AIIS-Trip II

4th Field Trip-To American Institute of Indian Studies

 On the 11th of March our team,HeART(Heritage Action Research Team) visited the AIIS once again.This time our main purpose was to explore their audio visual archives,delve into oral history and get a better understanding of the art of audio and study of ethnomusicology(the study of music in a social context:any form of performing arts such as plays,dance,music and poetry).

 We were welcomed to the institute by Mr.Uma Shankar,a famed,distinguished audio wizard.He introduced us to the field of ethnomusicology,that the ARCE(Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology) houses over 25000 hours of recordings,with technology from the early 20th century.He said that music is a medium through which people interact but written notes capture the context of the spoken material much better than audio records.Mr.Shankar was joined by Dr.Shubha Chadhuri,the head of the ethnomusicology department spoke to us extensively about the archives and the concept of oral history through a power point presentation.

  Dr.Chadhuri told us that these recordings are mostly created by researchers and people who are making documentations.she also said that the archive has to deal with a major problem,keeping up with the pace of developing technology and taking a lot of care of these records and the equipment required to play them.In the power point presentation,Dr.Chadhuri explained that oral history is a form of recent history as narrated by a practitioner,community member or an individual,it the use of personal knowledge,questions and answers,collecting and creating memories.These are found in the from of audio recordings,notes,photographs and videos.She further on said that this form of history is very different as it contains first person accounts,personal voices and recollections,what people remember,what is their opinion,it adds to the value of written accounts and has the capability to create "documents" in a field of research where none exist.
  Dr .Chadhuri added on by saying that when we go about oral history projects,we should do a small share of background research as it helps an interviewer be more prepared and ask better questions.As a piece of advice we were told to have immense respect for our subjects,we should listen with care,take down meticulous notes,not interrupt and always keep in mind that your subject is the one with the knowledge not you.We can collect a vast variety of things that come under the title of oral history,they being:

• Memories and recollections
• Stories,Legends and myths
• All manner of oral account

 Another extremely part of oral history is preserving it in the form of documents so that they can be referred to easily later and we should always keep the 5 W's in mind.They should be preserved with a number,identity,label or marking.Dr.Chadhuri pointed out the advantages of archiving oral history:

1. Other people sharing same interests can use the work
2. The people who recorded them can get easy access to them
3. The work can be used in the future
4. Fact-Your Oral histories are the only record of your creation
5. Each document created is unique in it's own way

Oral histories are archived in three steps

1. The original copy is preserved
2. The text/spoken material is transcribed
3. All material is indexed,catalogued and made available to others

These documented oral histories have many uses:

• Films and documentaries
• Museums and exhibitions
• Research
• Dramatization

 The documentation of oral history also has many ethics surrounding it:

1. Be honest and transparent about your purpose
2. Remember these are precious,personal memories and accounts,community representations or cultural expressions that is being shared.
3. Take permission beforehand(Free prior informed consent)
4. Share copies of recordings and photos as relevant
5. Give copies of agreement forms

We then visited the audio archives where Mr.Shankar showed us different types of equipment to store audio,equipment to play it and of course the archive section which is kept at a cool temperature of 16 degrees celsius and humidity of 45%.He also told us the laws of physics applied when recording and tips and tricks to a better audio clip.

  It was truly an amazing experience thanks to Mr Uma Shankar,Dr.Shubha Chadhuri(to which I have immensely referred to for more information about oral history),Mr.Jha and Professor Khanna.I hope in the future we can achieve our goal and learn a lot more from this excellent institute.