Director, Communication for Development) and Ms Shivani Sharma (Programme Manager, Communication for Development). The sessions were enriching and informative, helping participants think about their city’s heritage, as well as, actions that could be undertaken to protect it. The HECS sessions conducted by Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, HECS) and Ms Shivaa Rawat were valuable in outlining the inter-linkages between heritage and good citizenship practices. In addition to, designing activities for classrooms to support Heritage and Citizenship Education in a meaningful, relevant and interesting manner.
The importance of heritage and citizen’s role in safeguarding it was highlighted in all the presentations by the participants. The workshop concluded with a need to involve students to protect their heritage and the valuable contribution of teachers in spreading awareness within their respective educational institutions!
Workshop photographs
The Heritage Education and Communication Division, INTACH conducted a two day teacher training workshop was held at Vidya Niketan Primary School, Tumkur, Karnataka. The workshop saw the presence of 40 teachers from 38 schools of the city and its surrounding areas. The workshop also had around 12 members of the India Literacy Project as observers to the workshop. The workshop was a bilingual one i.e. both English and Kannada. Through the workshop teachers were acquainted with the various aspects that comprise India’s heritage, teachers were also familiarised with the importance and need of incorporating heritage education as an active part of school curriculum so that children can learn heritage values and imbibe them in their day to day life. They were also provided with the necessary resource materials that would aid the formation of heritage clubs in school and integrate students towards a better understanding of their local as well as national heritage. Dr. S. Suresh, Tamil Nadu State Convenor was also present at the workshop, he interacted with teachers and explained to them the work of INTACH and its importance, and he also gave a comprehensive presentation on the local heritage of Karnataka and its important archaeological remains.
A Teacher Training Workshop was organised by INTACH’s Andaman and Nicobar Chapter and Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) on 20-21 April 2017 at the Government Model Senior Secondary School in Port Blair. It was attended by 50 teachers from over 25 schools in the city. The programme was inaugurated by chief guests, Col. Cherian (Life Member INTACH) and Mr Mammau Thomas (Principal, State Institute of Education). The other guests attending the session were Mr Sharad (Principal, Government Model Senior Secondary School) and Mr Abhijit Aggarwal (Life Member INTACH).
Following a brief programme introduction by Ms Samhita Veda Acharya (Convenor, INTACH Andaman and Nicobar), the INTACH film was screened. It offered a glimpse of the organisation and its varied heritage activities. During the first session, Mr Abhijit Aggarwal (Life Member, INTACH) offered a comprehensive overview of the heritage of the islands. He suggested that the island had an interesting cultural blend from the entire country. Vasudev Kutumbukam – i.e., one family, one culture was indeed exhibited on these islands. Thereafter, Ms Purnima Datt (Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH) ) offered an overview of heritage - explaining what it meant and an overview of its varied dimensions (natural, built, material and living) in the next session. It was expressed how living in harmony with heritage enhanced the quality of one’s life and how heritage of the island state was among the oldest in the world!
In the next segment, Heritage Education was introduced through a presentation made by Ms Purnima Datt. An emphasis on an inter-disciplinary approach through innovative lesson planning, practical exercises using flash cards, role-play and object identification was demonstrated during the session. It concluded with a group activity on heritage (5 groups: natural heritage; built heritage; material heritage; music and dance heritage; and customs/traditions heritage) which was presented the next day.
The Heritage Education and Communication Service, organised the Film it Film Festival at Bhavan Vidyalaya, Chandigarh successfully culminating the year 1 phase 6 of the Film it programme, currently running in 9 cities of the country aimed at engaging children in making short films on various facets of heritage.62 students and 9 teachers from 7 schools of the city participated in the programme.
The event started with Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service, INTACH interacting with students, she asked them if they knew what INTACH was and about the work that the organisation is engaged in. The students of Bhavan Vidyalaya shared with the audience their experience of being a heritage club member of INTACH and the work of the organisation. Ms. Datt further elaborated about the work of INTACH and HECS in promoting and expanding the network of heritage clubs in schools and in raising awareness on heritage related issues.
This was followed by an introduction to the Chief Guest by the Convenor of INTACH Chandigarh Chapter Mr. V.K. Kapoor, the Chief Guest for the event was Ms. Smita Mishra an IAS, working with the archaeological department of the Haryana Government.
This was followed by the screening of the HECS film to provide the audiences with a comprehensive outlook about the work of the Heritage Education Division. After this the Chief Guest and other dignitaries lighted the lamp.
The students from different schools were then invited by the speaker to share their experiences of Filmit project.
A Student from the Strawberry Fields High School recounted “that the project served as an eye opener, as through his films on the water reservoirs of Ambala he learnt a lot about modes of water conservation and distribution in the city"
Students of St. Kabir Public School recounted their experience as “intellectual, engaging and stimulating, they shared their experience of shooting each of their films."
The students of Saupin’s School shared a video documenting their film it journey, as a part of their heritage club activities, they thanked INTACH and HECS for the unique initiative, after this the best films made by the Chandigarh schools were screened.
Ms. Misra, expressed her pleasure on being part of the event, she said it was a good start to her day which otherwise comprised of a hectic schedule, in her view the films made by children were simple yet telling, she further elaborated while it is somewhat easy to protect the tangible, the challenge of heritage conservation and preservation lies in protecting the intangible and for this children can be ambassadors as the Indian tradition of “Shruti ”and “Smriti’’ has left us a large corpus of information that needs to be preserved and this can serve as a very important linkage to the past.
She also shared with the audiences about her work in the Archaeology Department of Haryana Government, on excavating Indus Valley Civilisation sites; she also invited students for visits to the sites, if they want to learn more about this ancient civilisation in a more engaging way.
The students from Saupin’s School once again shared their experience of Filmit journey by ‘expressing their gratitude towards INTACH, they shared that the film making activity enlightened them to learn more about their heritage and gave them a perspective in their thought process of seeking heritage in everyday things and valuing them’.
