Photo Exhibit: “Anthropocene: Coastal Societies of the Bay of Bengal.” (MacMillan Center)

At a time when the global scientific community is debating the impact of climate change and global warming, this project is of pressing concern in its exploration of how local communities can build resilience through tacit knowledge of their environment. The research showcases innovative reconceptualisation of cyclones and floods by focusing on peoples lived memory, creative arts, paintings and oral literature. It will provide an evidence base for the culturally specific dimensions of disaster preparedness and propose policy related outcomes that build upon institutional capacities by connection lay knowledge with scientific observations. The project will help in building anthropological knowledge in disaster management. The credibility of the project will be to deepen the understanding of an expanding global concern: natural disasters triggered by climate change and sea level rise and the ways it can be mitigated. It will contribute knowledge to build resilient strategies for the littoral societies populating the Bay of Bengal-Indian Ocean worlds. The research project genesis lies in recognizing the neglect, deterioration and destruction of valuable heritage, both tangible and intangible, in the littoral regions of the Sundarban delta and Bay of Bengal rim.