Events are planned in Kochi, Kodungallur, Kalady and Aranmula from November 23 to November 27
Events are planned in Kochi, Kodungallur, Kalady and Aranmula from November 23 to November 27
India Heritage and Museum Field School (IHMFS), which is at the forefront of organizing heritage walks in Kochi, West Kochi and Thripunithura, will host national level initiatives on heritage and conservation at Kochi, Kodungallur, Kalady from 23 to 27 November. , and Aranmula, in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA), which is under the Union Ministry of Culture.
Regional hosts include Muziris Heritage Project for the event in Kodungallur on November 24, Ernakulam Karayogam for the one in Kochi city on November 25, Adi Shankara Trust for the Kalady event on November 26 and Vastu Vidya Gurukulam for the Aranmula event on November Huh. 27.
“Heritage conservation in the world began in an organized manner with the 1972 United Nations Convention on the Conservation of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage. Five events in Kerala are being organized in the backdrop of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Convention. In Kerala The sorry state of affairs of heritage conservation will be included in the discussion here on November 23,” said B Venugopal, former director of the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi.
The deluge of 2018 highlights the relevance of learning lessons from maritime heritage. The ongoing standoff between the coastal residents and the Vizhinjam port authorities assumes significance at this juncture. Shri Venugopal said that a session on Maritime Heritage will thus be held at the Muziris Heritage Project Office in Kodungalore.
The city of Kochi hosts several buildings including the Maharaja’s College, which are more than 100 years old.
Sources said that the Ernakulam Karayogam, who entered the Century Club in 2024, had shown interest in starting the Ernakulam Heritage Group in connection with the heritage event.
With concerns being expressed about heritage education in the country and heritage being misconstrued as history alone, the Adi Shankara Trust is planning to set up a heritage education initiative during the event to be held in Kalady.
With traditional craftsmanship being an important component of heritage and to capitalize on Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Aranmula Kannada, Vastu Vidya Gurukulam will organize a workshop on Intangible Heritage at Aranmula.
As a networking organization based in Kochi, IHMFS has organized several heritage awareness activities, including heritage walks, accessible walks to ensure inclusivity, for differently abled people, and a heritage field school. The body was invited to present papers at the UNESCO-Ministry of Culture Workshop on Intangible Heritage held recently in New Delhi, the Kerala Travel Mart in Kochi, the Thalassery Heritage Project and the Sri Aurobindo Society in Puducherry.
Registration for participation and volunteering will be accepted in the prescribed registration form till November 12. Clarification can be done through email, ihmfskochi@gmail.com.