Students of a very special school, the Vatsal Chaya School were also part of the event; the school focuses on rehabilitating and educating children from less priviledged sections of society. The students shared various ideas on which they could make films.
This was then followed by the screening of the overall best films made by school children across the country, so that the mutual learning process could be further enhanced.
The programme ended with the distribution of awards and certificates to students and teachers.
INTACH’s Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) launched the Heritage and Citizenship programme - JAGO aimed at promoting heritage awareness and conservation as good citizenship values. Following the Heritage and Good Citizenship Training Workshop (organised by INTACH HECS with the support from INTACH Jaipur Chapter) held on 6 - 7 December 2016 at Jaipur, the participants from 19 INTACH Western zone chapters were required to conduct similar workshops within their respective chapters.
Among the first-chapter-level programmes, was the city-workshop organised by the INTACH Greater Mumbai Chapter on 21 March 2017 at the Education Centre, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum. It was attended by 81 participants comprising of teachers, faculty members and teacher trainees from educational institutions in the city.
Ms Gargi Marshuwala, Project Director (INTACH Greater Mumbai Chapter) described the programme objectives, training outlines and opportunities to undertake heritage and good citizenship initiatives. Besides, the role of participants as active citizens in safeguarding heritage was re-iterated by Ms Gargi Marshuwala and Ms Shivaa Rawat (INTACH HECS) during the introductory segment.
The sessions on the various dimensions of Mumbai’s heritage were enriching and meaningful. Ms Kirtida Unwalla (Conservation Architect) outlined the built heritage of Mumbai. However, poor maintenance, insensitive development and exploitation of city space was eroding the same. The essence of history and its continuity through architectural conservation initiatives was highlighted. The session helped the participants appreciate Mumbai’s valuable heritage resources and ways in which they could contribute towards saveguarding it.
Ms Renee Vyas (Naturalist) spoke about the city’s natural heritage during the walk across the Rani Baugh, botanical garden complex. The heritage walk combined with a story-based and anecdotal narrative helped explore the flora in an interesting way. The session concluded with an overarching need to make classroom learning more enjoyable through creative teaching techniques to ensure heritage education would have a long-lasting impact.
Ms Tasneen Zakaria Mehta (Vice Chairman INTACH, Convenor INTACH Mumbai Chapter, Managing Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum) discussed the cultural assets in Mumbai and heritage management through the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. A collaborative project between the municipality of Mumbai, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation which was a receipient of the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Excellence in 2005 as well. Through the exhaustive restoration and conservation work undertaken by INTACH Greater Mumbai Chapter - the project had set a new benchmark for the conservation of museums in India and the region. A film on the museum project (before and after) gave a glimpse of the remarkable restoration undertaken by INTACH Greater Mumbai Chapter and their vision to create an incredible museum experience.
Mumbai has been a city of many firsts – whether it was the adoption of the heritage conservation legislation (1995); implementation of architectural conservation projects including the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum (2005); among a few. The participants expressed hope that this legacy would continue and they would engage in heritage protection as well. The workshop concluded with a commemorative group photograph and an appreciation of the insights received.
The INTACH Calicut Chapter, conducted Painting on Walls project in four of the schools in the city namely;
1. Govt. Higher Secondary School, East Hill, Calicut
2. Little Daffodils School, West hill, Calicut
3. Malabar Christian College, Higher Secondary School, Kozhikode and
4. Govt. Achuthan Girls Higher Secondary School, Chalappuram, Calicut
The Principals were requested to select four or five of their students who were good artists, from their 9th and 10th Classes, allocate an art teacher who would be in-charge of the selected students and to identify a wall space within the school compound, about 6 ft x 4 ft, preferably protected from the weather, where the selected students would sketch and paint a Heritage structure situated in the vicinity of their schools.
Mr. Naveen, our member, who is a mural artist arranged four artists, who visited the school allocated to them, on 11 Nov ‘16, met the students selected by the schools and took them to a heritage site in the neighbourhood of the school. The students were asked to conceptualise how they would paint a picture of the heritage site on the wall of their school. The artist also prepared the allotted painting space in the school with primer paint.
On ‘Children’s Day’, 14 Nov ’16, the artists met the art teacher and students at their respective schools and distributed acrylic paints, brushes and other art materials and helped the students with painting the heritage subject on the school wall. The painting was done between 09:30 AM and 01:00 PM. Refreshments were provided to the students and attending teachers.
Ambala, 6th August: INTACH Ambala Chapter organised the Heritage Quiz for school children at Army Public School, Ambala Cantt. 126 children from 22 schools participated in the quiz. Mrs. Madhu Singh (a senior and experienced teacher) were the quiz masters. Ms. Mansi Garg and Ms. Arpita Sarkar (Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala Cantt) stood first. While Ms. Shreya and Mr. Div Karan (Lord Mahavira School) stood second.
Gurgaon, 7th August: INTACH Gurgaon Chapter organised the INTACH Heritage Quiz at GD Goenka Public School, Sector 48, Gurgaon. 120 students from 20 schools participated in the quiz. Mr. Atul Dev (Convenor, INTACH Gurgaon) welcomed students. Ms. Akriti Bansal and Mr. Namit Shrivastava (DAV School, sector - 14) stood first. Prize distribution was by Principal of the host school and the vote of thanks was delivered by Ms. Namrata Mishra (Gurgaon Chapter).
Kurukshetra, 24th August: INTACH Kurukshetra Chapter conducted the Heritage quiz. All major schools of Kurukshetra participated in the event. The team from Gurukul Kurukshetra comprising of Mr. Vikas Kumar Vikrant and Mr. Aman Raj secured the first position.
Panipat, 20th August: The Heritage quiz organised by the Panipat Chapter was held at SD Vidya Mandir (Sr Wing). Ms. Aashi Sharma and Mr. Kartik Manuja stood first.
