Swagraam Foundation

In Samskrutha, ‘Graama’ refers to a Village and ‘Swagraama’ generally indicates a place which one belongs to. A sense of belongingness to a particular place is beyond a spatial point on the map. The idea of belonging to a place encompasses the association of that spatial location with a range of social relations, the climate of the place, the creative expressions, the customary practices carried over generations, and the interactions between a wide range of traditions. In other words, one’s belonging to a place brings about the dynamic re-narration of the past, as collective memories of the people. This way of remembering the past (‘smriti’) about a place is deeply vital for people to relish the joy of being rooted. Such rooting to a particular place (‘native’) provides us clues to our past and place where we come from. Understanding our heritage enables us to develop an awareness about ourselves and gives us a sense of personal identity. This provides an automatic sense of unity and belongingness within the community. Eventually this fills an enormous sense of pride in belonging to the native. Our Village Our Pride. The objectives of Swagraam project is two-fold: 1) To document heritage (which includes customs, artistic buildings, values, objects, etc.) of every village left behind by communities and passed on from generation to generation. 2) Bring together people who identify themselves with a particular place (which they call as their ‘native’) and use the synergy to conserve the heritage and also to contribute to the development of that place. We invite you to join us in documenting your heritage and to network with like-minded people to contribute to the development of your ‘Swagraam’ Feel the pride!!! Make others know your past!!!