What would it have been like to be a vegetable-seller during Kempegowda's time or a teacher during the British rule? How did ordinary people go about their lives during the Hoysala and Vijayanagara periods?
These were some questions put to a group of class VII students of Government Urdu School in Goripalya. For students, it was a novel experience to put themselves in the shoes of different characters and travel back in time.
The special class on the city’s heritage and history was conducted by volunteers of the heritage conservation group Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). As part of a pilot project, the non-profit organisation is teaching the city's cultural and heritage history to children in this government school.
INTACH plans to expand the project to other schools. “We have been conducting sessions in private schools, but we wanted to take it to children in government and aided schools too. With the help of Mantra4Change, an NGO working to improve quality of education, we identified the school in Goripalya. We have conducted two classes and the response has been great,” said Meera Iyer, co-convenor, INTACH.
The idea behind the session is to familiarise students with the local history. “Textbooks talk about history in a larger context. The little histories of various places is forgotten along the way. We want students to know about these histories, of not just kings but also the common man. They should be able to identify with the place they are living in,” said Pallavi Murthy, an architect and INATCH volunteer, who has been teaching the children.
INTACH has created a six-week module for the students, in which every aspect of Bengaluru's local heritage will be covered, including forts and places, lakes and natural history, geography and its people. Classes are conducted once a week.
“The modules are being taught through the medium of games, scenario building and videos. We will also be discussing ways to conserve and preserve this history. After the six-week classes, the children will be taken on a field trip to the nearest heritage site,” said Ms. Murthy.
Based on the feedback, INATCH plans to replicate the module in other government and aided schools. “We hope to instil better understanding of our heritage in children and the value of preserving it.”