KOLKATA: Kolkata is a city that speaks to you in stories. Every by-lane, every corner of the city has its own tale to tell. Of late, heritage awareness has become the "talk of the town". The city recently witnessed the Citizen's March from
Subodh Mullick Square
to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, organized by the joint initiatives of CAL (Calcutta Architectural Legacies),
Intach
and NGO Public, on World Heritage Day, 18 April, against the "'systemic destruction" of the city's heritage. To coincide with the growing civic movement and spread awareness, several initiatives have been taken by people from various backgrounds.
Many city schools have formed heritage clubs and are actively working to make students aware of their roots. The schools, along with Intach, have started projects where they have to make short films on heritage sites, historical places, forgotten cultures and rituals, traditional art forms and dying professions.
Shankar Subramaniam
, teacher, The Heritage School said: "By making short films on topics like this the students get to know about our rich heritage as these requires a lot of research."
Among other initiatives, heritage walking tours have gained much popularity among Kolkatans. The idea behind these tours are to make locals familiar with the nooks and crannies of the city. Deepanjan Ghosh, heritage and history blogger feels tours on the ground can only promote and preserve heritage.
Several small exhibitions, talk-shows are also being organized to conserve and reclaim the unique character of the historical city by preserving its buildings and neighbourhoods. Tathagata Neogi, founder of
Heritage Walks Calcutta
said, "These are a part of the larger process that supplement the walking tours. Not everyone can walk. So the affordable talks, exhibitions and researched short films are other ways to reach people."
Author Amit Chaudhuri feels that whether it is through walking, talking, writing or films, it is necessary to re-discover the city and its spaces.
Facebook is also playing a key role in this civic movement. Swarnali Chattopadhyay, admin of
Purono Kolkatar Golpo
, one such facebook group said: "To make the neighbourhood known and to spread heritage awareness was the sole objective behind this group."