The Vohrawaads of Sidhpur
Heritage India publishes another coffee table book "The Vohrawaads of Sidhpur" by Zoyab Kadi & Tahaer Kadi
Once the exotic abodes of a community in change, plush with ornate interiors and lavish embellishments, the Vohravaads of Sidhpur are today a pale spectre of their former selves. We present to you our latest publication - a coffee table book dedicated to this unique architectural style.
The heritage houses of Najampura, Sidhpur in North Gujarat, have been a subject of many scholarly studies over the last several decades and, although many inconsistent theories have been put forward regarding the evolution of their vernacular architectural style, all of them have uniformly concluded that the underlying grammar is certainly of European origin.
Built during the early 20th century when trade and commerce were flourishing on the high seas off Gujarat, the builders of these houses - the affluent Dawoodi Bohra Community - left them vulnerably exposed for nearly three decades, to a series of self destructive forces, some of which have kept coming back in different guises. On the other hand, the exotic interiors, presented with stunning visuals in the book, are a constant source of temptation to drooling antique dealers. many sturdy houses have gone under the crowbar. Fortunately with a vigorous resurgence of interest within the Community the survival of the remaining stock, though not fully assured, is constantly being monitored by ever increasing groups of vigilant people.
The book endeavours to project the image of this amazing vernacular architectural style to a Global audience and to create an awareness amongst people to increase and enchance its longetivity.
For detailed queries about the book, please write to info@heritage-india.com or call 020 30285058
Old City Heritage Walk
After the recent success of our very first Heritage walk, Heritage India Magazine are conducting the next Old City Heritage Walk in Pune on Sunday, the 20th of December, 2009. The walk aims at understanding the history of evolution of the city while exploring places of historical, religious and architectural importance.
The walk, commencing from Shaniwar Wada at 8.00 a.m., would cover - Kasba Ganpati - Lal Mahal - Nana Wada - Faraskhana - Dagdusheth - Tulshibaug Shopping Complex and Tulshibaug Temple (with rest and snacks) -Vishrambaug Wada (1st and 3rd Chowk ) - Shopping & Window shopping at "Smile" outlet - Mahatma Phule Mandai (Ray Market) and end at Burud Ali around noon.
Limited participants would be enrolled for the walk on a first-come basis. A small fee would be chargeable.
The walk would be conducted by Saili Palande-Datar, who is a Diploma holder in Indology and is pursuing a graduate program in Ancient Culture and Archaeology. She presently works as Visiting Faculty, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth & Symbiosis International Studies Programme, and as a Freelance Heritage and Nature Interpreter.
Participants can register for this very interesting Heritage Walk on the following phone numbers: Saili Palande - Datar +91 9881009826, Heritage Office - Tel: +91 20 65003251
Heritage India magazine at ARAHE India 2009, Pune
Pune: The Heritage India magazine team are going to set up a stall at the ARAHE (Asian Regional Association for Home Economics) 15th Biennial International Congress at the VITS hotel Balewadi, Pune (adjacent to Chhatrapati Shivaji Sports Complex) on the 13th and 14th of December from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm. A wonderful opportunity for all to grab a copy of their favourite magazine at discounted prices. You can also avail the previous issues and take a look at our latest publication -Wari-The Pilgrimage of Joy.
Please write to us at info@heritage-india.com for furthur details.
