Sri Bodanapu’s ‘Heirloom Cities’ Documents Culture Through Food, Memory and Everyday Histories
Vyshanvi
New Delhi, May 4: Sri Bodanapu, also known as Vyshanvi, is building a documentation project that explores cities through food, focusing on the people, memories and histories that shape culinary traditions.
Her initiative, Heirloom Cities, looks at food not as a standalone subject but as a lens to understand culture. After beginning with Mumbai, the project has now moved to Kolkata as its second chapter.
Bodanapu, the daughter of BVR Mohan Reddy, said her upbringing played a role in shaping her perspective. She described her father’s approach as focused on long-term institution-building, while her mother emphasised hosting and creating spaces where people felt included.
She said this environment influenced her understanding of how culture is experienced in everyday life rather than defined formally.
The project traces its origins to her own family archive. Recipes documented by her uncle, particularly those of her grandmother, became the starting point for her earlier work A Heritage of Food, which combined recipes with personal narratives.
She said the idea expanded as she realised that many such stories remain undocumented. “A lot of this knowledge is passed down informally. If it is not recorded, it disappears,” she noted.
Her move from Hyderabad to San Francisco added another dimension to her work. She said distance from home highlighted the role of food in maintaining cultural connection, while also exposing how cuisines are often simplified in global contexts, losing their historical and social layers.
Before moving into food-related work, Bodanapu worked in the technology sector. She said that experience helped her understand systems and scale, but she eventually chose to pursue food more directly through formal training in baking.
Her current work focuses on everyday contributors to food culture, rather than curated or commercial representations. She said the project attempts to capture how traditions evolve through daily practices, family habits and local histories.
Bodanapu also said that becoming a parent has influenced her approach, making her more conscious of how cultural practices are preserved and passed on.
Conclusion
Heirloom Cities reflects a growing interest in documenting intangible cultural heritage through lived experiences. By focusing on food as an entry point, the project seeks to capture how memory, identity and community are interconnected.
Our Final Thoughts
The project highlights the role of informal knowledge systems in shaping cultural identity. By documenting everyday food practices, it addresses a gap where much of this history risks being lost.
