Get ready to memorise each and every nook and corner of Chalai bazaar and Government Central High School, Attakkulangara. A ‘heritage hunt’ coordinated by GoUNESCO will kick off here on Sunday. GoUNESCO, is an NGO which organises heritage-related events in several Indian cities.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the event is being organised by architect Maya Gomez and neuroscientist Asha Gopinath. Asha had earlier floated a petition asking for Chalai and the school to be declared as a heritage zone. Maya Gomez has coordinated heritage walks, on behalf of Institution of Architects, through Fort area.
The clues to be provided during the course of the ‘heritage hunt’, will be based on both tangible and intangible heritages of the school and Chalai market. Participants should assemble at 7.30 am.
The first clue will be provided immediately after registration. They will receive their next clue, from the location they decode from the first clue. The government school was established in 1880, as per various records, and to this day, a building which started functioning in 1889 exists on the compound.
The building will soon be brought down for a bus bay-cum-shopping complex project by Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority. The school boasts immense intangible heritage, since poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer and former Chief Minister Pattom Thanu Pillai were teachers here. Chalai could be the oldest market in Kerala. Though the market is believed to have been established by Raja Kesavadas, the Diwan of Travancore, in the 18th century, there are records about the existence of a Chalai market in the 16th century. Historian Malayinkeezh Gopalakrishnan had said, during a heritage walk, that it was debatable whether Chalai existed in the same area. “ We purposely chose Chalai and the school, rather than the Ammaveedus or the palaces here,” says Asha. “ Once done, we will discuss their experiences and how to value and preserve our heritage. We are specially encouraging young people and schools to participate,” she adds.
Teams should be three individuals plus a teacher for schools. However people of any age group are invited to participate at the event.