REPORT ON

PRESERVING WISDOM: LESSONS FROM TRADITION

SUBMITTED BY

NANDELA MADHULATHA (20VV1A0443)

Under the fulfilment of Assignment in IVth B. tech 1st Semester

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering,

University college of Engineering, Vizianagaram

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 TOPIC: “PRESERVING WISDOM: LESSONS FROM
TRADITION”

ABSTRACT:
This mini project aims to explore the valuable lessons that can be learned from various cultural
traditions. By examining customs, rituals, and practices from different cultures, we seek to
uncover the timeless wisdom that can enrich our modern lives.

I. INTRODUCTION:
A. Overview of the significance of Traditions
Tradition is a belief, principle, custom or behaviour with symbolic meaning or special
significance that people in a particular group or society have continued to follow for a long
time, often being handed down from one generation to the next. It’s derived from the Latin
verb “trader” meaning to transmit, hand over, give for safekeeping. It’s frequently assumed
that traditions have ancient history, but many have been invented on purpose over short spans
of time.
B. Importance of preserving cultural Heritage
➢ Our heritage serves as the identity of our nation.
➢ Heritage sites are an excellent resource for the education of all age groups, as it provides
an opportunity to contribute to their community. It fosters awareness and tolerance of
cultural diversity.
➢ Malleable reuse of heritage buildings plays an important role in creating sustainable
communities.
➢ Preservation of art and architecture is required to inspire the upcoming generations.
➢ The heritage helps to improve the local economy through tourism.
C. Purpose and Objectives of Project
✓ Cultural heritage: Preserving knowledge and wisdom helps to maintain and pass on
cultural heritage from generation to generation.
✓ Collective memory: Preserving knowledge and wisdom allows for the creation of a
collective memory that can be passed on to future generations.
✓ Innovation and progress: By building on the knowledge and wisdom of the past, new
ideas and technologies can be developed, leading to advancements in science,
technology, medicine, and other fields.
✓ Problem-solving: Knowledge and wisdom can be used to understand and solve
complex problems. This can be particularly valuable in areas such as politics,
economics, and social issues.
✓ Human Development: Preserving knowledge and wisdom is essential for human
development, as it allows individuals to gain a better understanding of themselves, their
society, and the world.

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II. METHODOLOGY:
1. Field Survey Questionnaire:
INTRODUCTION:
o Name of the Respondent:
o Age:
o Occupation:
o Length of time in the village:
o Traditions practiced:
o Briefly describe about your Family Background:
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES:
o What are the key Traditions followed in your family/community?
o How have these traditions evolved over the years?
o Can you share any specific examples of how these traditions have positively influenced
the community?
VALUES AND MORALS:
o In your opinion, what values or morals are strongly emphasized by the traditions in
your village?
o How do these values contribute to the overall well-being and cohesion of the
community?
o Can you provide any instances where adherence to these values has led to positive
outcomes?
PERCEPTIONS AND ADAPTATIONS:
o How are these traditions passed down from one generation to the next?
o Do you believe there is a need to preserve these traditions for future generations? why
or why not?
o Are there any changes or adaptations in how these traditions are practiced?
CHALLENGES:
o Have you faced any challenges in preserving or passing down these traditions?
o How do you think these challenges can be addressed?
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
o How do these traditions contribute to the sense of community and belonging?
o Have they played a role in resolving conflicts or maintaining harmony?
RECOMMENDATIONS:
o What suggestions do you have for preserving and passing down these traditions to
future generations?
o How can the community support these efforts?

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CONCLUSION:
o Is there anything else you would like to share about the traditions and lessons in your
village?

