About ARPO: Preserving India's Living Heritage

Welcome to the ARPO blog, a direct insight into the Archival and Research Project (ARPO). We are a dedicated non-profit organization committed to the vital preservation and dynamic advancement of India's diverse cultural legacy.

At ARPO, we operate on the premise that culture is a continually evolving force, shaped by collective memory, specific places, and the people who embody them. Our methodology encompasses comprehensive documentation, in-depth research, strategic capacity building, and other interventions. We also innovate, developing sustainable economic models that ensure both tangible and intangible heritage not only survive but actively thrive within the contemporary creative and cultural economy.

Our efforts yield tangible results across various initiatives. The Earthlore Fellowship Programme, supported by Tata Trusts, functions as a collaborative learning platform. It cultivates young tribal and non-tribal musicians, opening new avenues for indigenous music. Through the Earthlore documentation project, supported by the Samagata Foundation, we do in-depth documentation of tribal cultural traditions.

Our LoreKeepers Project systematically digitizes endangered oral traditions, building one of India's most extensive digital archives of folk tales and songs. In architectural conservation, our work, notably the restoration of the Karnikara Mandapam of the Kruvannur Kunnamangalam Bhagawati temple in Calicut, garnered the prestigious 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Conservation Award.

Supported by esteemed partners including Tata Trusts, Samāgata Foundation, and the Central Cultural Ministry, ARPO consistently strives to ensure that India’s extraordinary heritage is not merely inherited, but actively carried forward into the future. We invite you to explore, celebrate, and support these invaluable legacies with us.