Potli Productions, an initiative of TCU Impact Foundation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), an initiative of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), marking a significant step toward strengthening grassroots cultural documentation and youth participation in preserving India’s living heritage.
The three-year collaboration establishes a framework for Potli Productions and NMCM to work together toward building structured cultural documentation ecosystems across schools and communities, particularly in underrepresented regions of the country. The partnership aims to institutionalise youth-led cultural documentation, integrate local knowledge systems into national cultural platforms, and create sustainable pathways for preserving India’s diverse intangible heritage traditions.
The MoU reflects a shared vision between both institutions to strengthen grassroots cultural mapping and ensure that young people play an active role as custodians and documenters of India’s cultural traditions. Through this collaboration, Potli Productions and NMCM will jointly design programmes that encourage students and youth to engage deeply with their local cultural ecosystems through research, storytelling, oral history collection, and creative documentation practices.
As part of the partnership, the collaboration will focus on:
- Strengthening grassroots cultural mapping initiatives across India
- Institutionalising cultural documentation practices in schools
- Enhancing youth participation in documenting local traditions and oral histories
- Expanding documentation efforts in underserved and underrepresented geographies
- Integrating documentation outputs into national cultural platforms and archives
The MoU also provides for collaborative initiatives including the use of documentation and research generated through Potli Productions’ Dada Nani Initiative for Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar, the creation of youth-led publications on traditions, crafts, foodways and oral histories, and the organisation of workshops, dialogues and public engagement events that celebrate village heritage and living traditions. These efforts aim to deepen public awareness and participation in cultural preservation while amplifying community-led narratives.
Potli Productions has been actively working at the intersection of creative education and cultural engagement, enabling children and young people to build cultural awareness, creative citizenship, and stronger community connections through participatory practices. Over the years, the organisation has developed structured models for cultural documentation through school-based cultural clubs, youth fellowships, festivals, workshops, digital archives, and publications.
The National Mission on Cultural Mapping, implemented by IGNCA under the Ministry of Culture, is a national initiative dedicated to systematically documenting India’s cultural resources, mapping creative communities, and revitalising the cultural economy at the grassroots level. This collaboration aligns with the mission’s larger objective of preserving and promoting India’s rich cultural landscape through participatory and community-driven approaches.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Apresh Chandra Mishra, Director, Potli Productions, and Dr. Mayank Shekhar, Mission Director, National Mission on Cultural Mapping, in New Delhi on March 16, 2026.
This partnership marks an important milestone in advancing youth-led cultural documentation in India and reaffirms a collective commitment to preserving, celebrating, and reimagining India’s cultural heritage for future generations.