III. LESSONS LEARNED:

A. LESSON 1: Community and Unity
INTERDEPENDENCE: Traditional communities often rely on each other for various
aspects of life, from agriculture to craftsmanship. This fosters a sense of interdependence
where everyone’s contribution is valued.
CEREMONIES AND RITUALS: Traditional
ceremonies and rituals can serve as important
communal events that bring people together,
reinforce shared values, and strengthen bond within
the community.
SHARED RESPONSIBILITIES: Communities
typically have established roles and responsibilities
for different members. This helps distribute the
workload fairly and ensures that everyone has a role
to play.
B. LESSON 2: Sustainability and Harmony with Nature
RESPECT FOR NATURE: Traditional Communities often have a deep connection with the
natural world and a profound respect for the environment.
CELEBRATION OF DIVERSITY: Traditional communities often consist of individuals
with diverse skills, talents, and perspectives. These differences are celebrated & utilized
the community as a whole.
C. LESSON 3: Resilience and Adaptability
ADAPTABILTY AND FLEXIBILITY: While traditions are important, many traditional
communities also demonstrate an ability to changing circumstances and integrate new
knowledge or technologies when necessary.
D. LESSON 4: Cultural Identity and Values
CULTURAL IDENTITY AND PRIDE: Embracing and preserving cultural traditions
instills a sense of identity and pride within the community members. This unity in cultural
identity can be a powerful force.
E. LESSON 5: Passing Down knowledge and wisdom
PASSING DOWN KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: Elders often play a crucial role in
passing down traditional knowledge and skills to younger generations. This not only
preserves cultural heritage but also strengthens the unity of the community.

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IV. CASE STUDY
A. EXAMPLE 1: POTTERY EVOLUTION AND SIGNIFICANCE
NAME: P. Naga Laxmi
Pottery plays an important role in studying culture and reconstructing the past. Historically
with distinct culture, the style of pottery changed. It reflects the social, economic and
environmental conditions a culture thrived in, which helps the archaeologists and historians in
understanding our past.
Pottery is majorly of two types:
✓ Handmade
✓ Wheel thrown
Handmade pottery is rather a primitive style pottery developed in early ages which with
time transforms to wheel thrown.

EVOLUTION OF POTTERY:

I. NEOLITHIC AGE: We find the first reference of pottery in this age. Naturally it is hand-
made pottery but during the later period foot-wheel is also used.

Features:

❖ Unglazed/unburnished that is having

rough surface.
❖ Handmade coarse grey pottery.
❖ Material – clay mixed with mica and sand
❖ Pottery is devoid of any painting.
❖ In many cases twisted rice husk cords
were impressed into wet clay for decoration.
❖ Included black-burnished ware, greyware
and mat-pressed ware.

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II. CHALCOLITHIC ERA: Chalcolithic Era, the first metal age, is marked by the occurrence
of distinct cultures in various parts of our country namely – Ahar culture in South Eastern
Rajasthan, Malwa culture in Western MP, Jorwe culture in Western Maharashtra, etc.

People of this age used different kinds of pottery.

1. Black-and-red-ware Pottery: Black and red ware seems to have been widely used. Cultures
like Ahar-Banas showed the presence of Black and Red ware pottery with white linear
designs.

2. Black-on-red ware: Jorwe ware is painted

black-on-red and has a matt surface treated
with a wash.

3. Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP): OCP

people are regarded as the junior
contemporaries of Harappa. This pottery is
identified with the Copper Hoard
Culture that was found in upper Ganga
Valley and Ganga Yamuna doab area.

✓ The colour of the pottery ranges from

orange to red.
✓ The period covered by the OCP
culture is roughly placed between 2000 BC and 1500 BC.
✓ Major sites are – Jodhpura (Rajasthan), Attranjikhera (UP)
✓ Gnaneshwar, located near Khatri copper mines, was initially believed to have OCP
but researches have confuted this.

III. HARAPPAN CIVILIZATION:

✓ Both polished and unpolished type of pottery existed.

✓ Pottery generally has a red surface and is wheel thrown although handmade ones
too exist.
✓ Polished wares were well fired.
✓ Most of the pottery is polychrome meaning more than two colours are used to colour
the pottery.
✓ Most of the pottery is utilitarian. Such potteries usually have flat bases.

