Ms. Vaidehi Savnal, Coordinator of International Relation, CSMVS, Mumbai gave a TEDx Talk on the rich history of India in relation to the world. She questioned the interpretation of the linear projection of history, and invited us to look at history in relation to the rest of the world. She explored the evolution of societies, starting with revolutions like fire, pottery and language. The development of civilisations and societies was fascinating. Discussions on how rulers gained legitimacy, how trade impacted the world and cultures, and how religion became intertwined with states gave us a coherent picture of how ancient societies contrasted and its relevance in modern societies. We explored ideas of freedom and how they emerged in history, through freedom and partition in India and the abolition of slavery. Ms. Savnal ended by giving us something to think about - perhaps the very role of history is to inform about the future. Vaidehi Savnal is Coordinator of International Relations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya, Mumbai where she has been working for the past seven years. Her role involves liaising
with and building partnerships with International as well as Indian cultural institutes through
collaborative projects including exhibitions, research projects, capacity building and skill-sharing
programmes. She has curated the ‘What’s in a Name?’ exhibition that displayed Shakespeare’s First
Folio on loan from the British Library, London at the CSMVS on occasion of William Shakespeare’s 400 th
death anniversary in 2017 and has co-curated the photography exhibition, ‘Traversing Tibet: through the
lens of Li Gotami’ in 2016. Vaidehi also manages the academic outreach programme at the CSMVS as
well as the Museum’s Post-graduate diploma programme in Museology and Conservation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx