By Rohini Bhatia
It is a known fact that India sits on an impressive and diverse tapestry of built, natural, and cultural heritage. Our heritage has immense economic, social, and emotional possibilities, yet most of the prospects towards co-ownership and building pride in heritage have gone unnoticed. However, disengagement is something multiple stakeholders cannot afford today.
Since the Corporate Social Responsibility Act (CSR) of 2014, India’s corporate fraternity has begun to prepare itself for a range of projects to respond to the plethora of social and development challenges facing the country. Over time, the act allowed for penetrating deep and wide, which was critical if any initiative was to impact the overall well-being of a geography, community, civil society, and ultimately the nation. ‘Partnerships’ eventually gained center stage and became the core strategy for a successful CSR.
Heritage preservation as a CSR initiative
It is within this purview of CSR that few businesses chose to focus on heritage preservation when it was not really on the consciousness radar of India Incorporation. The understanding of heritage itself often remained confined to monuments and historical buildings. Over time, as concepts and learnings evolved, stakeholders, and that included businesses, began to appreciate the manifold nuances of heritage and the facets around its preservation, for instance, the difference between restoration and conservation of built heritage for a profound impact; the need to view heritage from the prisms of built, natural, and cultural heritage; the key role that communities living in the vicinities of built and natural heritage play in their preservation; and the idea that appropriate and all-encompassing efforts at heritage preservation could lead to a boost in tourism and thereby livelihoods or economic growth in micro and macro contexts. Today, these are ostensibly the key drivers for businesses to consider while investing resources in heritage preservation. With India’s rich cultural history supported by preservation and conservation efforts, businesses and brands can help make their communities more attractive to tourists, create better job opportunities, and boost the local economy.
Speaking from long years of experience in guiding CSR and philanthropic initiatives around heritage preservation, one can stress with enough responsibility that any short-term project or long-term program on the preservation of built or natural heritage must have community at the core of the initiative. Strategic and systematic partnerships with technical groups of conservation architects, environmental specialists, urban planners, and sanitation experts constitute a vital component of built and natural heritage preservation. However, it is the local civil society organization that becomes a significant stakeholder in mobilizing the communities living in the vicinity of built and natural heritage sites. It takes strenuous efforts and crossing barriers of arduous challenges to make communities participate, benefit, and ultimately co-own their heritage sites. For sustainable, durable, and long-term protection and preservation of heritage sites, giving agency to the local community is a must. It is when they take pride in their heritage and culture that the gains are sustainable.
To illustrate the role of businesses in forging multiple partnerships for heritage, it may be pertinent to invoke the model behind the restoration of Rahim’s Mausoleum. This Mausoleum stands on a glaring location in Delhi, has historical-architectural-archaeological significance, yet was lying in a ruinous state. It was in 2014 when with the support of the InterGlobe Foundation and the Archaeological Survey of India, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture commenced a thorough conservation effort. With over 175,000 man-days of work by 50 master craftsmen from adjoining areas and significant monetary
resources spent over six years, this has been one of the largest conservation efforts undertaken privately at any monument of national importance in India. Restoration work at Rahim’s tomb provided both livelihoods and a sense of pride for the communities living in the vicinity of the monument. Not to say the gains were not for visitors and tourists; lakhs of commuters view the revived mausoleum daily. One can go on illustrating how similar efforts supported by businesses, either for waste management near built heritage sites (near Kumbhalgarh fort in Rajasthan), for restoring historically significant monuments (Qutb Shah’s Mausoleum in Hyderabad), for the restoration of the interiors of historical places (Lal Bagh Palace in Indore), or for stepwells (Indra Kund in Delwara). All these have increased the footfall of tourists throughout the year. With stakes in the management of these heritage sites, the communities have stood to gain with the local economy thriving in various spheres, thus adding to the well-being of the community, area, local government, and other businesses, including those of hotels and shopkeepers.
Why businesses need to consider this perspective
Heritage preservation is an essential endeavour that aims to safeguard the cultural, historical, and architectural legacy of societies for present and future generations. While the government and NGOs have traditionally been at the forefront of such efforts, businesses today need to play a crucial role in preserving this heritage. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), about 40 percent of all tourists worldwide are cultural tourists, spending on heritage sites. India has, among others, some 40 notable UNESCO World Heritage Sites under the culture, natural, and mixed heritage segments. Heritage tourism is a significant contributor to the country’s tourism industry, with millions of tourists visiting the national monuments every year. The contribution from businesses to support heritage preservation can come in the form of financial support, sharing innovative methodologies, promotion and awareness, employment generation, and much more. By engaging with other stakeholders, especially the government, businesses can promote models of community-driven heritage tourism in the country. By doing so, brands and businesses also get to contribute significantly towards the Sustainable Development Goals and spearhead the heritage tourism-led economy in the country. The global heritage tourism market was valued at USD 556.96 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8 percent until 2030. Businesses must seize this opportunity and help provide inclusive benefits.
There are recommendations made to the government regarding the nomination and promotion of the 3700 centrally protected sites under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for inclusion in the ‘UNESCO World Heritage Site’ list. Through the facilitation of various chambers of commerce and industry, corporates and businesses can share their inclusive models of heritage preservation and how they can contribute to the country’s sustainable heritage tourism. These activities generate economic, social, and environmental advantages and instill a sense of pride among all stakeholders, including local communities and civil society, towards the valuable cultural legacy. Additionally, they also promote public-private partnerships to preserve heritage, promote tourism, and foster sustainable growth. In today’s contemporary world, it is imperative for the business sector to acknowledge and recognize the significance of cultural and heritage preservation.
The author is Chairperson, InterGlobe Foundation