The stage is being set for the 4th World Living Heritage Festival (WLHF) at The City Palace, Udaipur, Rajasthan from October 17th to 20th, 2018, to bring together a spectrum of artistes and academicians, activists and student delegates from India and overseas.
Organised by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF), the four-day mega festival will witness the inaugural of the 4th International Conference on Living Heritage; the art and crafts bazaar for master craftsmen to showcase their traditional offerings; music and dance performances to enliven the morning and evenings in the city of Udaipur; and heritage walks across interesting trails in The City Palace and the bylanes of the old city.
Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Trustee of MMCF, said, “Our endeavour to put the focus on ‘living heritage’ is now bearing fruit. The 4th World Living Heritage Festival will once again bring to centre stage the significance of living heritage as an integral part of India’s civilizational ethos. As in the past festivals at Udaipur, our delegates and guests will witness the timeless traditions being kept alive in our city and at The City Palace.”
During the international conference, learned speakers and delegates will explore the concept of ‘living heritage’ and the relationship between tangible and intangible heritage.
They will discuss the association of oral history, rites, and rituals within historic spaces: be it in temples, monuments, museums or public squares of the heritage city.
Keynote addresses and plenary session promise to be reflective and experiential. “We want our workshops, interactive sessions and heritage walks to become avenues for learning and sharing the traditional systems of knowledge,” said a spokesperson of MMCF. It is hoped that the conference sessions of the Festival will lead up to a joint publication by MMCF and UNESCO New Delhi. This publication, a compendium of best practices in safeguarding living heritage, will highlight various approaches to living heritage across the world.
Interactive workshops with experts in their fields of heritage documentation, textile conservation, the art of sword making and others will also be arranged for all those who are interested.
A craft bazaar with craftspeople demonstrating their skill and creativity is also planned at the Zenana Mahal of the City Place Museum. Indian Institute Crafts & Design has partnered with MMCF for the bazaar. Heritage walks into the old city, its temples and cenotaphs are also planned at the WLHF 2018.
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