Over the past 5,000 years, India has crafted many a fascinating story on its 7,500-km coastline.
From the world’s first tidal dock circa 2300 BC in Lothal, the ancient Silk Route and the establishment of East India Company in the eastern coast to today’s modern container ports, the country has been a crucial link in the world maritime trade,” says Asha Sheth, chairperson of Vasant J Sheth Memorial Foundation and former vice-chairman and currently a member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). “However, there was a time when the significance of India’s rich seafaring past was overlooked. Today, as a sign of changing times, maritime heritage is finally finding pride of place.”
A pioneer in documenting and promoting India’s maritime heritage, Sheth has played a vital role in preserving this invaluable part of India’s history by highlighting environmental issues relating to coastal activities and garnering social support. Unconventional in thinking and independent in her endeavours, she produced the documentary fiction film, Chattarbhang, on untouchables in Uttar Pradesh in 1976 and was one of the founder members of the Museum Society of Bombay at the Prince of Wales Museum in 1963. The only daughter of K D Malaviya, considered the father of the Indian oil industry, and wife of Vasant J Sheth, a pioneer and visionary of the Indian shipping industry, Sheth has charted her own course. In an exclusive conversation with Sai Prabha Kamath, the 83 year-old talks about her family, journey and vision for the country’s coasts.
You were brought up in a family of freedom fighters. Please share your memories of your father K D Malaviya’s involvement in the freedom movement.
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Harmony - Celebrate Age.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Wrapped In Love
My Dadi Meenakshi Banerji was a short and tubby woman with great gumption who raised 10 citizens of the world.
Sharing Her ‘Mettle'
To me, this bell metal vaarpu, which weighs about 80 kg and is at least 120 years old, is an enduring reminder of my paternal grandmother Aleyamma Abraham.
Medical Overload
Your doctor may walk the talk while writing out your prescriptions but here’s the thing: make sure he hasn’t prescribed one too many.
An Act Of Faith
One act of kindness can save someone’s life.’
Armed For Business
The sheer glory and glamour of the Olive Greens motivated me, a third-generation soldier, to join the Army. Thus I enlisted, brimming with enthusiasm, in 1984.
Capture the fracture
Fracture owing to osteoporosis can have a serious impact on a person’s health and quality of life. Dr Abhijit Y Pawar, consultant orthopaedic spine surgeon at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, speaks about the significance of timely intervention in preventing fractures
Friends With Benefits!
Incontinence need not interfere with life.
Yellow, Yellow, Gritty Fellows!
It was a nippy Sunday morning but nothing that would keep the rugged Delhiite away from the annual Senior Citizens’ Run supported by Harmony at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. Not even the mood-dampening smog that had descended on the capital a week earlier could do that! So said 74 year-old Sarla Rani and her band of regulars at the run who arrived at Nehru Stadium on the morning of 19 November even before the sun did. Soon they were joined by busloads of silvers from all over Delhi, Noida and Gurugram.
Magic By The Sea
From Lord Jagannath to oceanside beauty and green initiatives, Braja Sorensen uncovers the many layers of Puri.
Indian Rhapsody
In a span of two decades, Roshen Dalal has attained renown for her painstakingly researched books on history and religions in India. The Puffin History of India and The Puffin History of the World, each in two volumes, have not just received critical acclaim but are bestsellers as well. Her other books include The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths; Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide; The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism’s Sacred Texts and The Compact Timeline History of the World.
