East Zone

The Sikkim Chapter organized a felicitation ceremony on 16th March 2011. The felicitation programme was held at the famous Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok .The Chief Guest was Mr R.T. Lepcha, Additional Secretary, Department of Culture and Heritage, Government of Sikkim. It was also attended by 150 students.

The Bhubaneshwar Chapter of INTACH organized the felicitation ceremony on 31st January 2011. The chief guest on the occasion was Padmabibhusana Dr. Mahapatra I.A.S (Rtd). The felicitation by the Kolkata Chapter was held on 12th February at the Modern High School for Girls.

INTACH Releases Hands on Heritage in Six Regional Languages

The Hands on Heritage book, which is a handbook on cultural education, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, was translated in six regional languages—Tamil, Malyalam, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, and Marathi. This handbook, suited for the needs of the middle school students, is a repository of activities, worksheets, facts, and relevant information about natural, built, and living heritage. The intention behind translating the book was to reach out to more schools across India and spread heritage awareness.

The translated versions were launched on 18th April 2011 to commemorate World Heritage Day in a programme organized by INTACH. The books were launched by Mr. Jawahar Sircar, Secretary, Ministry of Culture in the presence of eminent educationist and the former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, Prof. Deepak Nayar, INTACH Chairman Lt. Gen (Retd.) L.K. Gupta, and INTACH Member Secretary Ms. C.T. Misra.

The History of INTACH

India is known all over the word for its rich culture and traditions. With the objective of preserving these priceless national assets, and bringing awareness to India's people, a group of art-lovers came together in New Delhi to found the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on the 27th of January, 1984. The founder members vision, led by the trust's first chairperson, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, was to create a membership organisation that acts as a catalyst for heritage awareness and conservation in India.

Since its inception, INTACH has been a trailblazer in the protection and conservation of the country's natural and cultural heritage. In its long journey, it has moved judicial courts to save heritage and engaged and educated the public in heritage awareness.

Four early projects representing the range and vision of INTACH:

Project Ganga was the first major assignment that combined INTACH's vision for natural and cultural conservation with community involvement and popular participation. By cleaning the Ganga it was hoped that elsewhere in the country people would take the initiative and clean their own local rivers and environment.

Golconda Fort in Andhra Pradesh was one of the first architectural heritage projects in which INTACH played a catalytic role by writing to the Chief Minister and publicising the perils of unplanned urban encroachments endangering the preservation of this historical fort.

Moreover, INTACH captured international attention by holding seminars in Champaner and Hampi in 1987. These seminars resulted in plans for preservation and development of those cities. International agencies, artists and scholars shared their experiences and exchanged information about conversation methods and best practice.

INTACH's primary mandate is to create a national inventory by listing natural and manmade heritage sites Its first listing inventory was completed for Shekhawati in Rajasthan.

It was just the beginning of a long winding road...

The INTACH logo:

The INTACH's logo is an anthromorphic copper figure from Shahabad, U.P. (1800 - 1700 BC), from the National Museum Collection, New Delhi.


INTACH timeline:

1984 INTACH was founded.

1984 Project Ganga was launched.

1984 INTACH's first newsletter was printed.

1984 INTACH sets up the Art Heritage (AH) division.

1984 INTACH set up Natural Resource division.

1985 Lucknow Conservation Centre was established as INTACH's first conservation centre.

1987 First listing (Shekhawati) was completed.

1989 Orissa was the first state to finish listing.

1990 INTACH Art Conservation Centre at New Delhi was established.

1993 INTACH Chitrakala Parishath Art Conservation Centre was established at Bangalore.

1995 ICI (Indian Conservation Institute) Orissa Art Conservation Centre at Bhubaneshwar and ICI Art Conservation Centre at Rampur were established.

1996 ICI Meharangarh Art Conservation Centre was established at Jodhpur.

1997 INTACH's Head Offices' new building at 71, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi was completed.

1998 INTACH Heritage Education and Communication service (HECS) was established.

1999 INTACH's national website, www.intach.org, was launched.

2000 Mural painting conservation research and training centre at Trissur was established.

2001 INTACH SIKKIM Chapter was established.

INTACH to hold lectures on Haryana’s heritage

GURGAON: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritgae (INTACH) will be holding a series of public lectures on Haryana's heritage in Gurgaon and other parts of the state. As a part of an awareness campaign, INTACH also announced field trips to lesser known heritage sites in Narnaul, Rewari and Mewat for students and other enthusiasts.

On Sunday, the organization held first of their heritage lectures in Gurgaon on the ancient Saraswati river. There is ample evidence as to the route the river took through Haryana and passing into Rajasthan, but why did the river start to dry up at around 5,000 BC is still moot.