Shimla, 30th August: Himachal Pradesh State Chapter and Shimla INTACH Chapter organised a ‘heritage quiz’ at the Auckland House Girls School. Twelve teams participated with DAV Public School, Shimla standing first and the Auckland House Girls School standing second. The prizes were given by Mrs. S. John (Principal of Auckland House). Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Raaja Bhasin (Convenor INTACH Shimla Chapter) stressed on knowledge and pride in one’s country, as well as, its rich heritage.
Mandi, 28th August: Mandi Chapter organised the quiz at Saraswati Vidya Mandir Mandir Senior Secondary School. 110 students from 11 schools participated. An important component of the programme was the participation of two village schools. I.e.- Goverment Senior Secondary School, Galma and S. R. Vidya Mandir, Ratti. The winners were Mr. Nishant Chauhan and Mr. Ajay Sharma (Saraswati Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School, Mandi).
Kangra, 7th September: The quiz was organised by Kangra Chapter in Govt. (Boys) senior secondary School in Dharamshala. 72 students from eight schools participated. Mr. L.N. Aggarwal (Convenor) apprised the students and the teachers about INTACH and how the students could be involved in heritage awareness programmes. The winners were from the Rainbow English Senior Secondary school for the state-level-competition.
Amritsar, 20th August: The city-round was held at the Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School. Ms. Davinder Kaur and Dr. Gurshaminder Singh Bajwa were quiz masters for the oral round. The winners were Mr. Armaan Wadhawan and Mr. Manjot Singh (Sri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary Public School, G.T. Road Amritsar).
Faridkot, 20th August: Eight schools and 50 teams participated in the first round. Five teams were selected for the final round. DAV Public School, Kotkapura stood first followed by Dasmesh Public School, Faridkot.
Patiala, 27th August: 52 students from six schools participated in the quiz held at Government Multipurpose School, Patiala. Harmilan Singh and Harmanjeet Singh (Budha Dal Public School) secured the first position; Jasnoor Singh and Karamveer Singh (Apollo Public School) secured the second position; Samreen Kaur and Himanshu Chopra (Shivalik Public School) secured the third position.
Allahabad, 20th August: 150 students from ten schools participated in the quiz held at the Bal Bharti School. The first position was tied and five teams secured the third position.
Brajbhoomi, 27th August: 102 students from 11 schools participated in the quiz held at Gyan Mahavidyalaya, Aligargh. The winners were Ms Manjari Singh and Ms Harshita Varshney (Shri Dantes Sewamarg Public School)
Rohilkhand, 31st August: 100 students from various schools participated for the quiz held at the Symbiosis Public School. Mr. Kashif Khan (INTACH Co-convenor) spoke about INTACH and explained its activities. 10 best students were given awards and two best students were chosen as the city round winners.
Orai, 30th July/6th August/27th August: The local round was held in three schools (Gurukulam, Vinayak Academy and Ram Shri Public School) with more than 300 participants.
Varanasi, 13th August: 100 students from 18 schools participated. The winners were from Little Flower School, Kakarmatta. Prize distribution was carried out by Prof. Sushila Singh (Former Principal, Mahila Mahavidyalaya, BHU).
Lalitpur, 19th August: The quiz was held at Disha Education College. Mr. Rajneesh Chaddha (Coconvenor) spoke about different heritage places and the need for protecting them. Mr. Raghav Kiledar and Mr. Abhishek Niranjak (RLPS) stood first. Mr. Santosh Kumar Sharma (Convenor) graced the occasion with his presence.
Kanpur, 20th August: The quiz was at Sheiling House School, Kanpur in which 84 students from 21 schools participated. There was a tie for the first position between two schools, so a buzzer round was done to select the winning team which turned out to be Swaraj India Public School. The winners were Mr. Prabhakar Sharma and Mr. Shaswat Pandey. Mr. Tariw Ibhrahim spoke at the end of the quiz during the prizes distribution.
Dehradun, 27th August: 40 students from six schools participated in the quiz held at Modern Sr. Sec. School. Prizes were given away by Ms. Meenakshi Gandotra (Principal, Jaswant Modern Sr. Sec. School) and Mr. Lokesh Ohri (Convenor, Dehradun Chapter and Co-Convenor, Uttarakhand). The first position was secured by Mr. Anurag Bhardwaj and Mr. Vinayak Ohri (Jaswant Modern Sr. Sec. School). While the second position was secured by Cadet Kapil K. Pandey and Cadet Jitendra Verma of RIMC.
Bijapur, 20th August:86 teams from 15 High schools participated in the quiz held at PDJ High School. Ms. Shrinidhi Kulkarni (MBBS student) was the quiz master for oral examination. Mr. Kumar Suhas Kulkarni and Mr. Kumar Abhishek Saravad (Excellent Kannada Medium School, Vijaypur) stood first and were selected for the state-level competition.
Dharwad, 23rd August: The city round of the INTACH Heritage quiz at Dharwad was held at RLS High School, Dharwad. 49 teams from 24 schools participated. The winners were Ms. Nandini R. Kalar and Ms. Priyanka B. Hosur (Pawan English Medium High School).
Darjeeling, 24th August: 70 students from nine schools participated in the quiz held at St. Roberts’ H.S. School. Mr. Bharat Prakash Rai (Convenor) conducted the first round. Five best teams were selected during the first round. Prof. K. K. Tamang conducted the oral round. The winners were Mr Aryan Subba and Mr Aryan Gurung (St. Roberts’ H. S. School).
Santiniketan, 17th August: 52 students from six schools participated. The winners were Ms. Sananda Chattopadhyay and Ms. Pragya (Poddar Bolpur Girls' High School, Bolpur. Birbhum).
Mumbai, 24th August: Intach Mumbai Chapter in collaboration with Xpressminds conducted the 3rd edition of the Heritage Quiz, Mumbai segment. The quiz was held at the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum. 128 students of class VII to X, from 34 schools participated in the event. The winners of the city round were DAV School, Thane. The Quiz was followed by the launch of the INTACH India Heritage Quiz Book IndiQA, authored by Mr. Kunal Savarkar and Ms. Seema Chari. The event was Cohosted by Collins India.
