This student-led project is mapping our heritage through their travels
Have you heard of ‘Backyard Cuisine’? Students at Ashoka Universitybefore travelling to the far reaches of Kaziranga to document the leaf-wrapped dish Patot Dia Maas. “The beautiful landscape sees severe flooding every year, forcing the inhabitants to live in houses on stilts and find innovative ways to consume the flora and fauna at their disposal. For most of their cooking, they literally use what they have available in their backyard. The crops, the plants, the fish from their ponds, the leaves and vegetables growing in their garden and the animals – all of this was harvested directly from their backyard, within a 250m radius,” shares Dharani Dhavamani, one of the students who participated in the project. InHERIT Projecta major cultural initiative aimed at preserving and celebrating India’s rich heritage, recently launched by Ashoka University.
InHERIT Project
Moving away from conventional documentary formats focusing solely on monuments, the project curates episodes that explore the culinary, textile, craft and festive practices of various indigenous communities in India. On Ashoka’s side, a 6-member core team and a 5-member student team are involved in the project, with approximately ten freelancers outside Ashoka also contributing and working. Renowned experts in history, natural sciences and culinary arts also contribute their expertise to enrich the series – an ambitious effort to create a comprehensive visual archive of Indian heritage.
There is a simple explanation for what inspired this group to take on an incredibly challenging task – documenting India’s culinary and natural heritage. “Food is something very intimate to everyone and is very versatile, yet close to home. Stories of ancient foods and culinary practices remind us that heritage can be timeless. Yet, the juxtaposition of that with changing recipes and the arrival of ingredients and dishes from other countries indicates the dynamic quality of heritage. On the other hand, natural heritage was another aspect we focused on as we felt the need to start talking more about the environmental philosophies and eco-friendly practices that have been a part of our heritage for centuries. Nature and heritage are rarely associated, and noticing that nature and culture are intertwined was what prompted us to focus on that topic,” shares Dharani, who is also the project leader for this initiative.
Traveling to document The heritage of India
From Sundarbans, Kaziranga, Ramgarh, Mangalore and Kotagiri to Mysore, Paradip, Guntur and more, their exploratory research has taken the team across the country, covering various aspects of India’s diversity in a nuanced manner. One experience that stands out is that of a quiet village called Ramgarh in Rajasthan. “Our experience in Ramgarh was quite eye-opening, where we toured their water systems and sacred groves. The older generations living in Thar have set up water harvesting, conservation and consumption systems that ensure that the meager rainfall they receive is enough to sustain them throughout the year. With several regions across the country facing a water crisis despite having several times more rainfall than this region, the systems they have set up are quite remarkable. However, with changing climate, landscape and infrastructure, these systems are also disappearing and require a lot of support and encouragement,” adds Pranjal Joshi, a film and audio-visual director.
And this information is shared with the audience in short, informative formats, such as 20-minute visual series episodes showcasing indigenous life, 30-minute podcasts by experts, and interactive workshops for high school students. Social media also lends its support as a platform for sharing information and generating audience engagement. While the rewards of this effort seem obvious, there are countless challenges, the most crucial of which is: what should they document?
“For example, the goal of documenting shellfish practices was to study one community on each of the east and west coasts and show the audience the aspects of the shellfish ecosystem where they overlap and diverge. However, being a peninsular country with huge coastlines, focusing on two cities posed a challenge. After meticulous secondary research and consulting experts working in the area, the team chose the cities of Poovar in Kerala and Paradip in Odisha,” shares Joshi. Other common challenges include finding safe accommodation, ensuring power for the equipment, building diverse crews, managing travel logistics and adjusting to weather conditions.
Despite the difficulties, the Young India Fellows relentlessly pursue their goal of documenting as much of India’s heritage as possible. One of the most incredible destinations they have covered is the Sundarbans, the world’s largest delta and mangrove forests. “The most notable thing about the delta is the high and low tides, the phenomenon that governs the lives of all organisms living there. People’s livelihoods are intimately tied to the forest, and that adds further vulnerability to their existence as the place is also populated by man-eating tigers and crocodiles. In other words, in a natural landscape where the ground beneath our feet is constantly fleeting, forests function as a space that gives generously and takes mercilessly. This has led to the local belief in the demi-goddess Bonobibi, who functions as a protector of pure-hearted people from the claws of the tiger. “This is a prime example of the reverence that ecology holds in their lives,” shares Dharani as she discusses why the stunning nature of the delta should be appreciated, preserved, respected and talked about.
With the onset of technology and development, the fear of losing indigenous heritage and knowledge is genuine. And inHERIT participants understand this, even more so after travelling and interacting with dozens of local communities in the remotest parts of India. Elderly fishermen in Kerala possess a wealth of knowledge about local fish species, their availability, breeding seasons and sustainable fishing practices. Similarly, elderly women of the Mising community in Kaziranga have a deep understanding of local plants and their medicinal and nutritional properties.
This knowledge is now on the verge of extinction, making this project invaluable. “These are just two examples of how habits, practices and heritages are often hidden in our everyday lives. It doesn’t have to be a community of specialized professionals or a remote region that holds these valuable treasures of knowledge. Still, every household has people or traditions that embody them. In this era of dire climate crisis and capitalism, a paradigm shift in knowledge systems around ecology and food practices is extremely essential for a sustainable future. And that, for a country in the Indian subcontinent, starts with exploring its roots,” says Joshi.
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