DIGITAL DHAROHAR - REIMAGINING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE FOR THE DIGITAL AGE

GROUP STRUCTURE: 4–5 students per group

Project Concept: Students will identify one traditional/indigenous knowledge system, cultural practice, craft, art form, food tradition, oral tradition, folk performance, healing practice, ecological practice, occupation or community tradition and transform it into a digital media story.

The objective is not simply to “make a video”. Students must explore: What is being lost? → Who keeps it alive? → What can digital media do? → How can young audiences reconnect with it?

THE BIG CHALLENGE: “Find something traditional that deserves to be remembered—and make the digital generation care about it.”

Students should choose something that is:

• disappearing
• misunderstood
• underrepresented
• practised by a small community
• passed down orally
• connected to a particular region
• threatened by modernisation
• interesting but unfamiliar to young people

WHAT CAN STUDENTS DOCUMENT? Students can choose ONE area.

Category	Possible Topics
🎭 Folk Arts	Powada, Tamasha, Lavani, Dashavatar, folk theatre
🎵 Music	Folk songs, traditional instruments, community music
🧵 Crafts	Warli art, Paithani, Kolhapuri craft, bamboo craft
🍲 Food	Traditional recipes, festival foods, community food practices
🌿 Ecology	Traditional water conservation, seed preservation, farming practices
🏠 Architecture	Traditional houses, village architecture, indigenous construction
👵 Oral Traditions	Folk tales, legends, proverbs, family histories
🧑‍🌾 Occupations	Traditional occupations and disappearing livelihoods
🪔 Festivals	Local rituals, community celebrations and their meanings
🧘 Knowledge Systems	Yoga traditions, Ayurveda-related traditional practices, local knowledge
🗣️ Language	Dialects, disappearing words, oral expressions
🎨 Regional Culture	Clothing, jewellery, visual traditions, symbols
🌊 Coastal Knowledge	Fishing traditions, boat-making, coastal practices
🌳 Tribal Knowledge	Forest knowledge, traditional ecological practices

 

Mumbai/Maharashtra possibilities: Students could explore:

• Koli community traditions
• Warli art
• Powada
• Lavani
• Maharashtrian folk theatre
• traditional food practices
• Parsi community traditions
• East Indian community culture
• traditional occupations in Mumbai
• Girgaon cultural traditions
• old neighbourhood stories
• traditional artisans and craftsmen
• disappearing Marathi words/expressions
• traditional fishing practices
• local architecture and heritage
• traditional festival practices

THE “DIGITAL DHAROHAR” FORMULA: Every group must answer these 5 questions:

1. WHAT?: What is the traditional knowledge/practice?

2. WHO?: Who possesses, practises or transmits this knowledge?

3. WHY?: Why is it culturally or socially important?

4. WHAT IS CHANGING?: Is the practice disappearing, changing or adapting?

5. WHAT CAN DIGITAL MEDIA DO?: Can YouTube, podcasts, Instagram, OTT or digital archives help preserve it?

CHOOSE YOUR DIGITAL FORMAT: Students can choose ONE primary format.

OPTION A – MINI DOCUMENTARY - Duration: 5–8 minutes

OPTION B – PODCAST: Duration: 8–12 minutes

OPTION C – SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN: Create a 7-day digital revival campaign.

OPTION D – DIGITAL ARCHIVE

OPTION E – “60-SECOND HERITAGE” SERIES: Create five 60-second videos. Each episode answers one question.

Episode 1: What is it?
Episode 2: Where did it come from?
Episode 3: Who keeps it alive?
Episode 4: Why is it disappearing?
Episode 5: Can Gen Z revive it?

 

DIGITAL FUTURE: How could digital media preserve/revive it?

For example: Grandmother's recipe book → family WhatsApp → Instagram Reel → YouTube archive

This makes the project directly connected to New Media.

THE “ONE PERSON, ONE STORY” RULE

To avoid generic internet-based projects: Every group must interact with at least ONE real knowledge-holder/practitioner.

