What is the Murshidabad Heritage Development Society's key to conservation?

The MHDS believes that an emotional connect and sense of pride among local communities are essential for heritage conservation.

Why is heritage restoration in Bengal more challenging than in Rajasthan?

Bengal's historic structures often use mud and clay, making them harder to restore compared to Rajasthan's stone architecture.

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Heritage Havlies: Community Heartbeat for Conservation

Q: How do festivals help heritage sites in Murshidabad?

Festivals in Murshidabad are used to instill pride, responsibility, and a sense of ownership among local residents towards their heritage.

5 Jan

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Summary

Emotional community connection is vital for heritage conservation success.
Bengal's mud-and-clay structures pose restoration challenges.
Festivals in Murshidabad aim to instill pride and ownership.

Heritage Havlies: Community Heartbeat for Conservation

Sandip Nowlakha, vice-president of the Murshidabad Heritage Development Society (MHDS), emphasizes that a deep emotional connection between local communities and built heritage is crucial for its survival. Without this sense of pride and responsibility, even well-funded restoration efforts may falter.

Nowlakha highlighted the material differences in heritage structures between Bengal and Rajasthan. While Rajasthan boasts stone architecture, many historic buildings in Bengal, particularly in Murshidabad, were constructed using mud and clay, making their restoration more complex and challenging.

To combat this, MHDS employs a multi-pronged strategy in Murshidabad, which has 97 identified heritage sites. Annual festivals are instrumental in this approach, serving not just as cultural showcases but as vital tools to instill pride, responsibility, and a sense of ownership among local residents, thereby securing the legacy of the past.