Chandrapur, 19th August: The quiz was held at the local Hindi City High School under the guidance of Mr. Ashok Singh Thakur (Convener, Chandrapur). Mr. K V Pullawar, (Principal, Hindi City High School) presided over the function, while Mr. A N Pullawar (former school principal and INTACH member) was the chief guest. 100 students from different schools participated. Mr. Hitesh K Sharma and Mr. Subir B Sarkar (Hindi City High School) secured the first position while, Ms. Manasi R. Vishwakarma and Ms. Nimisha B. Dhawale (City Kanya Vidyalaya) secured the second position.
Aurangabad, 19th August: INTACH Aurangabad Chapter organized the INTACH Heritage Quiz for school students from classes VII to X at Bhanudas Chavan Hall, the Institution of Engineers, Osmanpura, and Aurangabad. Chief Guest for the event was Mr. Mukund Bhogale (Convener, Maharashtra). Ms. Sneha Bakshi (Architect and member INTACH Aurangabad) conducted the inaugural session. Mr. Ajay Kulkarni (Convener, INTACH Aurangabad) spoke on importance of heritage and INTACH Aurangabad activities. Around 13 schools of Aurangabad participated and two teams were tied at the first place, both from Nath Valley School.
Solapur, 12th July: 38 teams from 19 schools participated in the quiz held at Mule Hall, Haribhai Devkaran High School, Solapur. Mr. Anand Deshpande (INTACH Solapur member) talked to the students about the Kailas temple at Ellora during the half hour break while, the quiz papers of the first round were scrutinised by Dr. Kiran Patankar, Ms. Kamal Shah, Ms. Pushpanjali Katikar and Ms. Shveta S. Kothavale. The winners were Yash Ajay Bhagwat and Arbaaz Ilyas Choudhari (St. Joseph High School).
Pune, 22nd August: 100 students from 10 schools participated. Kaveri Institute was the venue partner. The winning teams were from Symbiosis School (first position) and Paranjape School (second position).
Ahmedabad, 30th July: Shreyas Foundation hosted the INTACH Heritage Quiz 2016. Ahmedebad International School stood first with Delhi Public School as the first runners-up. Mr. Abhay Mangaldas (Convenor Ahmedabad) graced the occasion and briefed the students about INTACH.
Jamnagar, 7th August: 70 students from nine schools participated in the quiz held at Shri AK Doshi Vidyalaya. The quiz conducted in English and Gujarati by Ms. Yashi Kumari Jadeja (INTACH Jamnagar Chapter) and Ms. Jagrutiba Rana respectively. Air Commodore (Retd.) S.S. Tyagi (Convenor) gave an introduction to the quiz and Mr. Bhanu Bhai Doshi (Chairman, A K Doshi Vidyalaya) felicitated the winners, Ms. Khushi Bhatt and Ms. Angel Solani (A. K. Doshi Vidyalaya).
Rajpipla, 5th July: The city round of INTACH Heritage quiz was held at the Heritage Vijayraj Palace Hall. 52 teams from Gujarati and English medium schools participated. The question sheets were typed in both languages. The government school for tribal girls won the quiz. The two winners were Ms. Pragnaben D. Vasava and Ms. Kalpanaben G. Vasava (Eklavya Girls School).
Assam 27th August: The INTACH Assam Chapter conducted the Heritage Quiz 2016 at Dibrugarh, in collaboration with the Lion Club of Dibrugarh. 172 students participated in the event. The quiz was preceded by a heritage walk attended by 150 students to a 100 year old circuit house and gymkhana built by the British. The walk was lead by the members of the lion club as well as, members of the INTACH Assam.
East Godavari, 17th July: The INTACH East Godavari Chapter, under the guidance of Ms. Sesha Kumari (Convener) conducted the quiz in Rajahmundry, Eluru and Narasapuram districts. 158 teams from 35 schools participated. The event made students aware of the cultural and social heritage of their respective regions, as well as, their country. In addition to which, they were introduced to INTACH and its activities in heritage preservation.
Machilipatnam, 17th July: 246 students from 38 schools participated in the quiz held at Little Flower English Medium School. Mr. S. Ramakrishna Rao (ViceChancellor, Krishna University) was the chief guest and addressed the students about the importance of heritage. Other INTACH Machilipatnam chapter dignatories present were Mr. M A Gaffar, Mr. Kuralla Ramachandra Rao, Ms. Padamati Raghunadh, Mr. Maturi Sanjiva Rao, Mr. Sayyad Peer and Mr. L. D. Koteswara Rao. Five teams were selected winners and received a cash prize of 500 INR.
Anantapur, 24th July: The INTACH Anantapur Chapter conducted the Heritage Quiz 2016 at the Rotary English Medium School. 66 students from 11 schools in the city participated. The event was coordinated and conducted by the Dr. A.G. Venugopal Reddy (Convenor) along with Mr. Rama Kumar (Co-Convenor). Several INTACH Anantapur Chapter members were present as well.
Srikakulam, 28th July: The INTACH Heritage Quiz 2016 was conducted by the INTACH Srikakulam chapter at a government school with 100 participants. The chapter received support from the district administration. A lecture was organised on Mahabharata and personality development by Mr. Pydi Haranadhrao. The concluding talk was given by the Director of Education Mr. Devananda Reddy (Director of Education).
Kadapa, 7th September: Students from 10 schools participated in the quiz held at the Kadapa Kalakshethram. Mr. K. Suresh Babu (Mayor, Kadapa Municipal Corporation) was the chief guest and stressed on the duty of citizens to protect heritage, while Mr. G. Gopal (Regional Joint Director, Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation) emphasised on the responsibility of students to be aware of their local and national heritage.
