Doors to Diplomacy Participants

Lakshmipat Singhania Academy (2017 CyberFair Project ID 8316)
India, Bissau
Official Status: Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 4. Local Specialties

We estimate 26 student(s) from 11 to 14 will work on this entry.

Description of Our Community: Rajasthan is the largest State of India. It covers 10.4% of total India’s area. We are located in the Shekhawati belt in Churu which is the land of shifting sand dunes and is also called the Gateway to Great Thar desert. The population consists of 73% cultivators and about 4% of agricultural labour and 2.26% population is involved in processing and servicing industry. This was a land of heroism & gypsies, wonders & wars and strong winds and trade. This belt has a major chunk of traders called Marwari merchants. These Marwari merchants during 17th to 19th century travelled far and wide to trade. They brought in a lot of wealth to their home towns. Success in distant and lands did not make marwaries turn their back on their home land instead to most impress those they have left behind they lavished money on their homes which were later called havelies. There are close to 2000 havelies covered with frescoes on their walls and ceilings. These frescoes depict scenes from mythology / wars and battles and the ancestries of their owners and also the coming of the British Raj. Today these exquisite painted houses, Ozymandias in their hubris and decay. These havelies are mostly unoccupied now and their desolation combined with their scale and great wealth produces the feeling of wonder.

Project Description: We wanted to rescue our past to build our future.Tourism contributes heavily to the economy of Rajasthan in India. It almost accounts to 8% of Rajasthan’s domestic product. Whereas in our belt, the old heritage of havelies and frescoes was neither contributing in providing employment nor adding to the economy. This cultural heritage in our belt has been ignored by the owners and the Government. Therefore it was imperative for us to visit Chattries (cenotaphs), baoris (stepwells) and havelies (mansions) of Churu, Ramgarh, Mahansar, Mandawa and Bissau to study the art and architecture. We wanted owners and the Government to wake up and do the restoration work as in bigger cities and towns (like Jaipur, Jodhpur etc.). We wanted tourism to develop thus bringing in more revenue to our belt. During our research we found that Italy is a land of frescoes too thus we decided to collaborate with a school in Italy to compare the frescoes in both the countries and thus bring the theme UNDERSTAND AND UNITE alive. The biggest aim though was to build the bridge between the past and the future and raise awareness of the complexity,diversity and excellence of Indian heritage and the need to preserve it .

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