[1]A person who has always been very active, sitting down to write a book was a difficult task for her. However, Dr Navina Jafa, a cultural activist, academician, performing artist, cultural historian and cultural entrepreneur held on to her patience to write a book on her experiences. Dr Jafa released her book, Performing Heritage, Art of Exhibit Walks, recently in the capital.
She has always believed in presenting heritage in an artistic way. Her walks around Indian historial landmarks are just not about dates and lineage but more about the smaller things that have made the site popular. So on her tours, she combines it with performing arts that range from classical dance to storytelling. She says, “The medium of heritage walks made me understand what it means to be a cultural broker”.
Through her book, she has tried to bring out the legacy of these historical places. “I want people to understand heritage the way I have understood it,” she says, adding that heritage is not limited to buildings or architecture of the past. “Heritage is created with every passing day. Like, the huge edifices of Mayawati in Uttar Pradesh are also a part of heritage. When I take people for walks in Lucknow, I talk about these new structures as well,” she adds.
As a “guide” who has studied her topics of discussion well, she also understands that while conducting walks, it is not just the knowledge of the place that matter but a lot of other things as well. “Some years ago, I conducted a walk during Ramazan. Following protocol, I asked the management of Jama Masjid to allow me to get non-Muslims inside the mosque. I had some eminent people alongwith me from abroad. While we were on our way, I got a message about bomb blasts in Delhi that made everyone panicky. I calmed them down and involved them in my talks. As a guide, you have to have a lot of managerial skills besides everything else,” she says.
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[1] http://archive.asianage.com/drjpg-714