1. Adopt A Heritage

​

Archeological Survey of India (ASI)

• Founded in 1861, it is an attached office of the Ministry of Culture.

• It is the premier organization for the archaeological research, scientific analysis, excavation of archaeological sites, etc.

• Under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites Remains Act of 1958, the ASI administers more than 3650 ancient monuments, archaeological sites and remains of national importance.

• Recently, the Red Fort has been leased out to Dalmia group.

​

More about such lease

• The monument has been adopted under 'Adopt a Heritage' Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, wherein a company utilises its CSR to develop and upkeep the monument.

• The legal status of the monument does not change after adoption.

• The company does not collect any money from the public unless allowed by the government, and profits, if any, are used to maintain and upgrade tourism facilities.

 

Arguments for involving private enterprises

• The ASI is responsible for the upkeep of these monuments. However, it faces various issues like lack of funds and expertise, inability in policing entry and warding off encroachers, etc.

• Outsourcing is already being done to restore monuments e.g. The Agha Khan and the Dorabji Tata Trusts were recently involved in the restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb.

• Corporates frequently sponsor the development and upkeep of sites across the world, especially in Europe e.g. in restoration of the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, management in Angkorvat Temple, etc.

• Along with the government, corporates can be allowed to take some responsibility with proper monitoring and safeguards.

 

Arguments against their involvement

• The heritage of a country is national. It should be available to everybody and should not represent the agenda or interests of a private company.

• Many of the sites advertised for adoption are religious or of religious importance, pushing them further into the consumption-ruled private market can be seen questionable

​

Adopt A Heritage: Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchan

• It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, ASI and State/UT Governments.

• It aims to involve public sector companies, private sector companies and corporate citizens/individuals to take up the responsibility for making heritage and tourism more sustainable through development, operation and maintenance of world-class tourist infrastructure and amenities at the Indian heritage sites.

• The program outlines concrete responsibilities for the private companies, such as creating new infrastructure, new amenities and new levels of cleanliness, maintaining the existing operations, making the monument more popular, and taking better care of tourists.

• The firm will, among others, have a responsibility to better advertise the site but will also be able to advertise itself through the site

• The companies are selected through Vision Bidding (i.e. company with best vision for the heritage site gets the opportunity), and are called Monument Mitras.

• The Project envisages limited ‘access’ to non-core areas and ‘no handing over of monuments’ are involved.

• To know more about the scheme, Please go through Government Schemes, 2018 of Vision IAS (under Ministry of Tourism).

​

1.2 Sadharan Brahmo Samaj

​

About Brahmo Samaj

• Founded in 1828 as Brahmo Sabha, by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Later it become Brahmo Samaj.

• Doctrine: Believe in existence of one God,

• No revelation, prophet or holy book is infallible or to be considered as authority.

• Human being is created from Singularity.

• Social and Religious reform: abolition of caste system, child marriage and practice of Sati, opposed idolatry, condemned polygamy, and dowry system.

• It is a general community of worshipers of one God, formed in May 1878, trace back its roots to The Brahmo Samaj.

• It was formed by the followers of Keshav Chandra Sen (Brahmo Samaj India) after he violated the Brahmo Marriage Act by marrying his 13 year old daughter with Maharaja of Cooch-Bihar.

• Anandamohan Bose was its first President.

• In 1891, it opened the Das Ashram, a welfare institution of untouchables, and the Brahmo Girls School of Calcutta, and also founded small hospitals, orphanages, a leper asylum.

• Its basic principles are-

• It believes in the existence and personality of God,

• It believes in the immortality of the human soul.

• It does not believe in any particular book or collections of books as the one infallible revelation of divine truth, love, and final authority.

• It does not believe in specific incarnation the Deity.

• It accepts, respects, and uses of scriptures of the world, (not as infallible) as ancient records of the moral and spiritual experiences

• It is involved in various educational, social, medical and other welfare activities.

​

1.3. Tholu Bommalata

​

• It literally means "the dance of leather puppets" (tholu – leather and bommalata – puppet dance).

• The puppets are large in size and have jointed waist, shoulders, elbows and knees.

• The puppets are mostly made of skin of antelope, spotted deer and goat. Auspicious characters are made of antelope skin and deer skin.

• They are coloured on both sides. Hence, these puppets throw coloured shadows on the screen.

• Puppeteers narrate stories from the twin-epics of Ramanayana and Mahabharata with animated movement of arms and hands to give a three-dimensional effect.

 

1.4. UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger

​

• The Atlas aims to raise awareness about language endangerment and the need to safeguard the world’s linguistic diversity.

• It also serves as a tool to monitor the status of endangered languages and the trends in linguistic diversity at the global level.

• It uses nine factors to determine the vitality of a language.

• It segregates language based on Degree of Endangerment as Safe, Vulnerable, Definitely endangered, Severely endangered, Critically endangered and Extinct.