For a country filled with rich, cultural diversity, it’s dismal to learn that we lack world-class cultural education spaces
“Like India’s prestigious IITs and IIMs, why not have a world-class institution for cultural heritage? This query was posed recently, during a conversation with Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General of Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Musuem).
As the discussion progressed, the thought presented itself with plenty of possibilities. “Even if such an institute were to nurture 30 such managers annually, India’s cultural spaces will benefit by their expertise and vision,” he added. In these culturally-threatened times, we couldn’t agree any less. The dialogue found resonance also because of two developments centred on cultural heritage that emerged last week.
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At the International Criminal Court, a terrorist called Ahmad Al-Farqi Mahdi pled guilty to war crimes for destroying the cultural heritage of Timbuktu, Mali. He was charged for destroying many Sufi tombs for their allegedly un-Islamic character. This news comes as a shot in the arm for guardians who are fighting to save heritage on a daily basis, amidst dangerous conditions. Names like UNESCO’s Director General, Irina Bokova —standing strong between the ISIS and world heritage — come to mind. The Bulgarian visionary, tipped to be the United Nation’s first ever woman Secretary General, has become the symbol of resilience in the spate of cultural heritage crimes across the world.
In the same week, a fine example of local architecture, Cama building in Mumbai Central found itself on UNESCO’s map. The sleepy neighbourhood had won an Award of Merit at UNESCO’s Asian Pacific Awards. In fact, India’s showing was impressive, bagging four awards among the 13 winners (better than our showing at Rio).
The repair and restoration of the building, we were told by its conservation architect, Vikas Dilawari, was a sensitised effort that didn’t disturb its residents. It’s a fabulous effort, but above all, positive news for Mumbai’s heritage brigade.
A country known for rich, diverse culture that changes every 500 km, if not less, doesn’t have a cultural university to boast of. Humanities and the arts, and culture, in general as a subject of learning, are perceived as ‘arty’ or as alternate education. As student of Humanities, we faced this often. The big budgets were typically directed to Science, IT, Engineering and the like. We always read of funds flying in for these areas of research. At the other end of the spectrum, who is really interested if an art form confined to a cluster of villages in southern Maharashtra is on the brink of extinction or if a historic palace filled with traces of a vibrant past lies in ruin? Columns of newsprint have been used to share such ground realities. But no action would come from it, sadly.
This bias needs to change — in our education system, for starters. Awareness of our cultural wealth and treasures shouldn’t just be left to walkthroughs in museums. It’s for us to save, and take pride in.
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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