Community museums are for those everyday things

How can people hold on to bits and pieces of their collective past so as to remember the way they once lived? Community museums present the opportunity of preserving those everyday things that get buried in the wake of changing trends and technologies. Not long ago we carried a story on how some people in the Bodo community in the Northeast are trying to preserve lifestyle trends that are going out of vogue.

The Goa Chitra Museums are also a brilliant example of how the past can be captured for future generations. For Goa this is particularly important because it is caught up in rapid change driven by tourism and real estate development. By contrast, Goa in the past was in every way modern and socially evolved. It was inclusive and ecologically aware and collective in its decision-making.

The Goa Chitra Museums are the work of Victor Hugo Gomes who has singlehandedly put together vast collections of artefacts, sourcing them from all over in villages and through ordinary folk. Gomes is gifted as an artist and restorer. He is also driven as one has to be when setting out to do something so original. Our cover story this month tells his story and through him the story of a Goa that most visitors to the beautiful state do not get to see.

From Goa we take you to Kashmir and the Line of Control on the border. How have the people living in villages there fared during the conflict? We spoke to Bashir Ahmad Mir in Baramulla who we learnt had prepared a report after visiting the villages and sent it to the PMO. We have been tracking life in that conflict zone, but the recent hostilities show us that much needs to be done for their everyday survival and during times of extreme crisis.

In Bengaluru, The Nudge Institute has made headway in dealing with presbyopia, the near-vision problem that affects millions of Indians. When we first covered this, The Nudge Institute had outlined the extent of the problem and suggested a model for getting glasses to people. We revisit the endeavour to find that there is early success in Meghalaya where the state government has been all action.

Kirtee Shah is as sincere and active as ever in his search for urban management solutions. We bring you a report on an interesting online seminar organized by him on Pune’s problems. Bani, a baby elephant, just about survived a train hit. There was paralysis in her back legs but veterinarians have got her up and moving by using acupuncture.

We have our regular columnists with their outstanding insights. And in our Living section we take you on a hike in the Western Ghats in Goa during the monsoon.