"The Saraswati, like all rivers, changed directions, changed paths very often. And there is a theory that around 5,000 BC, the river dried up due to volcanic activity in one of tributaries of the river," said Jayant Sanyal, convener, INTACH Mewat.

The tributary was in the Dhosi hills in Narnaul region, and even today the igneous rock formations can be seen in the area.

"People can visit the area and see how the volcano affected the river. It's simply fascinating," Sanyal said.

Places like Narnaul, Rewari, and Mewat, Sanyal said, should be of immense interest to Gurgaon residents, who are living in such proximity to ancient symbols and monuments. "Haryana, in a way, was the focal point of Indian culture and civilization, and most of us in Gurgaon have no idea what riches lie right in our backyard," said Sanyal.

Currently, renovation work by INTACH is being carried out in Tauru in Mewat, where the famous domes are being restored. "Apart from that we are working on the heritage spot, Chuhimal Talaab in the village Nuh," he said. A comprehensive list of heritage monuments, which need immediate restoration, is also being prepared.

Okhla is bird watchers’ paradise

DELHI: On a chilly foggy morning, when most Delhiites were wrapped in the cozy comforts of their blankets, about 80 people packed their breakfast, binoculars and books on birds and stepped out for a day of bird watching.

Most of them were first timers but it was their enthusiasm to discover Delhi's natural heritage that made them converge at the Okhla Bird Park early on Sunday morning. Three teams, led by Nikhil Devasar, Anand Arya and S Sharma explored Okhla's migratory population.

"It was quite foggy and we were unable to see much. Some of us did spot a grey headed lapwing but were unable to confirm the sighting due to poor visibility," said Bikram Grewal, an avid birder who was part of the INTACH organised bird watch.

Students visits heritage sites of holy city


AMRITSAR: The young students had a tryst with the heritage of Amanat Khan, the legendary calligrapher of the Taj Mahal, at Sarai Amanat Khan, an inn in Tarn Taran dating back to the Mughal period that served as his residence and later his final resting place, during a heritage walk organized by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage ( INTACH).

The young heritage enthusiasts also visited Preet Nagar, the locality of love and friendship, the temple of Mata Kaushalya at village Kasel and Pul Kanjari, which is situated on the Indo-Pak border and is being maintained by Spring Dale Senior School under the aegis of Spring Dale Educational Society.

Situated close to international border with Pakistan, Pul Kanjari was once a flourishing town in the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singth who often halted for night at the Baradari at Pulkanjari enroute to Lahore from Amritsar and enjoyed the dance and music by nutch girls -significantly among them Mohra of Lahore who would arrive here after crossing the bridge (pul) .The opulent township suffered the ravages of partition and the magnificence of Pulkanjari was eclipsed and it became a decrepit border village after partition.

Principal Rajiv Kumar Sharma told that the heritage walk had accorded the students a chance to get acquainted with the history of various important heritage sites in the city, besides sensitizing them about the need to conserve these edifices.

Stricter guidelines framed for NGOs seeking govt aid

GANGTOK, 21 Nov:source;SikkimNow

All non-governmental organizations [NGOs] seeking grants from the State government will now have meet certain guidelines to become eligible for such grants. As of now, the more than 1,800 NGOs registered with the Law Department were not required to do much by way of following any rules, regulations or prescribed guidelines. The government, this time around, has also recognized that many of the registered NGOs are not active or actively engaged in any programmes and projects as they should be. Moreover, it is common knowledge that many are also formed to secure funding from agencies within and outside the state.
Interestingly, and in consideration of the above mentioned point, of many NGOs not being active, the government has prescribed that any NGO seeking grants-in-aid from the government should have worked actively for at least 2 years at the time of applying for the grant. Such NGOs will have to be registered under Notification No. 2602 A/H dated 25 March, 1960 or Sikkim Regulation of Societies Association and other Voluntary Organization Act 2008.
All such NGOs are required to have a properly constituted managing body with its powers, functions and responsibility clearly defined and laid down in writing.
More importantly, it is now prescribed that NGOs should have the required resources, infrastructure and trained personnel in the field that they have undertaken.
Non governmental organizations should not be run for profit to any individual or to a body of individuals and should have a bond/ joint account or the members of the managing committee.
As per the new guidelines, the NGOs should not be discriminatory in nature and should also procure a No Objection Certificate from the relevant department.
NGOs seeking funds from the State will also have to have their documents in order not only those pertaining to the organization but also to their schemes and projects. This includes having a renewal certificate for new projects, budget estimates for the financial year, audited accounts for previous years, annual reports and statement of income and expenditure.
In addition, such organizations will now have to also produce audited utilization certificates, Memorandum of Understanding/ Trust deed including Rules and Regulations/ byelaws and details of staff employed.
Also sought by the government are details of gender wise beneficiaries being benefited by the said Non-Governmental Organization and the scheme specific guidelines.
The government seems to be getting serious about the functioning of NGOs in the state with it directing that their accounts are to be always open to checking by officers of the Social Justice Department as well as monitoring of their activities.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway UNESCO World Heritage Site