Andhra Pradesh 11th September: The INTACH Andhra Chapter successfully completed the state round of the Heritage Quiz 2016 conducted at the Vijayawada Cultural Centre, out of the qualifying 12 teams belonging to different parts of the state participated in the event. The winning team was from the city of Vishakhapatnam. The State convener of INTACH Andhra chapter Mr. M. Gopalkrishna I.A.S. (Retd.), graced the occasion with his presence.
Mahbubnagar, 7th August: 74 students from 19 schools participated in the quiz. The event was graced by INTACH national governing council members, Mr. Ved Kumar and Ms. Anuradha Reddy.
Warangal, 10th August: 122 students from 20 schools participated in the quiz held at the New Science Degree College, Hanmkonda. Prof. M. Pandu Ranga Rao (Convenor Warangal) introduced the event and emphasised on the importance of heritage preservation, as well as, the role of students. Mr. Sreedhar Rao, Mr. Ponnala Rammohan and Mr. Rajender Reedy were the other INTACH members present at the occasion.
Chennai, 10th August: INTACH Chennai conducted the quiz at the Anna University Alumni Club, Boat Club road. 180 students from thirty schools participated.The winners were from Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Anna Nagar (first prize), SBOA School & Junior College (second prize) and Sri Sankara Senior Secondary School (third prize).
Salem, 28th August: INTACH Salem organised the quiz at the Sri Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School. 84 students from nine schools participated. The quiz was an attempt to make young minds sensitive towards heritage and its preservation.
Madurai, 31st August: 20 teams comprising of 40 students from various schools participated in the quiz held at the Thiagarajar College. Dr. S. Suresh (Convenor Tamil Nadu) conducted the quiz, while the convener of INTACH Madurai presided over the event. 20 teams comprising of 40 students from various schools participated.
Thanjavur 31st August: 80 students participated in the quiz held at the Government Girls Hr. Sec. School. Mr. N. Selvaraj, (well-known Archeologist) was the quiz master; the event coordinator was Mr. S. Muthukumar (Hon. Secretary INTACH, Thanjavur) under the guidance of Mr. S. Babaji Rajah Bhonsle, (Convenor).
Mayurbhanj, 24th July: 100 students participated in the quiz held at the retired government employees association hall, Baripada. Mr. Rabindra Nath Parida and Dr. Jagannath Prasad Nath (Trustee of Marga Darsaka Knowledge Foundation Orissa and a renowned educationist) designed the quiz questions for the written round. Dr. J P Nath was also the chief guest.
Bhubaneswar 21st August: 49 teams from 11 schools participated in the quiz held at the DAV Public School Chandrasekharpur. The winners were felicitated by Mr. A.B.Tripathy (Convenor State).
Bhubaneshwar 21st August: The State round of the INTACH Heritage Quiz 2016 for Orissa was held at DAV Public School. Teams from three cities participated. Including, Mayurbhanj, Sonepur and Bhubaneshwar. The winners were from Bhubaneshwar.
Jharkhand, 23rd Aug: INTACH Jharkhand conducted the Heritage Quiz 2016, at Motilal Nehru Public School, Jamshedpur. Students from 10 parts of the city participated.
Bhagalpur, 20th Aug: 100 students from six schools participated in a quiz held at the SMS Mission Sciences, Tilkamanjhi, Bhagalpur. Mr. K.D. Prabhat (Covenor Bhagalpur) urged the students to make their city a heritage space and attributed a significant role to students. Members of INTACH Bhagalpur were present on the occasion.
Udaipur, 30th July: 102 students from 10 schools participated in the quiz held at the Maharana Mewar Public School, Udaipur. Dr. Yashwant Kothari, (Former Governor, Rotary Club Udaipur; renowned social worker), Prof. B.P. Bhatnagar (Former Vice Chancellor), Convener INTACH Udaipur Chapter and six senior life members of the Chapter’s Heritage Education working group were among the dignitaries attending the programme.
Karauli, 3rd August: 523 students from 11 schools, including, a school for special children participated. Mr. Manoj Kumar Sharma (Collector, Karauli, IAS) was the chief guest along with Maharaja Krishna Chandra Pal (Convenor) and Mr. Shivraj Pal Singh Rao (Co-convenor) who presided over the programme.
Barmer, 4th August: 100 children from ten schools participated. Mr. Om Joshi (quiz in-charge), addressed the students about art and culture, and how was facing a threat. He emphasised on the importance and relevance of organising these events for the younger generation.
Jodhpur, 5th August: 62 students from seven schools participated in the quiz held at the Konark Senior Secondary School, Pratapnagar. Mr. Bhagirath Vaishnava (Co-convenor Jodhpur) welcomed the participants and Dr. Mahendra Singh Tanwar (Convenor INTACH) explained the importance of heritage.
Bilaspur, 11th August: 72 students participated in the quiz held at the Deokinandan Girls Higher Secondary School. The quiz was bilingual with questions in Hindi and English.
Surguja, 11th September: A written test was conducted in various schools. Mr. Mahant Anusuya Das was the chief guest and Mr. O.P. Agarwal (Convener INTACH Surguja) attended the programme along with other members from the chapter.
Raipur, 19th August: 67 students from six schools participated in the quiz held at the Vrindavan Hall Civil Lines. Prof. R.G. Bhave (Convener) welcomed the students. Mr. Rajendra Chandak (Co-convener) coordinated and conducted the quiz.
Chattisgarh, 14th September: The INTACH Chattisgarh State chapter conducted the state- round of the Heritage Quiz 2016 for students from Ambikapur, Raipur and Bilaspur.
Khandwa, 22nd July: 50 students from 5 schools participated in the quiz held at Vidyakunj International School. Ms. Madhuri Sharma (Convenor Khandwa) interacted with students and explained the importance of heritage.
Jabalpur, 27th July: 88 students from seven schools participated in a quiz held at the St. Thomas Higher Secondary School. The event was geared towards making students aware of their local and national heritage.