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 ✓ Geometrical design along with paintings depicting flora and fauna are observed.
✓ Perforated pottery was also found may be used for straining liquor.
✓ Pottery throughout the civilization was uniform (mass thrown) revealing some
form of control and leaving less space of individual creativity
✓ Presence of luxurious pottery obtained from certain sites reveals economic
stratification in the society.

1.MATURE HARAPPA: Burial Pottery of Harappa

• Burnished and painted pottery

• Burial pottery was specially and distinctly made.
• Reveals the Harappan belief in life after death.
• Presence or absence of this pottery in the grave goods reflected social stratification.

2.LATE HARAPPA:

Ochre Coloured Pottery (OCP) – As we

know the late Harappan cultures (1900BC –
1200BC) were primarily chalcolithic. Some
specific chalcolithic sites show the elements
of late Harappan (like use of burnt bricks,
etc). These sites have OCP.

Black-grey burnished ware produced on

slow wheel – Found in Swat Valley. This
resembles the pottery from north Iranian
plateau.

Black-on-red painted and wheel turned

pottery – Also found in Swat Valley. This shows a connection that Swat Valley was associated
with Harappa.

Grey-ware and Painted Grey Ware, generally associated with Vedic people have been found
in conjunction with some late Harappan pottery. It has less intricate designs as compared to the
early and mature periods suggesting a dilution of the rich culture.

IV. VEDIC ERA – PGW: The Vedic Era saw the emergence of Painted Grey Ware (PGW)
Culture. The Rig Vedic sites have PGW but iron objects and PGWereals are absent. Hence it
is considered a pre-iron phase of PGW. This pottery is an Iron Age pottery found in Gangetic
plain and Ghaghara – Haka valley, lasting from roughly 1200 BC – 600 BC. Mathura was
the largest PGW site.

• Characterized by a style of fine, grey pottery painted with geometric patterns in black.
• Are confined to few geographical locations, namely – Punjab, Haryana and
upper Ganga Valley. This culture is associated with village and town settlements (but
without large cities)

V. LATER VEDA ERA – NBPW: The later Vedic people were acquainted with 4 types of
pottery – Black-and-red ware, black-slipped ware, painted grey ware and red ware.

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VI. END OF LATER VEDIC ERA – NBPW: Towards the very end of Later Vedic Age
around 6th century BC, we see the emergence of 2nd phase of urbanization (1st being Indus
Valley Civilization). This era marked the beginning of the Northern Black Polished Ware
(NBPW).

o Glossy, shining type pottery.

o Made of fine fabric and served as tableware for richer class.
o Considered delux pottery only found with the elites revealing societal stratification
which was a result of Brahmanical hegemony.
o This pottery continued to exist during the Mahajanapada era.
o Found in Ahichatra Hastinapur (both in UP), Navdatoli (Madhya Pradesh).
o Classified into two groups – bichrome and monochrome.
o Monochrome pottery has a fine and thin fabric. Potted on fast wheel and have
a strikingly lustrous surface. 90% of this type is jet black, brownish black and
bluish black and 10% have colours like pink, golden, brown among others.

V. CONCLUSION:
A. Summarizing key lessons learned from traditions:

✓ Tradition teaches FREEDOM, FAITH, INTEGRITY, A GOOD EDUCATION,

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, A STRONG WORK ETHIC, AND THE VALUE
OF BEING SELFLESS.
✓ Tradition provides a stage to showcase role models and celebrate the things that really
matter in life which unites the people from several places.

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B. Implications for modern society and individuals:

✓ Tradition contributes a sense of comfort and belonging.

✓ Tradition offers a chance to say “Thank you” for the contribution that someone has
made.
✓ Tradition offers an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection.

C. Call to action for preserving and celebrating cultural heritage.

VI. RECOMMENDATIONS:

A. Encouraging cultural exchange and appreciation.

B. Implementing lessons in daily life and community initiatives.

VII. REFERENCES:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420917301425

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/452/1/012064/pdf

https://www.gracebc.ca/blog/2019/5/29/3-lessons-you-should-learn-from-traditional-worship-
even-if-you-dont-like-organs-and-hymnals

https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/1097/chapter/9

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