Connecting people through Culture
Culture has been under threat for much longer than we think, allowing us to craft sustainable and systemic long-term solutions instead of short-term responses to manage the crisis. Cultural Heritage can be defined as an experience that resonates with the relevant memories and values from the past, whether tangible or intangible. In today's urban landscapes, different dominant imageries have replaced the inherently significant narratives.
Considering the case study of the historic city of Kolhapur (India), the people’s association with the place plays an important role in the community’s resilience. Sociability and social institutions play a crucial role in the picture of the cultural heritage of the city. The ‘Talims’ in the city were built by former ruler Rajasrshree Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur city history. The Talim being the center promoting fitness, moral values, wrestling spirit, sense of unity still remains intact in the city of Kolhapur acting as a social institution. Though the transformation has been taking place with respect to the use of Talim, it still remains intact with its historic significance. The evolution of Talims continues to be robust as it is seen to explore the crisis-cultural heritage nexus. Hence, social institutions could serve the idea of social cohesion and social integrity within a city and the local communities residing, improving their scope to use the public realm augmenting their quality of life. Thus, historic repositories and our culture could allow us to face all crisis in the present and future as our culture is bonded with the people.