Project :Our Living Memory - Contest from Bichitra Pathshala

CONTEST FROM BICHITRA PATHSHALA -
OUR LIVING MEMORY

Hunt for a forgotten treasure in your own home

Look around in your house. You will find objects that are new and objects that are old. Most objects have a story around them – perhaps you bought a book from a small bookstore in College Street on a lazy Sunday afternoon or perhaps you fought with your mother to buy the shocking pink coloured pencil box. Perhaps you had picked up the ethnic flower vase on your mantelpiece from a potter when you were driving on the outskirts of Shantiniketan – aah! An old birthday card! You had almost forgotten about it. Your best friend had sent you this handmade birthday card after her father got transferred and she left for Bhopal. 

As you look around, you will find some objects that are older than you – those objects that came into your household before you were born. It may have gone out of fashion, or even obsolete – a fountain pen that does not write any more, a photo frame with a photograph of your grandparents, a tiffin box that you took to school every day, a transistor radio that does not play anymore because the spare parts are not available, a cassette player whose head has got worn out, a long playing gramophone record that your parents cannot enjoy anymore because the diamond stylus of the record player cannot be replaced.

The object from the past may even be a post card or a telegram or a tram ticket or a leather suitcase in which your mother brought her trousseau. Your parents or grandparents will have fond memories of these objects. Find out the invisible stories lingering on the bodies of these artifacts. Rack your parents’ brains to find out the approximate age of these objects. The stranger the story and the older the object, the more valuable it is in our eyes and yours. 

An interesting story here!!

Take pictures of some of these strange and sublime objects – objects that you feel are valuable because they signify an important juncture in your family history or they bear testimony to a bygone era in the history of the city you live in, or objects of exquisite beauty that are not made any more. Try to find the approximate age of the object. In about 100 words write a gripping story associated with the object. Send the picture of this object (with its age) and its story to toolsinschools@gmail.com. 

Would you like to have an exhibition of some of these objects in your own school? Please try to convince your class teacher and your Principal about it.  When you have the exhibition, don’t forget to invite us. We have a surprise prize for the best exhibition in town.

««««««««««

The ten most interesting objects with the most intriguing stories will win attractive prizes

               «««««««««« 

We shall also pick up selected objects from all these exhibitions and have a grand exhibition at a prominent venue in the city. There is every chance that your artifact will be a part of this exhibition and your story will be on display for all visitors to read. 

The exhibition will be a collage of personal memories that will collectively project the history of this city. We may name this exhibition “Our Living Memory”. 

But you can suggest a more exciting name for this exhibition. We also encourage you to come up with a publicity poster of this exhibition.   

So start your treasure hunt now and send us your pictures and write ups by the 5^th of November, 2013.

Happy hunting.

Please let us know the date for the exhibition in your school - You can enter the details by clicking this link here - Exhibition Details in Schools

With best wishes,

Bichitra Pathshala team

For further enquiries contact Ms. Devika Kar 9830777207