Kumaon: Another Face of Heritage

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Kumaon: Another Face of Heritage

- by Srishti Mittal


What classifies as ‘heritage’? Initially, I considered only monuments and paintings and other things related to Indian history to be ‘heritage’, but the Rural Sensitisation trip completely changed my perspective. I went with a group of 66 other students to the Kumaon Hills in Uttarakhand. Our trip was organized by TERI: the Energy and Resources Institute, an organization that aims at promoting sustainable development and environmental conservation. The natural, uncontaminated beauty and fresh air literally took our breath away. 

We visited the locals in their homes and cooked with them, marvelling at the utter simplicity in which they live very happily. We had thought that language barriers and the vast difference in our living conditions would stop us from connecting, but it was quite the contrary. Over some scrumptious aloo ki sabzi and cucumbers at least thrice the size of the ones we get in Delhi, we bonded very quickly. 

We also worked in the fields, ploughing and planting lemon trees. It was back-breaking work, and we were left wondering how a farmer can do it every day for years. We visited the Supi farm, which is a perfect example of how traditional methods of farming, when integrated with science, can yield great results. Initially, mostly potatoes were grown on the farm. However, TERI reached out to the farmers and they now use modern methods of optimizing soil productivity to grow a wide variety of crops, without exploiting it. We also had the chance to broadcast our thoughts on 90.4 Kumaonwani, the local radio station.

Over the course of those 4 days, I realized that Indian Heritage does not lie only in the statues and temples. It exists in the remotest parts of the country, where people continue to live simply and without much complaint, preserving Indian culture with admirable dedication.  Even though the areas we visited were affiliated with TERI and thus more developed than most rural areas, their age-old traditions shone through. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

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