Heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture. It is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviours that we draw from them (What is Heritage?, n.d). This is the reason heritage studies always has excited me as it can tell us the story of a journey. When I started learning history during my Graduation followed by Archaeology during my Masters, I started developing my interest in researching heritage more and more.
This enthusiasm towards heritage studies led me to discover the enriching initiative of India Lost and Found (ILF). The segment of ILF which has amazed me the most was the Mapping segment. I have been associated with this segment as a Heritage Mapper for six months (30 March 2021 – 30 September 2021) and I must admit that it was a wonderful experience for me.
Firstly, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Amit Sir for providing me with an opportunity to excel in my research interest towards heritage. India, being one of the world’s oldest civilizations, possesses an all-embracing confluences of cultures, religions, traditions, customs, etc. making her a centre of rich heritage (Heritage, n.d). I belong to Chinsurah, an urbanscape on the bank of the river Ganges in the district of Hoogly in the southern part of West Bengal, an eastern state of this country. Chinsurah has always been a cultural hub since its inception. It represents a confluence of diverse cultural flavours from 16th century onwards.
Dutch Cemetery
Chinsurah was a prosperous trading post of the Dutch East India Company between the 17th and 19th century. Besides, British, Armenian, Iranian, native Bengali, etc. had been living here since then. Along with Chinsurah, there existed a string of European settlements along Hooghly’s west bank, making the region the “Europe on the Ganges” (Vajpayee, 2017). This is my hometown which has always thrilled me about its heritage and led me to try to understand its importance in the heritage map of the country.
Motijhil Mosque
The voluntary post of Heritage Mapper at ILF has bought me the opportunity of researching my hometown’s heritage closely. In this journey, I would like to express my immense gratitude to Gaurav Sir and Maryam Madam; my two mentors for constantly guiding me during my internship period and also after its completion. With their kind support, I have also been able to map the heritage sites of some historically significant nearby places of Chinsurah, such as Chananagar, Pandua, Hooghly, Bandel, etc.
Edwardian Clock Tower
My aim as a Heritage Mapper was mainly to map the ‘Built Heritage Sites’ of the chosen location with a focus on the lesser-known sites. For this, I have been initially given training on how to research the available sites using literary sources and through field visits. I have also given a list of heritage sites for a concise categorization which has helped give a sense of the diversity of ‘things’ that might be considered to be official heritage (2.1.What is heritage?, n.d). Besides correctly marking the geo-coordinates of the heritage sites, I have also tried to include the other details to it, such as its characteristics, oral history related to it (if any), etc.
Bankim Bhavan
The most satisfying part was obviously the field visits to collect the raw data about the sites. From the remnants of the old Dutch Cemetery to Motijhil Mosque, from the traces of old houses in Suri Para to the rooms of Bankim Bhavan in Jora Ghat, from the five centuries-old Sandeshwar Temple complex to the big clock tower in the memory of King Edward VII of England, I have roamed here and there and every time, fallen in love with these magnificent representations of our composite culture.
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions that followed , I was not able to do frequent field visits. Going to the sites, searching for a new one, talking to the nearby people, understanding their perceptions about heritage has been fascinating to me all the time. With the blessings of the people of Chinsurah and its surroundings, I have been able to map 261 built heritage sites from the districts of Hooghly.
Sandeshwar Temple Complex
During this whole journey, I must say that have been able to rediscover my hometown and its surroundings and it helped me boost my research interest in heritage studies; as a result of which I, along with my two co-researchers have been able to initiate a reconnaissance survey about the perceptions of people about their heritage in Chinsurah. All these have been possible because of my association with ILF. I strongly believe that the mission ILF has taken to boost the picture of the built heritage sites of India through its different segments is appreciative and I wish for its success wholeheartedly.
References:
2.1. What is Heritage?. (n.d). OpenLearn Retrieved December 13, 2021, from What is
heritage?: 2.1 What is heritage? – OpenLearn – Open University – AD281_1
Heritage. (n.d). Incredible India. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredibleindia/en/experiences/heritage.html
What is Heritage? (n.d). UMassAhmerst. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from What is
Heritage? (umass.edu)
Vajpayee, S. (2017, January 3). Photos: The forgotten history of Chinsurah, a part of
Holland on the Ganges. Scroll.In. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
https://scroll.in/roving/728222/photos-the-forgotten-history-of-chinsurah-a-part-of-holland-
on-the-ganges
The views, information, or opinions expressed above are solely those of the author(s) involved and do not necessarily represent those held by India Lost & Found and its creative community.
Hi, I’m Debajit Ghosh …
Hi, I’m Debajit Ghosh …A trainee of Archaeology by profession, a poet by nature, I always try to feel the essence of Human Culture through a fascinating journey of my discipline. Being a heritage enthusiast, I aim at highlighting our relationships with our heritage through research paradigm.
