Heritage Fest to be organised in Bengal's Chandernagore

Kolkata, Nov 23 (IANS) A Heritage Fest will be organised in West Bengal's Chandernagore, a historic town by the Hugli river on November 25 by local project team in partnership with the University of Liverpool and IIT Kharagpur, a statement said on Friday.

Their two-year project covers the stretch from Hooghly district's Bandel to North 24 Parganas' Barrackpore and seeks to protect and raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage of the cities and towns along the course of the river.

Raising awareness among the young, the inheritors of the world's heritage, is the chief aim of the World Heritage Week.

Partha Pratim Chakrabarti, Director IIT Kharagpur, said the premier institution believes in a knowledge economy "where the modern and heritage have a harmonious and caring relationship."

The Fest in Chandernagore will bring together participants from schools and colleges and sensitise them about the value of the heritage of their town through an interactive event that will also see the deployment of technology.

Through iPads, the school children will be educated on how to use a custom-made, free smartphone App - the Hugli River AR App - which has been specially designed by the University of Liverpool, the statement from IIT Kharagpur said.

Jenia Mukherjee, the principal investigator on the part of IIT Kharagpur, says, "This will allow us to gauge how much information or awareness is already available on the ground and also help us generate enthusiasm among the young about the town's heritage."