Shivpuri, 30th July: 186 students participated in the quiz held at Happy Days School. It was coordinated and conducted by Mr. Harsh Mittal (Convenor) and Dr. Neel Kamal (Co-Convenor). The programme began with a session on monuments and their significance by Mr. Mohinte (a museum curator and historian), while Ms. Kamakshi (Member G.C. and heritage expert) spoke about different types of heritage, as well as, ways to identify them.
Mandla, 5th August: 54 students from nine schools participated. It comprised of a written and oral round. Out of the 27 teams that were a part of the written round, around five qualified for oral round.
Gwalior, 6th August: 400 students from 30 schools participated in the quiz held at Oxford Public School. Dr. H. B. Maheshwari Jaisal (State Convenor) and Dr. Kamakshi (G.C. member and Assistant Professor, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management) and Ms. Rekha Singh (School Principal) were the distinguished guests present during the programme.
Dhar, 21st August: INTACH Dhar Chapter conducted the Heritage Quiz 2016. The chief guests were Mr. Pradeep Joshi (Manager, Rural Bank, Jhabua region) and Mr. Laxminarayan (noted social activist from the city). Mr. Deependra Sharma (Convenor) was present during the event.
Datia, 29th August: 106 students participated in the Heritage Quiz organised and coordinated by Mr. Vinod Suramani (Convenor). Dr. Neel Kamal (Co-convener Shivpuri) and the additional Coconvener Gwalior were the Chief Guests.
Gwalior, 6th August: INTACH Madhya Pradesh chapter conducted the state-round of the Heritage Quiz 2016 at Mount Litera Zee School in Gwalior. The city - round winners from eight city chapters were Gwalior, Shivpuri, Datia, Jabalpur, Dhar Khandwa, Mandla and Burahanpur. The state winners were from Gwalior Glory High School. The winners were felicitated by Mr. H.B. Maheswari (Convenor Madhya Pradesh).
Calicut, 17th August: 72 students from eight schools constituted 36 teams that participated in the quiz held at the Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya H.S.S. Capt. Dinker Karunakar (Convenor) welcomed the participants and Mr. Poppen (Principal, Sri Gujarati Vidyalaya) inaugurated the quiz.
Gangtok, 12th September: 114 students from 13 schools (in and around Gangtok) participated in the quiz held at Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok. The winners were Mr. Diwakar Pradhan and Mr. Palden Lepcha (Tadong Government Senior Secondary School). Ms. Bina Sharma (Teacher, Enchay Senior Secondary School) was the quiz master.
Jamnagar,11th September: The state final of Gujarat was held at Parsi Agiyari, Jamnagar. Ms. Jagrutiba Rana conducted the quiz and Convener Suren Tyagi along with members Ms. Nishita Anjaria and Yashi Kumari Jadeja were the overseers. Co-Convener Shri Nilesh Dave gave a talk on Heritage, conservation and making compost out of kitchen waste. Anushka Rungta and Divya Patel of Ahmedabad International School stood first. All the participants were given the INTACH Jamnagar Souvenir in English Gujarati ‘Virasat Apna Haath ma’, young INTACH passport, badge and Jamnagar INTACH Chapter mug specially designed for the event. The participants were also taken for a Heritage tour of Jamnagar.
Amritsar, 3rd October: INTACH Punjab Chapter organized the State Level Heritage Quiz at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, G.T. Road, Amritsar. The participating teams in the quiz were selected through the city level rounds held at different places in the state of Punjab. The programme commenced with recitation of the ‘shabhad’ by the Students of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, G.T. Road, Amritsar.
Chennai, 4th October: The INTACH Chennai Chapter hosted the state final of the Tamil Nadu state round of the Heritage Quiz 2016 at Sri Sankara Vidyashramam School. The event was presided over by Dr. S. Suresh, Tamil Nadu State Convener. The winning team of the State-level Quiz was the team comprising of Sachin Vinayak and S. Bharat of Chinmaya Vidhyalaya Senior Secondary School, Anna Nagar, Chennai.
Gurgaon, 4th October: INTACH Haryana had its State Level Heritage Quiz final on 4th October, 2016. The quiz was conducted by Ms Kiran Mohan, a senior media professional who has nearly two decades of work experience. She has worked in almost aspects of Media and the arts as a Picture researcher, News Coordinator and Senior Photo Editor. Winners of the Quiz were the team from DAV Public School, Gurgaon comprising of Aakriti Bansal and Namit Shrivastava. The Runners up were Aman Raj and Vikas Kumar Vikrant from Gurukul School, Kurukshetra.
Jodhpur, 22nd October: The state final of the Heritage Quiz 2016 was organized by the INTACH Jodhpur Chapter at the Mehrangarh fort. The city round winners from five cities of the state competed at the finals. These cities were Jaipur, Barmer, Udaipur, Karauli and Jodhpur. Dr. Iaidan Singh Bhati & Shri Manohar Singh Rathore were invited as judges. The Quiz comprised visual and oral rounds. The winner of the State round was the team from Karauli.
Varanasi, 16th November: The state finals of Uttar Pradesh INTACH Heritage Quiz 2016 were held at Little Flower House, Varanasi. The quiz master for the final was Mr. Nirmal Joshi. INTACH Varanasi Convenor, Mr. Ashok Kapoor spoke to the students about INTACH and heritage and Mr. Nalin Gulati, Director, Little Flower House spoke about the importance of such activities and that they should be conducted on a regular basis. The state round was won by the host school, Little Flower House.
Kolkata, 9th December: The city round of Heritage Quiz 2016 by INTACH Kolkata Chapter was held at the Asutosh Birth Centenary Hall Auditorium of the Indian Museum, Kolkata on 9th December 2016. 56 students from 8 schools participated. The quiz was conducted by chapter member Mr Ayan Ghosh. The winner of the quiz was the team from APJ Public School, Park Street - Anubhab Sarkar and Farhan Ali Jafri. South City International School came second. The event was followed by lunch.
