Reflecting on the river: rapid urbanisation and representations of Indian cultural heritage.

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Many cities have developed on and around rivers as they are important elements, e.g. for transport, trade and fishing. Rivers also play a significant part in people's everyday lives, underpinned by their cultural practices, for example traditions and rituals such as funeral rites in India. People perceive, represent and use rivers in different ways which may or may not correspond with the way in which city-level decision-makers (e.g. designers, planners and managers) tell the 'story' of the river as part of its city identity. There are multiple perspectives and narratives of rivers which may differ over time as cities become increasingly urbanised. However we do not fully understand how rapid urbanisation of cities around the world is changing the cultural connections that people have with the river. This project aims to take the first step to address this gap in knowledge to deepen understanding of the cultural role of the river for residents in urbanizing India. Working in collaboration, the UK and Indian investigators have developed the following project objectives: - To explore the different perspectives and 'stories' that people have of changing urban rivers over time; - To explore and record how rivers have been used in the past and is used today; - To bring together practitioners, academics and policymakers from different sectors to examine rivers and their cultural meanings (e.g. as a setting for cultural practices) in rapidly urbanizing settings;- To develop data collection and analysis methods to capture the multiple perspectives and 'stories' of/about urban rivers as changing heritage landscapes.Ahmedabad has been selected by the collaborative research team as a city for closer examination. It is undergoing intense urbanisation and described as one of the India's megacities. For this examination, the project will involve a review of (local) writing, painting, poetry, mythology, plays and archival materials about 'meanings of the river' in urbanising India. This will be followed by interviews with academics and professional practitioners who are responsible for teaching, researching and interpreting cultural heritage in the city. This will begin to uncover the multiple 'stories' around the river for further examination later on. The research team will hold two workshops for practitioners, academics and user group representatives to share their practices, interpretations, experiences and memories of the river to help piece together a more holistic view of the river as urban cultural heritage. The workshops will involve artists who will produce drawings/visualisations and a theatre group who will interpret the changing river, based on the perspectives of the different workshop participants. Together, these findings will form the basis of a high-profile dissemination conference in Ahmedabad aimed at academics, professionals and invited speakers. There will also be a second conference in Sheffield to disseminate findings and bring European and Indian delegates together. The conferences will provide critical debate on 1) how the river has changed as cultural heritage over time, and 2) how valid and relevant is the research methodology. The conferences will be followed by a formalisation of the research network members who will continue to collaborate on future research projects. This cross-sector research network will be steered by an Advisory Group made up of academic and non-academic Indian project partners, who will help build up the research network and bring together stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as charities and community groups. This will support the team in their efforts to develop innovative and useful ways of collecting and analyzing data and bring about knowledge sharing, now and in the future, between academics and non-academics.