Will extend full support to A.P. in securing UNESCO World Heritage Site tag for Gandikota Fort: INTACH chief

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) will extend all possible support to the Andhra Pradesh government in its effort to secure a UNESCO World Heritage site status for the Gandikota Fort and the surrounding area in Kadapa district, said trust chairman Ashok Singh Thakur.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Thakur said being India’s top heritage conservation body, INTACH can assist the A.P. government in preparing the dossier, carrying out heritage mapping and providing guidance for technical documentation, all essential steps in the UNESCO nomination.

“My current focus is on empowering local communities and to strengthen INTACH chapters, both financially and technically,” he said, noting that organisation’s convenors and members were unpaid volunteers driven by passion. “INTACH has around 10,000 members across the country, all committed to preserving heritage,” he said.

Real Indian heritage does not lie in big cities, but in it’s villages, Mr. Thakur said. “To protect it, people must first be educated about its value, especially the younger generation,” he added. He then explained in detail about the several outreach initiatives launched by the trust.

“It include teachers’ training, fully supported with venues, lunch and materials by us, and the Young INTACH initiative under which we form heritage clubs in schools,” he said, adding that these clubs introduce children to monuments through cartoons and magazines published in regional languages, provide each member with a ‘Heritage Passport’ and organise monthly heritage walks that help people physically connect with their surroundings.

Adapting to the digital age, INTACH also promotes heritage learning through short films and videos made by students. “We encouraged children to create two-minute documentaries on heritage topics and the best ones are showcased across the nation,” he said, explaining that the ‘Young India’ initiative helped bridge the gap between heritage and modern technology.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thakur sees ‘rapid modernisation and westernisation’ as major challenges in heritage conservation. “Our mission is to preserve both tangible and intangible heritage before it disappears,” he said and elaborated on how the organisation has been documenting vanishing traditions such as lullabies, folktales, food, craft and village games like ‘gilli-danda’ and ‘lattu’.

The organisation has 11 divisions covering crafts, built heritage, natural heritage and publications among other aspects. Citing an example, he pulled out his visiting card, printed on a 700-year-old handmade paper craft. “We are reviving this ancient handmade paper craft in Kagzipura village near Aurangabad (Sambhai Nagar), where paper was once made using waste cloth and forest fibre,” he explained. India’s first handmade paper museum is coming up at Kagzipura with the financial support extended by the Bajaj Foundation, he said.