For 36-year-old Amrita Gangatirkar, a travel experience designer from Nashik, heritage is more than material possessions. It is the memory of the way her grandmother stitched her own clothes, the stories that lurk in every corner of her hometown, or turning to a family recipe for comfort. So, when the lockdown came into force, and Gangatirkar-s plans of documenting stories of wineries in Nashik took a backseat, she started noticing that a sizeable majority on social media was in some way or the other looking at the past for inspiration. Having worked as a researcher and filmmaker who covered communities, art, culture and heritage for years, Gangatirkar realised that she, too, could start her own project to find out what it means to go back to one-s roots. And out of a series of seven Instagram Live sessions with urban conservationists, archaeologists, directors and entrepreneurs, was born her podcast — Women Who Speak Heritage.

Amrita Gangatirkar