‘Vasundhara Vamsi’: The Lineage of Mother Earth

‘Vasundhara Vamsi’ is a green initiative practiced in our campus to foster a culture of environmental stewardship for promoting sustainability, reducing environmental impact and to promote sustainable agricultural methods.

Objective of the Practice

The motto of ‘Vasundhara Vamsi’ is to rejuvenate the ecosystem of the campus for the wellbeing of the society with a far-reaching vision on future generations.

♦ To raise awareness about sustainability and environmental issues among students, staff, and the wider campus community.
♦ To organize educational programs, workshops, seminars, and campaigns that promote sustainable practices and encourage behavioral changes.
♦ To inculcate the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship among students and the local community
♦ To popularize farming and allied activities among students and involve them in the practices

Practice

We have developed a green campus policy that aim to integrate sustainability concepts and principles into the academic curriculum across various disciplines. This helps students develop an understanding of environmental challenges, sustainable development, and the importance of incorporating sustainability into their future careers. The policy often seeks to foster collaboration and engagement among different campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and the local community. This is done through the establishment of sustainability committees, engagement in community initiatives, partnerships with local organizations and creating platforms for dialogue and collaboration. The green campus policy of the institution also encourages research and innovation in the field of sustainability. We are encouraging the students to conduct research on environmental topics, the curriculum is also promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and providing resources for sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship on campus.

The organic farming club of the college take initiative in inculcating interest among students towards agriculture and create a platform for students to learn, engage, and contribute to the promotion of organic farming and sustainable agriculture. The club actively engages in the banana, tapioca and other vegetable cultivation done in the college organic farm annually. The students are provided with the responsibility of maintenance of the farm and the harvesting is also done by the students. The agriculture produce is normally sold through the “Thursday Market,” which is an initiative of Entrepreneurship Development Club to promote sustainable entrepreneurship. It promotes the sale of organic produce from the college farms, from the house of students and it promotes the organic initiatives of Kudumbasree in the college locality.

Programmes

1. Green initiatives by NSS
2. Organic Farming and Thursday Market
3. Bhaumika- Nature Club
4. Birds Club
5. Green, Water, Soil, Energy Audit
6. Nakshathra Vanam
7. Greeny leafy Campaign
8. Sunderlal Bahuguna Memorial Lecture Series
9. Purging leaforna de History
10. Celebrations of important days in connection with environment/ nature
11. Environmental studies included in curriculum
12. Green Protocol & Policy Making
13. SDG implementation policies/practices
14. Paper bag and cloth bag making
15. Green expos
16. Bottle Garden
17. Thrift Shop
18. Drives for collecting reusable cloth and distributing to the needy
19. MoU for plastic waste disposal

Problems faced in implementation

♦ Exams and holidays create intervals in the proper care of garden and farm
♦ Cost considerations
♦ Lack of awareness and knowledge

‘SANSKRITI’

Sree Sankara Centre for Cultural and Heritage Preservation: ‘SANSKRITI’
This is an initiative by Sree Sankara Vidyapeetom College to preserve, promote and propagate the importance of local culture and history.

Objective of the Practice

The primary objectives of ‘Sanskriti: Sree Sankara Pradeshika Paithruka Padana Sanketham’ is the preservation and documentation of the endemic socio-political, environmental, economic, cultural, and ethnographic diversity of our locality or region.

♦ The centre aims to foster research and scholarship focused on local history.
♦ It aims to provide a space and resources for students, faculty and scholars to study and analyse the historical developments, events, people, and environment that have shaped the local community.
♦ To developing educational programs and initiatives to raise awareness about the significance of local history through workshops, lectures, public talks, and seminars targeted at schools, community organisations, and the general public.

The Practice
This involves collecting, cataloguing, and archiving historical materials such as documents, photographs, maps, letters, diaries, official records, newspapers, artefacts, and oral histories related to the local area. We are ensuring a proper storage and organisation of these materials to prevent deterioration in our own Heritage Museum, Folklore Museum and in the Sree Sakara Padana Kendram. We are on the initial stage to utilise digital platforms and social media to promote local history preservation. As a part of the digitization process, we are planning to use social media channels to share interesting facts, photographs, and updates about preservation activities, events, and initiatives by the department.

Partnerships and collaborations with local facilitate sharing knowledge and best practices in preserving local history. To educate the public about the local history and its significance, the centre organises exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and educational programs in this regard. The centre serves as a hub for the local community, encouraging community members to actively participate in the exploration and interpretation of their history and promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the local heritage. It collaborates with local schools, organisations, and individuals to involve them in research projects, volunteer activities, and public events. By highlighting the unique historicalfeatures and attractions of the local area, the centre is organising various historical tour programmes among the students of the institution under the head ‘Traverse through History’. Sanskriti is also collaborating with other institutions, such as museums, libraries, universities, and historical societies to build networks, share resources, and collaborate on joint projects to enhance the understanding and preservation of local history.

On regular intervals the team are conducting explorations and inventories of historic sites, buildings, landmarks, and other physical features in the local area helps in identifying and documenting the historical significance of these places and ensures their protection. To engage the local community in the preservation efforts we are encouraging them to share their personal stories, photographs, and memories related to the local history and conduct community events, workshops, and outreach programs to raise awareness in our platform with our students.

Occasionally we are collecting oral histories from older community members who have firsthand knowledge and memories of the local history. These personal accounts provide valuable insights and perspectives that may not be found in written records. The collected remnants from the past are housed in the heritage museum, folklore museum and Sree Sankara Samskarika Padana Kendram are open to the public. Sometimes we are exhibiting it in visitor centers, schools, or dedicated exhibition spaces within the community. Apart from this we are offering guided tours to schools, community groups, and the general public. This helps in raising awareness about the importance of local history and its relevance to the present.

The process of digitization of the collected historical documents, photographs, and other materials not only helps in preserving the originals but also makes the materials more accessible to a wider audience through online platforms. We work with individual families, local authorities, and policymakers to ensure the protection and preservation of historically significant objects and monuments during urban or rural development projects. Sanskriti: The centre for local studies safeguards the unique heritage and cultural identity of the locality.

Evidence

List of Programmes Conducted

♦ Dissertations related Local history on UG and PG levels
♦ Guided tour to students of nearby schools to visit the college museum
♦ Extension outreach programme at Muvattupuzha for the general public
♦ Invited exhibition- by Regional Archives Department, Ernakulam
♦ Workshop on Museology
♦ Museum Drive
♦ Workshop/ Conference on Archaeology and Museology (upcoming)
♦ Explorations- Traverse through history from 2019 Onwards
♦ Digitization for preservation
♦ Virtual tours to museums for students

Problems faced in the implementation of the practice
♦ Lack of proper financial support
♦ Time constraints
♦ Lack of cooperation from people in parting with their valuables to the museum and in revealing information