Online museum to archive stories about Kodavas

People can send stories along with photographs and audio or video clips for curation

Bengaluru-based India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) is inviting members of the Kodava community to share stories of their people and cultural history for an online museum it plans to launch next year.

It is International Museum Day on May 18.

Speaking ahead of the occasion, IFA said people can send stories along with photographs and audio or video clips, which will be curated.

The project is called Sandooka, the Living Museum of Kodava Culture. Sandooka means treasure chest in Coorgi language, and the museum strives to be a repository of stories ranging from the traditional costumes to present-day experiences of the Kodavas, native inhabitants of Kodagu in Karnataka.

IFA is working with Nitin Kushalappa, an author and researcher who is a member of the Kodava community, to put together this project along with design experts Upasana and Saurav Roy from Switch Studio.

The project started in 2021. Rathi Vinay Jha, chair of the Sandooka museum’s advisory group, shares, “The younger generation of the community is dispersed all over the world and is losing connection with their heritage. This museum will provide an opportunity to reconnect with their culture.”

And because the project wants to foster community participation and be accessible globally, the concept of online museums fits well, says Lina Vincent, project director and curator.

Arundhati Ghosh, executive director, IFA, believes the museum will help document and preserve the stories and heritage of the Kodavas, much of which remains undocumented.

“My vision is for it to be a virtual space devoted to the Kodava community. I hope this can serve as a model for other communities that are disappearing to keep their stories alive,” says Lina.

You can submit the stories at sandookamuseum.org/form/intro