Award winning chapters for the INTACH National Heritage Quiz 2016
State Chapters
1. Andhra Pradesh
2. Madhya Pradesh
City Chapters
1. Machilipatnam
2. Karauli
3. Bijapur
4. Sikkim
5. Jammu
6. Ambala
Maj Gen (retd) L K Gupta, AVSM, Chairman of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), visited Ambala on 02 – 03 March 2017. His arrival was followed by a meeting with the Ambala Chapter Convener and other members of the INTACH Ambala Chapter at Brig G.S. Lamba’s residence. The Chairman highlighted the importance of Ambala in the freedom struggle of India which was followed by an update from Brig. G. S. Lamba, Convener, INTACH Ambala Chapter, on the projects undertaken by the chapter.
A visit to various heritage sites and some heritage clubs of schools was conducted by the Chapter on the following day. The Heritage visit started with Rani Ka Talab where Maj Gen and Mrs LK Gupta paid obeisance at the Shiv Mandir. Thereafter, the Chairman visited KV 1 where he interacted with the students of the Heritage Club. Dr Deshbandhu, a renowned educationist, and member of INTACH, was also present to welcome the guest. The children put up a splendid show of their creativity and heritage awareness. The Chairman announced an incentive of rupees five thousand for the school heritage club from the INTACH. The next visit was to the Air Force school. Enroute, Col R D Singh briefed the VIP on the Kharga Heritage Park, and the gravity system of water supply from Handesara water works during the British period, the drains of which are still visible along the Mall road. In the Air Force school, the children put up a good presentation of their heritage activities, and displayed paintings made by them. Thereafter, it was visit to the Historic Panjokhara Sahib gurdwara. It was soul uplifting.
Thereafter, Maj Gen Gupta visited the Cantt Board Middle school, Parade. Here, he saw the children learning the art of pottery making, to preserve our endangered art. They had also displayed paintings made by them, as also heritage artifacts collected by their heritage club. The Chairman was highly impressed by the keenness and spirit of these children, and awarded rupees two thousand to the heritage club of the C B middle school, Parade, as an incentive. The visit of the Chairman culminated in the CJM school, where the girls gave a fine presentation on the various activities under taken by their heritage club.
It was a successful visit and has further motivated the Ambala Chapter to follow up all points given by him to the hilt. The chapter has also just won the Best Chapter award in the Young INTACH Heritage Quiz.
A teacher training workshop on Heritage Awareness was held at Tuni, near Vishakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh on 5th March 2017. 50 teachers from 23 schools and colleges participated. The workshop started with all the guests and resource persons being presented with mementos. Ms. Sesha Kumari, Convenor of INTACH East Godavari Chapter gave the inaugural talk where she spoke about how INTACH was set up and soon after, in the next year, East Godavari Chapter was set up. She thanked the host school for holding the workshop in their venue. Ms. Purnima Datt then spoke to the audience about heritage education. She told them the importance of heritage education in their curriculum. The Chief Guest, Mr. Vijay Prakash Joint Secretary of Sri Prakash Institutions spoke next. He said that as Ms. Datt had mentioned that the majority of the population is below 25 years of age, it is critical that they be taught about heritage and culture so that it doesn’t vanish in the coming years. He also mentioned that earlier our villages were self sufficient but now the western culture has crept in where everything is imported. So he stressed that there should be a balance where we embrace the western culture without neglecting our own. He said that other countries in the west have a 500 year old heritage which they care for and take pride in whereas we have a much older heritage and we are not taking proper care of it. Mr. P. V. Prasad, Convenor, Vishakapatnam Chapter, gave his best wishes to all the teachers. Mr. Narayan Rao, who holds a PhD in Education and is also a teacher in a school spoke about the Buddhist sites of Andhra Pradesh. He spoke about a few of the sites – Kummani Lova, Tundi Patram Agrahara, Chikkadu Agrahara, etc.
The INTACH and the HECS film were shown after the talks by the resource people followed by a short tea break. When the teachers resumed for the next session, Ms. Datt asked some of them to talk about their favourite places in Tuni where they like visiting as an ice breaker. Many teachers liked visiting religious places like the Venugopala Swami Temle and Kodandaramaswamy temple in Rowthelapuri. After this 5 minute exercise, Ms. Datt showed the presentation of types of Heritage in India – natural, built, material and living. She spoke at length about the geography of the country and how India as a geographical land mass was formed millions of years ago. She spoke about the different states, their heritage of crafts, clothing, food, natural sites, monuments etc.
In the post lunch session, a game of romantic pairs was played. The Heritage Education presentation was showed after that. Ms. Datt spoke to the teachers on how to form heritage clubs and what all activities they could include in their curriculum. She also discussed the teacher training kit with them. A role play was done where two voluntary teachers were given the role of a traditional inkpot and a modern day ballpoint pen and had to bring out the qualities of both. After this, the teachers were given time to prepare a group activity where they were divided into groups and had to present on the different types of heritage.
The workshop ended with the distribution of certificates and resource material to all the participants. Ms. Sesha Kumari gave the formal vote of thanks and thanked Sri Prakash School for hosting the workshop. She thanked all the teachers for taking out time and attending the workshop and thanked INTACH HECS for conducting the workshop.
Heritage and Education Communication Service (HECS), INTACH Delhi in collaboration with INTACH Jammu Chapter organized a two-day workshop between 27th- 28th February 2017 at Government Degree College, Kathua and Wildlife Training Centre, Jasrota, Jammu and Kashmir. 59 teachers from 54 schools participated in the heritage awareness workshop. Mr. S.M. Sahni, Convenor INTACH Jammu Chapter welcomed the participants to the training workshop and encouraged them to take this as a step forward and set up heritage clubs in their schools. Prof. Netra Singh, Principal of the host college addressed the teacher participants and encouraged them to fully utilize the opportunity to learn about Kathua’s rich natural and built heritage. Dr. C. M. Seth, Chairperson, J&K Chapter of WWF-India talked about the traditional water harvesting systems in Kathua district. How the establishment of Devsthans led to the saving of the local ecology of the region. He also emphasized on setting up of eco-clubs in schools so that students get a hands-on experience in working with nature.
Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, HECS, INTACH Delhi gave presentations on the Heritage of India and what makes it rich and unique, and on HECS, its objectives and Heritage Education programmes along with information on YoungINTACH website. She encouraged the teachers to form heritage clubs in their respective schools with the training they have got in developing innovative teaching modules in heritage education. A heritage walk to the Jasrota Fort was organized wherein the teachers were told about the history of the fort by 5. Prof. Anita Billawaria, Director, Center for History, Jammu and Culture of Jammu and Ladakh Regions. The teachers were also given hands-on demonstrations on how to develop innovative lesson plans to inculcate heritage education in their school curriculum. The workshop ended with the distribution of certificates and resource material including heritage planners to the participating schools.
INTACH Nagercoil Chapter has inaugurated a Roadside Park on the banks of famous degraded heritage irrigation tank, Chemmakulam on 23.2.2017 in an inaugural function arranged by the the donars, INTACH Nagercoil Chapter and the local people. The Chemmakulam tank is about 1000 years old and was formerly known as the Umapankaneri tank named after Lord Shiva’s wife, Uma. The major portion of the funds is donated by Nasdaq, an IT company. This is an effort to beautify previously degraded banks of the heritage tank in Nagercoil and spread awareness of heritage conservation. This park consists of cement pillars, steel weld mesh fence, 250 feet long and 8 feet wide paver block walking path, 8 benches and about 80 Croten plants. The unique feature of the park is the panoramic view of the tank, mountains and the sun rise during the morning hours. The park is a contribution of INTACH Nagercoil Chapter to Nagercoil town and Kanyakumari District.
As a part of INTACH’s 32nd Founders Day Celebration, INTACH Jodhpur and Barmer Chapter joined hands and organised a Bird Fair at Gangawas, Barmer on the 28th January 2017. The students enjoyed the beauty and the rare species of birds that migrate from all over the world. Bird fairs highlight major environment issues like, water conservation, protection of wildlife and aims to bring a positive change in the society by sensitizing the youth to protect various aspects of natural heritage.
The students enjoyed the beauty and the rare species of birds that migrate from all over the world. Bird fairs highlight major environment issues like, water conservation, protection of wildlife and aims to bring a positive change in the society by sensitizing the youth to protect various aspects of natural heritage.
Heritage and Education Communication Service (HECS), INTACH Delhi in collaboration with the Sarva Shiksha Mission, Kolkata and INTACH State West Bengal Chapter organized a two-day workshop between 9th -10th Jan 2017 at Shiksha Bhavan, Kolkata. 59 teachers from 30 schools hailing from both English and Bangla medium participated in the heritage awareness workshop. Dr. Arun Kumar Chattopadhyay, Deputy Chairperson, State Advisory Council, SSM, Kolkata talked about the rich history and heritage of the colonial city. He said that our city’s history is our heritage. He said that India has always shown tolerance towards other cultures besides the quintessential Hindu identity. So dividing the heritage on the basis of religion should be discouraged. It is a collective treasure. Mr. G.M. Kapur, Convenor INTACH State West Bengal Chapter welcomed all the participants. He encouraged the teachers to become a part of this army of heritage consciousness which INTACH is fostering and help them restore their city’s culture and heritage. Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, HECS, INTACH Delhi gave presentations on the Heritage of India and what makes it rich and unique, and on HECS, its objectives and Heritage Education programmes. She stressed on utilizing the resources provided to the teachers during the workshop to the maximum as they are very much responsible in shaping the child’s imagination and sensitivity towards her/his heritage and culture as majority of the waking hours they spend with the teacher. She encouraged the teachers to form heritage clubs in their respective schools with the training they have got in developing innovative teaching modules in heritage education as it will help the students in learning about their past and rich heritage through heritage club activities. A heritage walk to the Indian Museum was organized wherein the teachers were taken to the Bharhut Gallery that dates back to 2nd century BCE. The museum had a collection of rare stone sculptures and carvings on the railings and gateway excavated in Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh. The teachers were given hands-on demonstrations on how to develop innovative lesson plans to inculcate heritage education in their school curriculum. The workshop ended with the distribution of certificates and resource material to the participating schools that would help them to set up heritage clubs in their respective schools.
The Heritage Education and Communication Division, INTACH conducted a one day teacher training workshop in Pokhran district of Jaisalmer. The workshop was aimed at engaging the teachers in an innovative approach towards heritage. In order to make them more aware It sought to sensitize them by creating awareness and providing a comprehensive outlook towards heritage.
The event was held at Pokhran Fort, a significant heritage structure of the town. The programme saw the participation of 25 schools and 46 teachers from various government and private schools of Pokhran.
The event started with Mr. Devi Singh, Member INTACH Jaisalmer Chapter, introducing the event and welcoming the participants. He introduced the audience to INTACH and its purview of work as India’s premier organisation for heritage conservation and preservation. To make his point lucid, Mr. Singh touched upon the history and significance of the INTACH logo. He also introduced the work the Heritage Education and Communication Service division of INTACH, Also present at the event was Mr. Gopal Singh Bhatti, convener INTACH Jaisalmer Chapter. The distinguished guests for the workshop were Mr. Iaidan Singh, Historian and Poet, Mr. Ram Singh Rathore, Artist andMr. Manohar Singh Rathore, Historian.
The workshop commenced with an introductory session with Ms. Purnima Datt, Principal Director, Heritage Education and Communication Service Division. She once again welcomed the participants. She acquainted the audience with the four main kinds of heritage of our country and also bringing into focus the local heritage of the town of Pokhran. The workshop also sought to engage and enable participants to develop heritage related activities in the school curriculum by forming heritage clubs and undertaking activities to actively conserve and preserve our heritage. For the aforesaid purpose resource materials were also given to the participating schools.
