Press Information Bureau
Government of India Vice President's Secretariat
06-December-2012 17:33
IST
We need to Evolve more Holistic Approach to Study,
Documentation & Conservation of Rock Art – Vice President Vice President Inaugurates International Conference on Rock Art
The Vice President of
India Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that a significant part of our rock art heritage still
remains outside the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India and State
Archaeology Departments. We need to evolve a more holistic approach to the
study, documentation and conservation of rock art taking into account the
social and economic needs of the local community, especially the indigenous
people, the aborigines, tribals and nomads. Delivering inaugural address at the
‘International Conference on Rock Art’ organized by the Indira Gandhi National
Centre for the Arts here today, he said that the successful conservation must
necessarily incorporate local area development through employment generation,
boosting local crafts and arts, building of infrastructure, environmental
conservation and landscaping. A stronger partnership among different
stakeholders, including local communities, awareness campaigns, capacity
building, and involvement of youth is of great importance for attainment of
this goal.
He expressed his concern
that the pressures of urbanisation and population growth are not only
threatening our historic monuments but also prehistoric rock art sites. Unless
we act quickly to improve the manner in which we look after these treasures,
irreparable damage could be caused. This is a great national enterprise in
which different arms of the Government should partner with civil society and
local communities with required imagination and administrative resolve.
The Vice President said
that human beings have used their sense perceptions to experience, reflect and
express themselves through singing, dancing, drawing, printing and other forms
of creative medium from the earliest times. In this regard rock art, which
depicts the earliest recorded expressions of our species, is amongst the most
important cultural heritage of mankind. It is also a valuable repository of our
artistic, cognitive and cultural beginnings since the earliest days. India is
fortunate to possess one of the three largest concentrations of this world
heritage, the other two being Australia and South Africa, where rock art is
still a living pursuit.
Shri Ansari honoured Dr
Yashodhar Mathpal, a noted Rock Art conservationist on this occasion.
Following is the text of
Vice President’s inaugural address :
“I am happy to be here
today for the inauguration of the International Conference on Rock Art being
organized by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. I extend a warm
welcome to the distinguished scholars who have come from various parts of the world
to participate in it.
From the earliest times,
human beings have used their sense perceptions to experience, reflect and
express themselves through singing, dancing, drawing, printing and other forms
of creative medium. In this regard rock art, which depicts the earliest
recorded expressions of our species, is amongst the most important cultural
heritage of mankind. It is also a valuable repository of our artistic,
cognitive and cultural beginnings since the earliest days.
India is fortunate to
possess one of the three largest concentrations of this world heritage, the
other two being Australia and South Africa, where rock art is still a living
pursuit.
Realizing the importance
of rock art, the UNESCO has declared many rock art sites throughout the world
as World Heritages sites. Amongst these sites, to our great pride, is Bhimbetka
in Madhya Pradesh. However, despite the immense potential that rock art
possesses for unraveling the mysteries of the past, there is a perception that
scholars, by and large, have been neglecting it, perhaps due to the
difficulties associated with its study and documentation as rock art sites are
mainly found in areas that are difficult to access.
The present Conference
therefore has importance and relevance. There is a growing recognition of the
need for a multi-disciplinary approach to rock art studies given its
archaeological worth and utility as a tool for developing a better
understanding among the people of the world. The participants will deliberate
on new documentation and research methodologies for interpretation of rock art.
This would go a long way in consolidating intellectual resources and generate
new ideas on conservation and preservation.
As rock art in India is
a living art tradition practiced by several communities across the country,
this Conference will also focus on initiating a dialogue between the academia
and practicing artists, both from rural and urban areas.
The pressures of
urbanisation and population growth are not only threatening our historic monuments
but also prehistoric rock art sites. Unless we act quickly to improve the
manner in which we look after these treasures, irreparable damage could be
caused. This is a great national enterprise in which different arms of the
Government should partner with civil society and local communities with
required imagination and administrative resolve.
Furthermore, a
significant part of our rock art heritage still remains outside the purview of
the Archaeological Survey of India and State Archaeology Departments. We need
to evolve a more holistic approach to the study, documentation and conservation
of rock art taking into account the social and economic needs of the local
community, especially the indigenous people, the aborigines, tribals and
nomads.
I would urge the
Ministry of Culture, the Archaeological Survey of India, State Archaeology
Departments and other allied departments like Forests, Geology and Mining to
ensure greater integration of effort for preservation and conservation of these
sites.
Successful conservation
must necessarily incorporate local area development through employment
generation, boosting local crafts and arts, building of infrastructure,
environmental conservation and landscaping. A stronger partnership among
different stakeholders, including local communities, awareness campaigns,
capacity building, and involvement of youth is of great importance for
attainment of this goal.
The IGNCA has made
outstanding contribution in disseminating knowledge and information about
India’s rich historical and cultural heritage, as well as for its protection
and conservation. It is one of the pioneering institutions in the country that
has evolved a holistic approach to study rock art and communities who lives in
the vicinity of the rock art sites. However, it is only through a collective
effort that we can make a paradigm shift in the way we conserve our precious
cultural heritage.
I wish the Conference
all success. I thank Ambassador Gharekhan for inviting me.”
*****
Sanjay Kumar/VPI (1)/06.12.2012
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