The Culture and Tourism Minister Smt. Ambika Soni has said that an integrated approach is required for a successful movement of heritage preservation and promotion. Addressing the Asian Regional Cooperation Conference here today she said heritage can not be preserved in isolation. We need to emphasize its strong linkages with other fields, particularly education and tourism to succeed in our endeavour. The Minister said the heritage belongs to the entire humanity and not to one particular Nation or community. Therefore, the primary objective of promoting and preserving cultural heritage for the benefit of the present as well as the future generation needs to be carried forward jointly with active participation and cooperation of not only all sections of society within a Nation-State but the international community as a whole. Perhaps there is no better way of initiating this cooperation than amongst the countries of Asian region, which share with each other a close historical, cultural and economic links. India is quite conscious of its shared history and bonds with the Nations of Asian region and is making all endeavors to expand, strengthen and deepen these links through its ‘Look East’ policy.
Smt. Ambika Soni paid tributes to those innocent citizens who lost their lives during the recent terror attacks on Mumbai. She also paid glowing tributes to members of the police and security forces who made supreme sacrifice while combating terror in Mumbai attacks.
Here are excerpts from the speech of Smt. Ambika Soni:-
“It gives me great pleasure to be with you here this morning in the inaugural session of the Asian Regional Cooperation Conference, which is focusing on the important areas of Heritage Management, Art Conservation, Education and Tourism and their inter linkages.
It was exactly a year ago on 3rd December 2007 that I participated in the 12th International Conference of National Trusts hosted by the INTACH in Delhi. I am happy to see that one of the recommendations of that Conference has been realized into action by organizing this Conference focused on regional cooperation.
I find the subject of the Conference interesting and significant particularly, from the two perspectives. Firstly, I am confident the initiative of INTACH in organizing this Conference will help us in building a new regional co-operation in the field of heritage and culture. Secondly, heritage cannot be preserved in isolation. We need to emphasize its strong linkages with other fields, particularly, education and tourism to succeed in our endeavor. In other words, an integrated approach is required for a successful movement of heritage preservation and promotion.
Thus, it is only appropriate that last year’s International Conference has been followed up by a more specific conference on Regional Cooperation in Heritage, Art-Conservation, Education and Tourism. I would like to congratulate INTACH and its Chairperson for their foresightedness in choosing the subject.
I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on basic dimensions around which we need to construct a strategy for an integrated preservation and promotion of our heritage.
Firstly, there are no basic conflicts between heritage preservation and economic development. In fact, contrary to general belief, heritage is not a burden but a valuable resource and asset. This asset can be utilized by following an appropriate policy of preservation and promotion so as to contribute to poverty reduction, employment generation and environmental re-generation.
Secondly, it is necessary to create a partnership with the civil society and local communities in heritage preservation so that they develop a stake and sense of belonging. Education and awareness generation are some of the powerful tools for creating such stakes and partnerships. The Ministry of Culture is in the process of launching a Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Program, with an objective to reach schools, colleges and universities and inculcate among the younger generation a deeper understanding and awareness about the Nation’s culture and heritage.
Thirdly, we should create a Public-Private Partnership with the Corporates and private organizations in raising resources for jointly promoting and preserving our heritage. We in India have already set up a National Culture Fund (NCF) for this purpose under which Corporate Houses and other private organizations can donate funds, for preservation of monuments as well as other forms of art and culture. The contributions to NCF are eligible for 100% tax exemption.
Fourthly, but most importantly, the Government has to play the role of a catalyst through its policies and legislative measures. India has large number of monuments and heritage sites spread across the length and breadth of the country running into lakhs. Only a small fraction of these are protected under various statutes of Central and State Governments. Most of them still remain unprotected. The Ministry of Culture has already launched a National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities at a total estimated cost of Rs. 90 crore. Soon this is going to be revised to Rs. 400-500 crore to cover the entire country extensively and intensively. As a part of legislative measures, the Ministry of Culture in the Government of India is also in the process of setting up a National Commission for Heritage Sites through an Act of Parliament. These measures will go a long way in preserving and conserving the unprotected monuments and sites in the country.
Fifthly, there is a need for capacity building in the sector of management of heritage and cultural resources to obviate the serious dearth of expertise and manpower in this area. The Ministry of Culture has proposed, as part of its XI Plan, to set up a Centre for Management of Cultural Resources. There are also suggestions to set up a network of Indian Institute of Art and Culture on the lines of IIMs and IITs.
If simultaneous measures are taken along all these five dimensions, then we are bound to succeed in our endeavor in preservation of our valuable heritage.
As the Minister for Culture and Tourism I am also acutely aware of the strong link between culture and tourism. Tourism acts as a catalyst in bringing visitors from all over the world, in an organized manner, to India and present them a unique glimpse into the yet living civilization of India and some of the best tangible evidences that are kept well preserved in our National Museums, state-level museums, IGNCA, private museums, several site museums along with monuments and in private individual collections. This will give you an idea of our long uninterrupted history, our socio-cultural mores and an unprecedented refinement that our craftsmen of yesteryears achieved. Heritage tourism is, therefore, an important plank of our tourism development strategy. So, I am glad that a separate session in the present Conference will be focusing on the issue related to this linkage.
An area of heritage that is often ignored is intangible heritage. I was, therefore, very pleased to note that a whole segment of this Conference will focus on Heritage Education where, among other topics, the best practices in Intangible Heritage Education will be examined. I keenly look forward to the results of this Session.
For a country like India, as indeed anywhere else in the world, the conservation of cultural property constitutes an extremely important domain of activity. Given the tremendous riches that India possesses in terms of tangible heritage in the form of art objects and built heritage, both religious and secular and a perhaps unrivalled wealth in the area of intangible heritage, there is a sense of urgency in India today about preserving and conserving these various aspects of Indian cultural heritage.
A glimpse into the past makes us all proud of our inheritance, our cultural lineage, and stokes passion and pride in displaying our cultural and national identity. It is, therefore, our bounden duty to safeguard our heritage so that the best of our history, culture and civilization is not only enjoyed by us, but also can be passed on to our children and our grandchildren in a form that warms their hearts and instills a pride in who they are. Such efforts can add to the corpus of human civilization, increase the value of the fruits of artistic creation and preserve the best of our natural heritage and our varied traditions – tangible and intangible.
If we can undertake this task with sensitivity, transparency and dedication with the application of knowledge, science and technology in a collaborative manner among different communities, societies and nations; we can not only preserve our precious heritage but also help in bringing closer cooperation among diverse peoples.
Our world today seems to be heading inexorably towards violence, energy crisis and ecological collapse. In a world where there appears to be so many stories of doom, we need the stories of creativity, beauty and artistic excellence that our cultural heritage can give us. Our cultural heritage in many ways is the best of us and in it, lies the possibility of bringing people together in unlocking its many secrets and its genius. Above all, our cultural heritage holds out the hope of an improved present and a better tomorrow. I am sure the galaxy of experts gathered here will exchange their knowledge and work out collaborative strategies to preserve our valued heritage”.