All academic textbooks will dedicate some pages, that too, in the beginning, to the history of the topic it deals with. People proudly exhibit valuable possessions from the past in front of their business establishments and the same is true in the case of households as well, all across the world. We all get inspired by the wonderful things from the past, amazing creations and inventions of our forefathers and strive hard to protect the heritage sites, preserve them and learn from them to enrich history. Are those things from the past outdated, irrelevant and not something to spend time and money upon? Unfortunately, such thoughts, attitudes, and the resultant actions destroyed many treasures of the past.
We often hear about 'the theory revisited, lessons from history, what to learn from the past, things re-invented' etc. If we do not care or study the base upon which a topic has been developed we will not be able to understand it well, explain it clearly and in detail and to develop it further. Research is a continuous process, what we profess today will become history tomorrow. But the whole process has relevance and importance irrespective of the time frame.
The above picture is of the St. Francis CSI Church at Fort Kochi, in Kerala, South India. This is the first church built by the Europeans in India. This was built in 1503 by the Portuguese explorers and the most prominent among them was Vasco da Gama. He died in 1524 while he was at Fort Kochi and was buried here initially. His mortal remains were removed to Lisbon some years later. Portuguese built the Fort Emmanuel at the beach and the place gradually acquired the name Fort Kochi.
The culture, the lively environment, the things that shaped up what we see now, are all interlinked and this is a continuous process. This place is an internationally acclaimed tourist destination and without its rich heritage how could this place become what it is right now with so many people from all over the world visiting, each one contributing a little at the least to its culture? This cultural transformation is a dynamic process and the study of the past, present, and the future and not only the present and the future will help in further development of this beautiful place. It is only because of its vibrant, rich and lively past this amazing destination had gained a lot of popularity which will mesmerize everyone visiting and this is the reason they keep on coming back, for more and more.
- Past, present, and the future, the flow is continuous; it is a dynamic process and not separate entities. Learn from the past, cherish beautiful memories, live the present well, and build an awesome future!
