As we grow older, we become nostalgic. The trials and tribulations of migration are etched into the memories of our parents, and even those of us born here, have built new memories of integration, enterprise, discrimination and the challenges of simply ‘fitting in’. Overall, the evidence shows that the Indian diaspora in the West have generally done extremely well professionally and economically, but these achievements have not come easily, and also the stories and experiences differ widely.
Scholars and lecturers are increasingly recognising the richness of memory. While the country is debating the whole issue of inheritance tax, and why the rich should not be allowed to preserve their family wealth without being taxed, we have forgotten the beauty and vastness of our cultural inheritance, and its value. A few of us have voluntarily started a project to preserve those memories before our parents die or lose their reflective capacities through age and dementia, but the struggle we have is that the community has no sense of urgency about this mission. Such interviews are true stories, rich with detail, and narratives of courage and resilience, exposing the risks of migration but also the ways in which it helps us to build peace and cohesion in society.
MORE LIKE THIS…
Ideally, we need to do lots of good quality interviews very quickly before our elders die, and for that we will need to hire professional researchers who can be paid to do so quickly and efficiently. If we can get our own young volunteers dedicated to this challenge, that is even better, but the quality and urgency should not be compromised. This means we have to think out of the box, and value memory as a key cultural asset and legacy, and something that will last a long time, helping to retain culture for future generations. Furthermore, the scale of the cost or investment is nothing compared to the value of preserving our cultural legacy.
The interviews we have done so far can be viewed on the YouTube channel linked below. Examples include husband and wife Dr Madhusudan and Mrs Kundan Shah; Public Intellectual Mr Ramnik K.D. Shah; Professor Kanti Mardia; Mrs Sushilaben Laxman Shah; and Dr Hedley Swain, Director of the Royal Pavillion explains why such cultural memories are so critical to preserve. The videos have received very positive feedback both from the interviewees and from the listeners and viewers, and these stories will now be preserved for posterity.
MORE LIKE THIS…
So far, we have done barely a dozen in total, with our team of volunteers led by Mrs Hasmita Shah, but we need to have a target of at least a dozen per month to get a good range of memories from both men and women. We must collate the stories so that future generations can understand the struggles and the achievements. Famous institutions like the British Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum have done projects on these, but their funding is limited and after a while they stop doing the interviews. As living communities, we urgently need to understand how priceless this asset of cultural history is for all of us, and do something about it, before we lose our cultural inheritance.
Please can you make suggestions of what your thoughts are as to the urgency of this task, and the significant opportunities that come out from such a project in the medium to long term? I welcome any thoughts about the financing of this project for all the different peoples and communities we have in our Indian diaspora globally. Should we use creative approaches, or establish a foundation, or enlist and train a large army of volunteers who can perform this task efficiently and effectively?
MORE LIKE THIS…
Share your own projects and stories of preserving such memories and narratives by emailing here: Info@iGlobalNews.Com.
Professor Atul K. Shah [@atulkshah; YouTube/Atul K. Shah] teaches and writes about Indian wisdom on business, culture and community at various UK universities and is a renowned international author, speaker and broadcaster.