Examples:

• artisan
• musician
• dancer
• storyteller
• craftsperson
• farmer
• fisherperson
• community elder
• traditional performer
• language expert
• cultural practitioner

Students must conduct an interview.

Minimum:,1 person + 5 meaningful questions + 1 recorded interview

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Students can use questions such as:

1. How did you learn this tradition?
2. Who taught you?
3. How has it changed over the years?
4. Do young people still practise it?
5. What is one thing outsiders commonly misunderstand about it?
6. What challenges does the tradition face?
7. What should young people know about it?
8. Can social media help preserve it?
9. Are you comfortable with your knowledge being digitally recorded?
10. What would you like future generations to remember?

 

THE “DIGITAL ETHICS” COMPONENT: This is an important part of the project. Students must understand: Not everything that can be recorded should automatically be uploaded.

Before recording: ASK → INFORM → CONSENT → RECORD → CREDIT → SHARE RESPONSIBLY

Students should consider:

• consent
• privacy
• cultural sensitivity
• copyright
• ownership of photographs
• ownership of traditional knowledge
• sacred/private practices
• commercial exploitation
• misrepresentation
• AI manipulation
• deepfakes
• inappropriate editing

“DIGITAL REVIVAL” CHALLENGE: Students must propose one realistic digital strategy for the tradition.

Examples: If documenting a disappearing craft:

YouTube: Documentary
Instagram: Reels
Podcast: Artisan stories
Google Drive/Website: Digital archive
QR Code: Link to archive
College exhibition: Physical display

Thus:

One tradition → Multiple digital platforms

THE 'DIGITAL TIME CAPSULE': Every group creates a digital time capsule titled:

“If Someone Finds This in 2050…”

Students record: “This is what we want future generations to know about ______.”

The time capsule should contain:

• 1 video
• 1 audio recording
• 5 photographs
• 1 interview
• 1 written account
• 1 message to the future

FINAL PROJECT SUBMISSION: Each group submits a Digital Dharohar Kit.

 

A. Research File: 1,000–1,500 words

Include:

1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Background of the tradition
4. Community/location
5. Knowledge-holder
6. Current status
7. Challenges
8. Role of digital media
9. Ethical considerations
10. Conclusion
11. References

B. Media Product: Choose ONE: Documentary, Podcast, Social media campaign, Digital archive OR Short video series

C. Digital Archive: Minimum:

• 5 photographs
• 1 interview
• 1 video/audio recording
• 1 written description
• source/credit information

D. Reflection Video: Each group submits a 2-minute reflection video answering:

“What did we understand about Indigenous Knowledge that we did not know before this project?”

 

THE “NO COPY-PASTE” RULE

Students cannot simply download information from Google and make a presentation.

At least 50% of the project must come from original documentation, such as:

• interviews
• photographs
• observations
• recordings
• field visits
• original narration
• original video
• original social media content

Secondary sources can be used for background research.

 

FOR EDUCATORS: 

ASSESSMENT RUBRIC – 50 MARKS

Criteria	Marks
Understanding of Indigenous Knowledge	8
Originality of topic & idea	6
Field research & interview	8
Storytelling	7
Use of digital media	6
Technical execution	5
Cultural sensitivity & ethics	5
Digital archive/Documentation	3
Reflection & learning	2
TOTAL	50

Important: Technical perfection is NOT the primary criterion.

A simple mobile-phone documentary with a powerful story can score better than a technically polished video with superficial research.

 

 

PROJECT OBJECTIVES

By completing this project, students should be able to:

1. Understand the importance of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS).
2. Explore how traditional knowledge is represented in documentaries and regional films.
3. Understand the role of YouTube, podcasts, OTT platforms and social media in digital preservation.
4. Conduct basic field research and interviews.
5. Record oral histories and community narratives.
6. Use mobile phones and digital tools for documentation.
7. Develop storytelling skills for new media.
8. Understand issues of cultural ownership, consent, authenticity and representation.
9. Convert traditional knowledge into engaging digital content.
10. Create a small digital archive that can potentially be preserved beyond the classroom.

