On a quest to preserve heritage: Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil

NewsX interviewed Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil, Founder of Bhavnagar Heritage, as part of its exclusive series NewsX India A-List, which aims to bring forth some of India’s finest and brightest personalities. On the show, Brijeshwari was recognised for her excellence in entrepreneurship.
Speaking about Bhavnagar Heritage, Brijeshwari shared that the enterprise started off as an endeavour to keep herself busy, which actually turned out to be a quest to preserve the rich heritage of Bhavnagar, as she hails from the same place. “The place wasn’t given much attention like it should’ve been,” she added.
“The preservation commenced with heritage walks, as people often take the place for granted and end up rejecting the places closest to them, and then the umbrella extended and covered sensitisation towards the place. We made students participate in competitions, urging them to paint their heritage and felicitating them for the same. We then invited architects to restore our heritage,” Brijeshwari said.
Currently, the foundation is restoring a museum, which involves revamping the entire structural part of the museum. An interesting fact about the museum is that it has cabinets that haven’t been open since Independence and are getting restored.
Bhavnagar is a culturally rich heritage place that shelters crafts like embroidery work, wood, and metalwork. The Bhavnagar Heritage Foundation is constantly working to keep the craft alive by teaching it to the next generation in such a way that it does not become boring and is “trendy” for them.
Talking about her future plans, she is working with a Mumbai-based auction house, Prinseps Fine Arts, which is helping her document the life of Oscar-winning artist Bhanu Athiya, who has not been given enough credit for her legacy that she has left.