Reflecting on the river: rapid urbanisation and representations of Indian cultural heritage.

Many cities have developed on and around rivers as they are important elements, e.g. for transport, trade and fishing. Rivers also play a significant part in people's everyday lives, underpinned by their cultural practices, for example traditions and rituals such as funeral rites in India. People perceive, represent and use rivers in different ways which may or may not correspond with the way in which city-level decision-makers (e.g. designers, planners and managers) tell the 'story' of the river as part of its city identity. There are multiple perspectives and narratives of rivers which may differ over time as cities become increasingly urbanised. However we do not fully understand how rapid urbanisation of cities around the world is changing the cultural connections that people have with the river. This project aims to take the first step to address this gap in knowledge to deepen understanding of the cultural role of the river for residents in urbanizing India. Working in collaboration, the UK and Indian investigators have developed the following project objectives:

- To explore the different perspectives and 'stories' that people have of changing urban rivers over time;
- To explore and record how rivers have been used in the past and is used today;
- To bring together practitioners, academics and policymakers from different sectors to examine rivers and their cultural meanings (e.g. as a setting for cultural practices) in rapidly urbanizing settings;
- To develop data collection and analysis methods to capture the multiple perspectives and 'stories' of/about urban rivers as changing heritage landscapes.

Ahmedabad has been selected by the collaborative research team as a city for closer examination. It is undergoing intense urbanisation and described as one of the India's megacities. For this examination, the project will involve a review of (local) writing, painting, poetry, mythology, plays and archival materials about 'meanings of the river' in urbanising India. This will be followed by interviews with academics and professional practitioners who are responsible for teaching, researching and interpreting cultural heritage in the city. This will begin to uncover the multiple 'stories' around the river for further examination later on. The research team will hold two workshops for practitioners, academics and user group representatives to share their practices, interpretations, experiences and memories of the river to help piece together a more holistic view of the river as urban cultural heritage. The workshops will involve artists who will produce drawings/visualisations and a theatre group who will interpret the changing river, based on the perspectives of the different workshop participants. Together, these findings will form the basis of a high-profile dissemination conference in Ahmedabad aimed at academics, professionals and invited speakers. There will also be a second conference in Sheffield to disseminate findings and bring European and Indian delegates together. The conferences will provide critical debate on 1) how the river has changed as cultural heritage over time, and 2) how valid and relevant is the research methodology. The conferences will be followed by a formalisation of the research network members who will continue to collaborate on future research projects.

This cross-sector research network will be steered by an Advisory Group made up of academic and non-academic Indian project partners, who will help build up the research network and bring together stakeholders from public and private sectors as well as charities and community groups. This will support the team in their efforts to develop innovative and useful ways of collecting and analyzing data and bring about knowledge sharing, now and in the future, between academics and non-academics.

We will deepen understanding of the cultural role of the river in urbanizing India by providing a forum for discussions from multiple perspectives, to uncover meanings of the river and associated cultural practices. Alongside the project partners, the project's beneficiaries are local (within Ahmedabad), national (within India) and international (UK, Europe and beyond).
Public Sector: This project has relevance for a range of priorities facing Municipal Authorities in India and Local Authorities elsewhere, such as access, inclusion around urban rivers and, in India, religious connection, while dealing with issues of water quality, pollution and climate-change related outcomes. This project brings the public sector together with other sectors to discuss relevant agendas around culture, heritage, management and ownership of the river and how they influence perceptions of meaning, sense of identity, social inclusion and cultural practices. This may help inform the interpretation of the river by city-level decision-makers when considering 'city as destination'.
Third sector/NGOs: The project will bring together representatives of communities, users and the heritage itself to reflect the diversity of those who influence, and in turn are influenced by, the river. Local beneficiaries will be invited to participate in the workshops and dissemination event such as the Gujari Bazaar Association who organize the weekly market along the river and the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (who manage the Gandhi Ashram). National beneficiaries including the Vastu Shilpa Foundation (research NGO in environmental and habitat design) and the Conservation and Research of Urban Traditional Architecture (CRUTA) Foundation will also be invited. The research network will also connect with international river charities such as International Rivers and River Network.
Professional bodies and private sector: The work and expertise of many professional groups directly impacts on the quality of the river as designed landscape, public realm and cultural heritage setting, particularly Landscape Architects (Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) and the International Federation of Landscape Architects. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) will be an invaluable partner in this project for growing the network, given their focus on conserving the unprotected heritage in India, and the intertwining of tangible landscape heritage and intangible rituals and practices, which involves a multidisciplinary range of professionals.
Community groups: The project will target local organisations to participate in the workshops and dissemination event, including the Mahila Housing SEWA Trust, some of whose members originally lived in slum settlements on the riverbed. It is envisaged that there will be local interest in this project, given our supposition that there are hidden voices and unheard narratives around the river. In this way, and alongside the artists and theatre group to be formally engaged in the project, we will partner with local cultural groups (e.g. Saamarthya Institute of Dance, part of project partner The Saamarthya Foundation, which runs art and cultural programmes for children in slum settlements). We will also target local religious representatives from Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim temples and mosques and beyond to capture current and past religious rituals and practices occurring in or around the river.
Artists, dance and theatre groups: specifically those interested in cultural rituals and practices in urban settings. This project will conceptualise the river as a cultural setting, and a setting for cultural practices, to be interpreted by the groups engaged in the research, and the wider (local, national and international) artistic community beyond. We will focus on building capacity for future collaboration between academic researchers and these groups as part of the methodological development.