The process of sharing, of knowledge, factual information or even experiences has and will always be the beginning of meaningful conversations. Moreover, when something significant has been done, the joy of sharing this as a story or an experiential narrative excites both the listener and the narrator. Stories give comfort, and give us a special satisfaction, that comes with sharing. Inkling by India Lost & Found is a platform particularly created for our enthusiastic and tireless volunteers spread across India, working towards one common goal: creating an extensive Heritage Map of the country! Our volunteers all deserve the satisfaction of sharing their experiences, and their narratives before their actual research gets molded into the final Heritage Map. With this in mind, ILF brings to you the lives and stories from behind-the-scenes, with thoughts and expressions aligning with different themes across the year.
Across the different traditions in our country, the importance of nature (be it the topography, water, forests or more) is interwoven and rooted within our lifestyles, spaces and actions, leading to one of the earliest sustainable cultures. In our daily lives, the use of earthen pots for storing water, eating on Sal and banana leaves, having the morning brew in tiny clay cups, or jute bags for our grains, medicines from plants, or the decorations for major events made of flowers and leaves, have all shaped our culture, making it more one with nature, something unique that makes us Indian. So when the world celebrates Nature Conservation Day in July, what better than to highlight our tangible and intangible cultural history with the stories and movements associated with conservation? The concept of ‘Sustainable Habitats‘ intends to celebrate and bring forth the importance of natural heritage in our built heritage.
The month of July will explore endless possibilities of the symbiotic relationship between people, their built heritage and nature as seen often across different cultures and eras in India. These would involve observations from travel journals, sketchbooks, history or heritage papers and more, and would come from all of our departments, as well as a bonus from our alumni interns!
So fasten your seat belts and come along with us for a journey into the lives of people who feel for our heritage, and have an eye for sustainability while they’re at it!
Hi, I’m Swapna Kothari…
Swapna is a Conservation Architect who believes that cultural narratives allow you to dream, and give the power to imagine. She is Curator at Inkling by India Lost & Found and also doubles as a Research Authenticator.
