A heritage conservation project will mark the contribution made by the Gujarati community to the economic progress of Alappuzha. The project, to be implemented in three phases, will be a first-of-its-kind effort to document details regarding the Gujarati community which has had a history of over three centuries in the city.
The merchant population from Surat and Kutch were brought to Alappuzha in the 1700s by Diwan Raja Kesavadas, the minister of Travancore king Dharmaraja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, to help execute his plan to build a port city that would become the financial nerve center of the kingdom. The community has left its indelible mark on the city with its rich cultural footprint.
The project will include the building of a website with pictures and details of heritage buildings associated with the community. The Gujarati diaspora across the globe who has connections with the settlers in Alappuzha will be able to document their memories and post pictures on the website. This will be part of the ‘orma mandiram’, a house of memories.
A seminar will be conducted on October 28 and 29 where researchers who have done studies on Alappuzha’s Gujarati population, people who belong to the community, and other cultural leaders will throw the light of the long-standing heritage of the community.
Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said that a panel from Kerala will visit Gujarat before the seminar. The Minister, who represents the Alappuzha constituency, is visiting members of the community in person to welcome them to be part of the project.
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