Calling the idea of mere heritage passé, Udaipur’s reigning king Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar said, “We need to think beyond mere edifices or places and move on to thinking of an entire way of life as heritage.” He was talking to DNA soon after performing the traditional Ashwa Puja (horse worship) on Friday.
This is a tradition Mewar’s royal family has been observing since 743 AD. “Our traditions, rituals, arts, architecture, food, weaves and language are all interconnected and closely linked. Isolating any one of them can only take way from the holistic feel of them put together.”
He announced how the royal family in conjunction with UNESCO was organising a special conference by November end to look at the concept of living heritage. “We plan to organise it at the City Palace and want this to become a movement.” He also said a special performing arts concert was being planned.
According to him, unless people who are passionate about heritage come together to preserve living heritage, there is little hope for the survival of the rich legacy of a country’s heritage or its history. “The architectural splendour to ruin and history will be forgotten. It is a bounden duty of our generation to keep this going and help the youngsters establish a connect with their roots.” He felt India offers the right kind of space for the concept of living heritage.
“The moment you say something is only historical, people lose interest. It is necessary to contextualise this in as contemporary a way as possible.”
The monarch, who is a known foodie and cook, said he had plans to bring out a cook book too. When asked about the numerous scams unfolding these days he said, “I don’t want to take names. It does, however, seem silly now that royals were vilified and made to look like feudal exploiters by those who chose to abolish the privy purse. They have themselves emerged as much worse and their greed knows no bounds.”
Earlier, as a part of the Shakti Parva celebrations, a grand parade followed by a puja was organised at Udaipur’s Manak Chowk in the City Palace Complex. Ashwa puja and shastra puja were performed by the monarch who was joined by his son, prince Lakshyaraj Singh.
Way of Life as a heritage
Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar believes that all must look at an entire way of life as a heritage rather than just places or edifices. He believes that India has adequate space for this concept. A special conference by the royal family in collaboration with Unesco will be organised in November-end to look at the concept of living heritage, with the aim that it becomes a movement.