 

ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT NOTES

Module 1. Understanding Environment

1. Concept of Environment and overview of environmental issues

1.2 Environmental conservation and protection: Concept of Environmental Conservation, methods, practices & policies

1.3 Environmental movements: National and International

Module 2. Overview of Sustainable Development & SDGs

2.1 Concept, need and factors of Sustainable Development; Meaning, evolution and significance of SDGs

2.2 Overview of the SDGs

2.3 Environmental Goals: Climate action, life on land, life below water

ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS: CLIMATE ACTION, LIFE ON LAND & LIFE BEFORE WATER

Environmental protection is an important part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Among the 17 SDGs, three goals are particularly focused on protecting the natural environment:

• SDG 13 – Climate Action
• SDG 14 – Life Below Water
• SDG 15 – Life on Land

These three goals are closely interconnected. Climate change affects oceans and land ecosystems, while healthy forests, oceans and other ecosystems help regulate the climate.

SDG 13 – Climate Action

SDG 13: Climate Action calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperature, rainfall, weather patterns and other aspects of the Earth's climate. Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and changes in land use, have contributed significantly to the recent warming of the planet.

Climate Action means reducing the causes of climate change and preparing communities and ecosystems to deal with its impacts.

Major Objectives of SDG 13

1. Reduce Greenhouse-Gas Emissions: Activities such as burning coal, oil and natural gas release greenhouse gases.

Climate action encourages:

• Renewable energy
• Energy efficiency
• Cleaner transportation
• Sustainable industries
• Reduced emissions

2. Build Climate Resilience: Communities need to prepare for climate-related risks such as:

• Heat waves
• Floods
• Droughts
• Storms
• Rising sea levels

Climate-resilient infrastructure and disaster preparedness can reduce their impacts.

3. Promote Climate Awareness: People need to understand:

• Causes of climate change
• Environmental consequences
• Sustainable lifestyles
• Adaptation measures

Education and media play an important role in spreading this awareness.

4. Climate Adaptation: Adaptation means adjusting systems and communities to reduce the harmful effects of climate change.

Examples:

• Flood-resistant infrastructure
• Drought-resistant crops
• Early-warning systems
• Water conservation
• Heat action plans

5. Climate Mitigation: Mitigation means reducing or preventing greenhouse-gas emissions or increasing their removal from the atmosphere.

Examples:

• Solar and wind energy
• Energy-efficient buildings
• Public transport
• Forest conservation
• Reduction of fossil-fuel use

Climate Action: Mitigation vs Adaptation

Mitigation	Adaptation
Addresses the causes of climate change	Addresses its impacts
Reduces greenhouse gases	Reduces vulnerability
Renewable energy	Flood protection
Energy efficiency	Heat action plans
Forest conservation	Drought-resistant agriculture

Both are necessary.

SDG 14 – Life Below Water 

SDG 14: Life Below Water aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Oceans cover a large portion of the Earth's surface and support millions of organisms. They also provide food, livelihoods and other ecosystem services.

Life Below Water means protecting oceans, seas, marine ecosystems and the life they support.

Major Threats to Marine Ecosystems

1. Marine Pollution: Oceans are affected by:

• Plastic waste
• Sewage
• Industrial pollution
• Oil spills
• Agricultural runoff

Plastic pollution is particularly harmful because marine animals can ingest plastic or become entangled in it.

2. Overfishing: Excessive fishing can reduce fish populations and disturb marine food chains.

Sustainable fishing practices are therefore important.

3. Climate Change: Climate change affects oceans through:

• Rising ocean temperatures
• Sea-level rise
• Ocean acidification
• Changes in marine ecosystems

4. Destruction of Coastal Habitats: Important ecosystems such as:

• Mangroves
• Coral reefs
• Seagrass beds
• Coastal wetlands

can be damaged by development, pollution and climate-related changes.

