Prof. Amreswar Galla
Executive Director, International Institute for the Inclusive Museum
Denmark, Australia and India
As part of BHU Centenary Celebrations, the Department of History of Art, arranged a Special Lecture by Prof. Amreswar Galla in Annie Besant Hall, Faculty of Arts on 19.08.2015.
The title of the lecture was
Linking Tourism with World Heritage and Sustainable Development.
Key points
India: The land of unlimited opportunities. The approach of government exploring the possibilities of developing important cities in India through National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme are examples of opening up the space for citizens and tourists as well.
But the main question is India prepared to take the advantage of the opportunities?
Are we ready to take up the issues seriously to conserve the heritage of India ?
The main problem of the present scenario of tourism in India is other than Incredible India marketing campaigns, the real spirit of the Incredible India i.e. the Indian ethos which give the true meaning of its history, coexistence of people, cultural life etc. are lacking or not fully utilised.
Though its marketing campaign 'Incredible India' is winning mileages in tourist arrivals, it hardly reflects in interpreting the facts to visitors or the missing cultural values and ethos leave a big gap which make the trip incomplete for a visitor. In other words it lacks creative content, i.e. the real cultural experience, the social values.
Though its marketing campaign 'Incredible India' is winning mileages in tourist arrivals, it hardly reflects in interpreting the facts to visitors or the missing cultural values and ethos leave a big gap which make the trip incomplete for a visitor. In other words it lacks creative content, i.e. the real cultural experience, the social values.
Another challenge to the proposals are the colonial mindset among the implementors of the programmes lack the expertise to use the traditional Indian methods.
A visit to a museum never become complete until the visitor understands the meaning of the objects, respect the heritage value of the place, monuments or building or even local people don't bother about the value of the place or monuments.
One of the reason for the failure of many programmes may be the 'parachute consultants, whose main interest is financial gains. All heritage projects should be looked in the view of intangible heritage. It also need interdisciplinary approach in order to sustain the project for longer period.
- Prior Informed Consent from the local people are required before launching any conservation programme.
- Catalyst money should not be used for just creating toilets, or other amenities. It should be used in a proper manner so that the reinvestment for conservation can take place.
- Respecting the local cultural heritage, heritage value of a place, traditions, folklore etc. to be taken care of
- Mapping knowledge and skill levels of the participants will help to identify the roles and tasks.
- Make sure that the Heritage Stopping Power is truly understood.
- Access for differently abled should be there and every individual should be treated equally.
- Good Conservation is all about the interventions reversible.
- Cryptic side of the cultural studies are required for the present day
- Revitalizing the traditional values and knowledge is important in order to save our cultural heritage.
Prof. Amar explained his experience in Ha Long Bay and Hoi An sites in Vietnam to the audience. The conservation efforts became a successful one because of the active participation of local people. Discussion with the local people before designing the conservation plan, ensuring their active involvement in every levels and following the right path by respecting the space, traditions, natural sites, occupations, customs etc. made this project a world class example of sustainable development. 29% of the income earned from the project is shared among the local people, and the remaining amount is spend for conservation efforts.
Considering the case of India, what we need is will, right directions, and a visionary approach.
Photo courtesy: Dr. PS Rana.
Brief Bio Data
(Prof. Amareswar was borne in Amravati, Guntur (Dt), Andhra Pradesh, and is an alumni of JNU. He visited India recently as an invited guest to attend an International Conference in Delhi, hosted by the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum. As an academician, researcher, planner, expertise in sustainable development and millennium goals, Prof. Amar has been working in different countries on various capacities. He was the producer of the flagship project and publication to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the UNESCO 1972 World Heritage Convention. Prof. Amar has been a key international technical adviser on SDGs and UN post 2015 Development Agenda to the UN; UNWTO; and UNESCO on cultural policy development in the past five years. The project done by
Considering the contribution to Ha Long Bay and Hoi An in Vietnam Professor Galla has been honoured as the outstanding conservationist of the year award from the Vietnamese government in 2002 and the European Best in Heritage Award in 2008.