WHITEFIELD DIARIES:

Saythu and Jaaga Media Center present their latest project – Whitefield Diaries. This is a series of six short films that are each about seven mins in duration.

Part of a larger idea titled "Neighbourhood Diaries", these short films aim at documenting personal histories as well as the neighbourhood’s tangible and intangible heritage and socio-cultural centres that make Whitefield special.

The current films are an outcome of Krupa’s project to document Whitefield’s intangible heritage. In turn this was a continuation of an earlier project to establish the significance of the settlement and its built heritage.

The oral history project followed on from the earlier work, based on the growing awareness that Whitefield’s uniqueness lay not just its planning and buildings but also its rich store of oral history.

Thus by funding Phase I (built heritage documentation) and Phase II (oral history documentation), INTACH UK chapter provided an opportunity to document and present the story of Whitefield.

Further, as legislation continues to be absent, recording intangible heritage is crucial to remembering a place and its people.

For more contact – info@saythu.com & archana@jaaga.in

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD DIARIES MISSION:

Neighbourhood Diaries is a collaborative project conceived by Krupa Rajangam of Saythu (www.saythu.com) and Archana Prasad of Jaaga (www.jaaga.in).

Based in Bangalore, the two of them initially collaborated on an open-to-public initiative by Max Mueller Bhavan – the Bangalore City Project. During this project they realised the importance of neighbourhood histories.

Of involving the residents of a locality and engaging them in discovering secrets, truths and novelties that made their neighbourhood special.

VENUE:

The Whitefield Club, Saturday 10th Sep – 6pm to 7.30pm.

PROGRAMME:

Introduction to the place and project – Krupa Rajangam

Screening of 4 short films of the Diaries

‘Whitefield Day’ – Sean Lawrence (announcement of exciting events planned by the residents)

Refreshment break

Screening of 2 remaining films

Panel Discussion – focusing on issues raised in the films and what the community can do towards the same.

PANELISTS:

Mr Asvathnarayan – a retired IAS officer, he is presently Convenor of the Karnataka Chapter of INTACH.

Michael Ludgrove – is Curator Collections, the Royal House of Mysore. Of Anglo-Indian origin, he is a descendant of D S White who was instrumental in establishing the settlement at Whitefield.

Deepa Peck – long term resident of Whitefield, she is married into the Peck family – one of the original settlers of Whitefield. She is also Treasurer of the Whitefield Settlers’ & Residents’ Association, which was established way back in 1905.

Subramaniam Vincent – one of the newer residents of Whitefield, he is also uniquely positioned in his role as co-founder of Citizen Matters, a publication dedicated to city affairs, community and culture.

Clemence Barret – is a French artist and filmmaker. She has made many documentaries for French TV Channels like Canal + and Arte. She is actively collaborating with Jaaga Media Center directing short documentaries.

About Jaaga: (www.jaaga.in)

based in Bangalore, India, Jaaga seeks to nurture innovative endeavors by providing space, core infrastructure, and a diverse social environment. We explore new ways of using pallet rack shelving to create a social and collaborative place for a wide range of forward thinking people.

We offer co-working for creative minds, mentorship to small tech start-ups + Fellowships and Expert Collaborator opportunities to those interested in the intersection of art, activism and technology.

About Saythu: (www.saythu.com)

Is a heritage conservation cell based in Bangalore. It aims to reconnect people with heritage and actively initiates community awareness and outreach programmes besides undertaking conservation projects.

The films

Circle Without Circle – An introductory episode with different people’s take on Whitefield – what the name and place means to them. We see it as a preamble to the other films.

Church Tales – Maggie, long term resident of old Whitefield, reminisces about her personal link with Memorial Church – once the centre of village life. She narrates stories and anecdotes related to it and tells us of the imminent threat of demolition that looms over this important cultural hub.

The Past is a Foreign Country – J E Giddens, one of the oldest Anglo-Indian residents of Whitefield, talks to us about his take on the change and transformation of Whitefield. He is pragmatic, some one who prefers to live in the present rather than worry about what might have happened.

Time Capsule – Vivian D ‘Souza, another long term resident talks about Waverley – once the village Inn and now a lone bungalow in the midst of the onrush of newer developments. He shares his struggle to maintain the place and its character because for him man is defined by his past.

Those Were the Days – Christa Moss narrates her nostalgic poem on Whitefield. She and her husband Lionel, express their regret that the ‘good old days’ of Whitefield are gone.

The Whitefield Tea Party – Our contributors and key residents of the original settlement of Whitefield get together to discuss this series of films and the neighbourhood’s future, given the rapid urbanisation that it has seen and will continue to witness.

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