(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

The old city of Pune in India is located on the right bank of the Mutha river. Process of urbanization of Pune is spanned over three centuries and associated with the bridges built across the river and its feeders. They opened the new channels of communication and accelerated the growth of the city. This research paper aims at finding the connection between these bridges and the collective memory. For this purpose, the six oldest bridges in Pune are taken into consideration. The official names of the first five bridges have never gained the popular base. The names given by people are different than the official names. For instance, the bridge which connects Pune Municipal Corporation with Shaniwar Wada is popularly known as ‘Nava Pul’ (new bridge) although it was named ‘Lloyd bridge’ and ‘Shivaji Bridge’ in colonial and post-independence period respectively. Not only the British name but also the name ‘Shivaji’ could not gain a mass base. The only bridge that is known by its official name is Mhatre Bridge which is named so in memory of the Indian diplomat who was murdered by terrorists. The paper will explore what is the meaning of popular names, their significance and why the official names could not be popular. It will check if the popular names have connection with Pune’s urban past and have spatial and geographical significance. Collective memory is collective conservation of the past. Thus this paper works on the hypothesis whether the people of Pune themselves chose to remember the significant events of the past by deciding when to accept the official name and when to not. The paper will explain all the cases and elaborate further on the significance of the popular names of each bridge to check the hypothesis.