Major Objectives of SDG 14

A. Reduce Marine Pollution: Reduce the amount of waste and pollutants entering oceans.

B. Protect Marine Ecosystems

Conserve:

• Coral reefs
• Mangroves
• Coastal ecosystems
• Marine habitats

C. Promote Sustainable Fishing: Prevent overfishing and promote responsible fisheries management.

D. Address Ocean Acidification: Reducing carbon dioxide emissions is important because increased atmospheric CO₂ contributes to ocean acidification.

E. Protect Marine Biodiversity: Protect endangered marine species and their habitats.

Example: Marine Conservation: A coastal community can contribute by:

Reducing plastic waste → Protecting mangroves → Responsible fishing → Maintaining marine biodiversity

This demonstrates how individual and community action can contribute to SDG 14.

SDG 15 – Life on Land

SDG 15: Life on Land focuses on protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, and halting biodiversity loss and land degradation.

Life on Land means protecting forests, wildlife, soil, biodiversity and other land-based ecosystems.

Major Threats to Life on Land

1. Deforestation: Forests are cleared for:

• Agriculture
• Infrastructure
• Mining
• Urban development
• Other land uses

Deforestation can result in:

• Habitat loss
• Soil erosion
• Biodiversity loss
• Increased carbon emissions

2. Biodiversity Loss: Biodiversity refers to the variety of life on Earth.

Species may become threatened because of:

• Habitat destruction
• Pollution
• Climate change
• Hunting and illegal wildlife trade
• Invasive species
• Overexploitation

3. Land Degradation: Land degradation reduces the ability of land to support ecosystems and agriculture.

Causes include:

• Deforestation
• Soil erosion
• Overgrazing
• Unsustainable farming
• Poor land management

4. Desertification: Desertification refers to land degradation in dry areas.

It can be caused by factors such as:

• Drought
• Deforestation
• Unsustainable agriculture
• Overgrazing
• Climate variability and change

5. Wildlife Loss: Illegal hunting, poaching and wildlife trafficking threaten many species.

Conservation efforts include:

• Protected areas
• Wildlife sanctuaries
• National parks
• Anti-poaching measures
• Habitat restoration

Major Objectives of SDG 15

A. Protect Forests: Promote sustainable forest management and prevent unnecessary forest loss.

B. Protect Biodiversity: Conserve plants, animals and their habitats.

C. Restore Degraded Land: Restore ecosystems and improve degraded land.

D. Combat Desertification: Prevent and reverse land degradation, particularly in vulnerable dry regions.

E. Protect Wildlife: Reduce poaching, illegal wildlife trade and habitat destruction.

Relationship Between SDG 13, 14 and 15

These three environmental goals are closely interconnected.

Climate Change → Land Ecosystems

Changing temperatures and rainfall patterns can affect:

• Forests
• Agriculture
• Wildlife
• Biodiversity

Climate Change → Oceans

Climate change can contribute to:

• Ocean warming
• Sea-level rise
• Ocean acidification
• Changes in marine ecosystems

Land → Climate

Forests and other terrestrial ecosystems store carbon. Protecting them can contribute to climate mitigation.

Oceans → Climate

Oceans absorb substantial amounts of heat and carbon dioxide and play an important role in the Earth's climate system.

Environmental goals cannot be achieved only through government action.

For Climate Action – SDG 13

• Save electricity
• Use public transport where possible
• Reduce unnecessary consumption
• Support energy efficiency
• Spread climate awareness

For Life Below Water – SDG 14

• Avoid unnecessary single-use plastic
• Dispose of waste responsibly
• Keep beaches and water bodies clean
• Avoid activities that damage marine ecosystems

For Life on Land – SDG 15

• Protect trees
• Avoid wasteful consumption of forest products
• Respect wildlife
• Support biodiversity conservation
• Avoid disturbing natural habitats

Role of Media in Environmental Goals

Media can become an important tool for achieving environmental awareness.

Media's Role: Inform → Educate → Create Awareness → Encourage Participation