Documenting heritage, retelling stories

The sight of young students trailing around with video cameras and filming a historical monument isn't very usual. Yet, retelling stories, documenting history and creating an online buzz about monuments are now in vogue with school and college students in India.

To help college-going students realise the importance of heritage structures, Cultural Resource Conservation Initiative (CRCI), a Delhi-based body working towards interdisciplinary, community focused heritage conservation is set to kick-start its initiative to educate the young on September 16.

The initiative, aims to bridge ‘the disconnect with the history of the Grant Trunk road in Punjab.’  ‘Students cannot relate with historical monuments because they are unable to connect with the past. There are no memories that they can relate with,’ director CRCI, Gurmeet Rai said.

This drive, in collaboration with the British Council targets college students, who learn to document, conserve and therefore develop a connect with historical monuments under expert guidance.

Rai says, ‘Monuments are no isolated architecture of historical importance. They must be related to people and seen through the lens of 'people's monuments'. It's importance to retell stories to be able to develop a sense of belonging to our past.’ 

The CRCI also plans to upscale this project to several cities, highlighting the role of college students in retelling historical stories.  In its newest chapter, FilmIt India, an initiative by INTACH's Heritage Conservation and Education services guided school children to film diverse culture and heritage of the city under guidance of documentary filmmakers.

The initiative spread across 30 schools in Delhi began with a workshop highlighting the importance of content students must look for, followed by a film-making workshop.