World Heritage Day: How are Mumbai institutions preserving intangible cultural heritage

Intangible cultural heritage or living heritage refers to the practices, traditions, customs, and knowledge that are passed down from generation to generation within communities. It encompasses various aspects of culture that cannot be physically touched or seen, such as music, dance, oral traditions, rituals, and festivals. These forms of heritage are an essential part of the identity of communities and contributes to their sense of belonging. They are also essential for preserving cultural diversity, promoting social cohesion through intercultural dialogue. Due to its inherently fragile nature, it requires safeguarding to ensure its continuity for future generations. On World Heritage Day, we spoke to experts from organisations offering diverse cultural engagements to understand how they are promoting and preserving living heritage.

We work to enrich heritage through local dialogue and cross-pollination
"We believe that intangible heritage plays a vital role in the cultural ecosystem, and we work hard to enrich it through local dialogue and cross-pollination with other cultures. We collaborate with local historians, intellectuals, and international scholars to promote and celebrate India's diverse culture and heritage," says Asad Lalljee, SVP, Essar Group and CEO of Avid Learning.

Among India's leading arts and cultural programming platform, Avid Learning has presented over 1600 multiverse and hybrid programs, domestically and internationally. In Mumbai, it has been at the helm of programming at the iconic Royal Opera House since its reopening in 2016. They also conduct several engagements, including panel discussions, and heritage walks delving into neighborhoods, and communities of Mumbai.

"As custodians of art and culture, we feel it is our responsibility to create platforms and opportunities for a variety of events that showcase the diversity of the arts including living heritage. Our goal is to build cultural capital and nurture new audiences, patrons, and future stakeholders. We offer a range of events in categories such as music, dance, theatre, and opera performances. Some of our popular series include Multipolis Mumbai, Culture Capitals, Across Cultures, Uncovering Urban Legacies, and Sustainability Now. These talks are archived and available to view on our YouTube channel," elaborates Lalljee.

When asked if there is a category of arts that is preferred by audiences, he says, "Our wide-ranging audience has a heterogenous taste, and we aim to democratise the arts and deepen engagement by providing equal access and opportunities to new learners and fresh voices. We reached 1.8 million interested learners globally through our online platform - Avid Online."

It's often a challenge to showcase living heritage to a mass audience while maintaining its integrity. So how does Avid prevent themselves from commodification of living heritage? "To prevent the commodification of living heritage, we approach this challenge with a multifaceted strategy rooted in respect, collaboration, and education. We work closely with cultural practitioners and experts to ensure that the representation is accurate, respectful, and true to their essence. Our platform prioritises the voices and perspectives of communities themselves, and our programs provide the necessary historical, cultural, and social context that gives meaning and depth to these traditions. Our goal is to help audiences appreciate the significance and nuances of these traditions rather than viewing them as mere performances, or commodities," concludes Lalljee.

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The focus is on encouraging discussions on the relevance or the need to preserve heritage
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (BDL) is Mumbai's first and one of India's oldest museums. It was established to promote the arts and crafts of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, tells us Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and director Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

BDL is not just a heritage landmark, but a proactive partner and catalyst in the promotion of diverse arts and culture in the city. "The Museum represented the finest of Indian craftsmanship at several major international and national exhibitions. After the Museum's restoration and revitalisation in 2003-2008, we launched an extensive exhibitions and outreach programme. The museum showcases a rich variety of modern and contemporary art through sculpture, paintings, and other experimental media and design. The Museum supports Indian craftsmanship through crafts fairs and workshops by artists from across India. We also support music, dance, theatre and film and video art," elaborates Mehta.

While the museum showcases the city's art and culture through a rare collection of fine and decorative arts that highlight early Modern Art practices as well as the craftsmanship of various communities of the Bombay Presidency, the team has also curated workshops, storytelling sessions, and a children's book corner to deeply engage with audiences across ages. "The Museum attracts a very diverse audience through our multi-pronged approach to explore the many facets of Indian art and cultural heritage. Younger audiences are drawn to contemporary art and design exhibitions while family groups prefer workshops," says Mehta about the diverse age demographic.

Their focus on trilingual programming is an attempt at reaching even wider audiences, "We have made a concerted effort to reach all segments of society through our programming which is not just in English but in Marathi and Hindi as well," shares Mehta. The museum also has a special programme called ‘Museum Katta' which sees well known personalities to speak on different subjects to a Marathi speaking audience. Family groups, young students, senior citizens and even the vendors in the next door Byculla vegetable market are among their regular audiences.

When presenting heritage to such audiences, how does the museum prevent itself from commodification of living heritage, Mehta poses, "The Museum is a space for education and conversation. As a not-for-profit organisation, the focus is on encouraging discussions on the relevance or the need to preserve heritage, both tangible or intangible. To celebrate and raise awareness about these issues, the Museum hosts diverse online and in-person programming. This World Heritage Day the Museum will host a heritage quiz exploring Mumbai's history and culture, a workshop to understand why and how we can preserve heritage, and a storytelling session about how traditional weaves create the famous Paithani sari."

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The working adult is trying to find new ways of spending their weekend, other than dining out, clubbing, or watching a movie
"Our mission is ‘meaningful experiences for everyone, everywhere' and we always aim to achieve the meaningfulness aspect in every experience we curate," says Shannon Fernandes, co-founder and head of sales and marketing at Vagabond Experiences. Rooted in empathy and community, Vagabond Experiences aims to infuse significance into the subtleties by offering a wide range of experiences from nature safaris, spotting flamingos to coffee brewing workshops.

Elaborating on their curatorial process, Fernandes tells us, "We try and curate our experiences based on what we think would be a unique and meaningful way for our audience to spend their time. We bring an aspect of what we believe is the quintessential Vagabond experience, so as to make sure that we're not just 'middlemen' in the whole affair. We attend a walk, workshop or any experience ourselves, and tweak it before deciding if it's a good fit for our audience."
She poses, "The working adult is trying to find new ways of spending their weekend, other than dining out, clubbing, or watching a movie. We've noticed that nature walks and workshops are highly desired by our Mumbai audience."

Intangible cultural heritage, like traditional ecological knowledge, often holds the secrets to sustainable living. Passed down through generations, these practices can help conserve biodiversity by teaching communities to respect and utilise natural resources wisely. When it comes to tourism activities, engaging with delicate ecosystems in a way that does not harm them is also equally important. A popular experience offered by Vagabond is the Flamingo safari through the beautiful Bhandup mangroves in Mumbai. The hour-long journey is guided by a knowledgeable naturalist who helps guests spot the vibrant flora and fauna, and emphasises the significance of the complex ecosystem. The key is to channel the knowledge certain communities possess, and arm them with additional in order to achieve a holistic end goal that is sustainable.

How does Vagabond approach sustainable preservation of living heritage while offering experiences like the flamingo safari? "We do our research on the collaborators we're working with. In case of the flamingo safari, boats are driven by the same local fishermen who used to hunt the flamingos for food. But now they've been hired as boat guides and trained to preserve the area because it's a bigger source of income for them. The boat guides are trained to understand the tide and the ecosystem. They know how deep into the creek they can take the boat and make less noise around the flamingos. Even though they're not the naturalist who is the subject expert on the matter, they have also been taught the names and features of the migratory birds dwelling here," answers Fernandes.