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UNESCO and Royal Enfield Kick-off the Second Chapter of The Great Himalayan Exploration
Following the success of the inaugural edition of The Great Himalayan Exploration last year, UNESCO and Royal Enfield have announced the Second Chapter of this unique initiative. UNESCO x Royal Enfield: The Great Himalayan Exploration seeks to document and safeguard the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas and thereby, raise awareness about the living treasures that make up the beating heart of India.
Last year, more than 25 rider-researchers embarked on a journey documenting 21 practices in parts of Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The second chapter of the Great Himalayan Exploration was unveiled in New Delhi today with ‘Journeying Across the Himalayas II’ - a curated exhibition at Bikaner House showcasing the 21 documented practices.
The Second Chapter kicked off at UNESCO House, New Delhi with a session on Understanding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Climate Change with Tim Curtis, the recently-appointed Director and Representative of UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The presentation was followed by a series of capacity-building workshops for the rider-researchers and stakeholders from the development sector, industry experts, and climate and fashion enthusiasts, among others.
Sessions throughout the day included immersion into the culinary heritage of the Northeast and a thought-provoking conversation on the need for responsible travel, among others. One of the highlights was a session on ethically documenting the Intangible Cultural Heritage of communities conducted by actor Adil Hussain and Rita Banerji, documentary filmmaker and Project Director, of Green Hub. The day’s programme closed with the coming together of eminent lifestyle journalist Bandana Tewari, designers Sonam Dubal, Peter D’Ascoli, Rina Singh, Sushant Abrol and others as they explored sustainable textile practices of the Himalayas.
The opening of the exhibition ‘Journeying Across the Himalayas II’ at Bikaner House showcased the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Eastern Himalayan region that had been documented last year and also involved an engaging experience of the culinary heritage inspired by the ingredients of the North-East with chef Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar and mixologist Yangdup Lama.
The evening also featured an immersion into the musical traditions of the North East with performances by Taba Chake and Blues legend Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar. Following the opening of ‘Journeying Across the Himalayas II’, the exhibition will remain open to the public from Sunday, October 8 to the afternoon of Wednesday, October 11.
As the world struggles to adapt to the effects of climate change which include, among others, outmigration and forced displacement that threaten cultural identities, concerted efforts to safeguard Intangible Cultural Heritage become ever more urgent. At the same time, the traditional knowledge and practices accumulated by communities across generations can lead to important solutions in mitigating the effects of climate change on human society and the natural world. In a country as geographically vast and culturally diverse as India, this partnership between UNESCO and Royal Enfield aims to raise awareness and mobilise the larger community to safeguard living heritage in general. This partnership compliments the goals of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for The Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and comes in a timely manner as the Convention celebrates its 20th anniversary this year
This unique partnership between UNESCO and Royal Enfield also sits at the heart of Royal Enfield’s social mission in the Himalayas, which is to partner with 100 communities to build resilience and initiate a movement of riders and travellers towards the adoption of responsible travel practices.
This partnership with UNESCO allows us to deepen our relationship with the Himalayas and its communities, which have inspired Royal Enfield for decades. Through the process of engaging with the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the region, we have learnt that sustainable living is at the heart of most of these practices. The Great Himalayan Exploration is a unique opportunity for riders and travellers to combine purpose with their passion for exploration
60 motorcyclists have been selected from a pool of over 600 registrations to embark on the second leg of The Great Himalayan Exploration as rider-researchers for UNESCO and Royal Enfield. Over the course of the next six months, these carefully selected rider-researchers will venture out on a series of consecutive rides to remote Himalayan communities in small batches, where they will document more than 50 Intangible Cultural Heritage practices.
The UNESCO x Royal Enfield: The Great Himalayan Exploration and ‘Journeying Across the Himalayas II’ shines a light on intangible cultural heritage, bringing together institutions, individuals and communities to collectively value and safeguard the living heritage of the Himalayan ecosystem.
