Preserving Ahmedabad's heritage through artefacts

AHMEDABAD: A citybased graphic deisgner is on a mission to bring alive the ageold heritage grandeur of Ahmedabad through his creations. After making replicas of Ahmedabad's prominent heritage elements, this time Nilesh Dave, 51, has done a unique storytelling about the city through his newlydesigned memento. He has made a memento depicting Ahmedabad's journey from rich cultural past to the modern present.The artefact depicts city's story from Manek Burj (foundation bastion of Ahmedabad) to Town Hall and from Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) to Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), with Ellisbridge in its backdrop.
Dave has been practicing graphic designing for more than 25 years. In 1997, when Ahmedabad's heritage walk was introduced, he got the opportunity to be involved in the designing of the event. Dave says, "While exploring the heritage walk, I got mesmerized and motivated through the richness of the immortal heritage of our city. Since then I decided to dedicate my work in highlighting our glorious past."
After spending a couple of years in understanding the historical and cultural significance of the city and its architecture, he realized that there were no products available in the market that would talk about the city's past. In 2001, he made the first memento in the form of a replica of the traditional pol house. In the coming years, he got more indulged in heritage aspects of the city and made replicas of the traditional bird­feeder (chabutro) and also 'haveli' structure prominent in the old city areas of Ahmedabad. "I chose to make mementos and replicas of significant heritage architectural elements because being small and handy they have the potential to enter people's homes and offices," says Dave. This way he intends to keep reminding people of our roots that lie in our heritage.
To spread the cultural heritage of Ahmedabad, Dave made replicas of the statues of prominent poets Akha Bhagat and Kavi Dalpatram that stand in the old city area. He says, "Model­makers and sculpture artists from Ahmedabad and Orissa helped me bring these replicas to life." Since last year, Ravi Dave, 25, the next generation of Dave's family and a Cept graduate, has also joined him in celebrating the city's heritage. The father­son duo has made a remarkable memento of Manek Burj to educate people about the foundation bastion of the city. Ravi has also contributed in the designing of the recent memento.