Building on heritage

ISSUE: 137

Artist, conservationist, designer, social leader and visionary, Shama Pawar has dedicated her life to bringing about sustainable change in the historic Hampi region

How did your journey in art and design begin?

SP: My formative years were spent in Pune, which was a beautiful city with a very specific aesthetic. I was always surrounded by artists, classical singers, and craftspeople who made inanimate birds come to life. My travels to the West exposed me to the value of art and heritage. It was a bit dichotomous; while my mother, who is more inward-looking, humbled me by encouraging me to pick up skills like sewing, my father broadened my horizons by ensuring that I visited some of the greatest museums and cities like Paris from an early age. More than my formal education, it was home that exposed us to the global and the local

Which have been your most noteworthy projects?

SP: It is hard for me to pinpoint a few – it really depends on the impact that even a small project can have. Quality of life experience for all is what we seek to achieve. For example, to tackle the problem of open defecation we organised clean street and rangoli competitions that instilled a sense of pride in keeping the surroundings clean. It is a small act but it solves a larger problem. The children who were a part of the education through the performing arts program are today handling their own businesses and have become local entrepreneurs in their own right. They don’t shy away from trying something new.

What are you currently working on?

SP: We are working on establishing the cottage industry under one roof. On the tourism front, we’re working on guidelines on how Hampi as a destination can develop eco-friendly infrastructure to facilitate the growing pilgrim footfall. We are also looking at developing economic opportunities for locals without losing the sanctity of the place. We hope to build a state of the art institute that takes skilling to the next level and makes cultural industries and creative economies a successful reality.

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