Niloy Kundu, Delhi Public School

Agra Fort UNESCO World Heritage Site	Disha Roy, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya

Humanyun’s Tomb UNESCO World Heritage Site	Maria Ashraf, Rai School

New Delhi: With a view to enabling tourists to get a glimpse of life in rural India, heritage body INTACH is planning to set up `village museums` in the country.

For outsiders who have had no interface with rural India, the project, if implemented, will be a novel way of experiencing the “real India”.

The Indian National Trust for Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH) is working on the concept of `village museums` and is looking for suitable areas to set up such centres.

“Such centres will depict the life in Indian villages and will be a showcase not only for foreign visitors but also for the urban Indians,” Chairman of INTACH, told reporters.

INTACHis in touch with an expert from the Philippines who has worked on such projects in many parts of the world, and has asked her to visit India to help the body on the project.

“We have approached a Philippines-based expert who has worked in the area, not only in her own country but also in other parts of the world,”

Kumari Selja Launches Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Programme on the Occasion of India Heritage Week

19 Nov 2011
The Union Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja here today inaugurated the India Heritage Week and launched two new schemes - “Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Programme” and “scheme of Financial Assistance for publication of magazines and journals dedicated to Indian Culture and Heritage.” Addressing about 500 school children at the World Heritage Site Qutub Minar, she said 19th November is the birth day of late Smt. Indira Gandhi one of the great builders of modern India who was known for her keen concern for preservation and promotion of art and culture of India. She said that there is no country with a heritage more rich and vibrant than ours and the entire world is in awe of our diversity, the great ancient scriptures, monuments and the awesome dances and music of India. The Minister said our built heritage is testimony of our history and each and every child must have access to and take interest in this heritage. She said the scheme Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Programme aims to promote cultural awareness among school children, to develop a love for India’s rich cultural heritage. The Minister said, the focus is on the less-privileged children residing in backward areas through regional languages as a medium of communication as far as possible. The Scheme would broadly consist of distribution of existing audio-visual (AV) materials related to culture amongst schools, production of new AV material including publications related to culture. She said, It will support visits to monuments and museums by students of less-privileged schools. The financial assistance by the Ministry of Culture would consist of upto Rs. 5000/- per set of DVD in case of AV material; upto Rs. 1 lakh for production of CDs/DVDs/Publications for children and upto Rs. 500 per child, per trip in case of visits to monuments, which will include the cost of conveyance, food, entry fee for ticketed monuments/shows etc. Ministry of Culture may double this assistance in cases of exceptional merit.”

Referring to scheme of Financial Assistance for publication of magazines and journals dedicated to Indian Culture and Heritage, Kum Selja said under the scheme Ministry will give financial support of upto Rs. 10 lakh a year, and in exceptional cases, upto Rs. 20 lakh ,to magazines and journals dedicated to India’s cultural heritage. She said the scheme is intended to fill a gap being currently encountered in financial assistance for publication and support to journals and magazines dedicated to India’s culture and heritage. The Minister said it will also cover publication of books on Indian culture and heritage.

The Minister underlined the importance of Archaeological Survey of India in protection and conservation of monuments of the country and said apart from Government efforts it is the duty of each one of us to join hands and be part of this mission of saving built heritage of the country.

Trained volunteers of NGO Itihaas conducted the children around the monument and thereby providing them with quality exposure to their rich heritage. The Minister also gave away certificates to select young heritage volunteers of different schools and cash assistance to schools under the Cultural Heritage Young Leadership Programme

INTACH-Sikkim felicitates Miss Raksha Rai



March 17, 2011

The Indian National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) Sikkim Chapter felicitated the East India Regional Winner of the Indian Essay writing competition Miss Raksha Rai along with the other eight participants from Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok.

INTACH in collaboration with Fox History TV Channel had organized two events last year in 2010 namely Heritage Walk and Essay Writing Competition on the topic “My City My History”. Additional Secretary, Cultural Affairs and Heritage Department Mr. R.T. Lepcha also the Chief Guest for the day in his brief address congratulated the winners and the participants. “Heritage in the context of Sikkim is numerous,” stated Mr. Lepcha.

Mr. Lepcha said that the traditions should be kept alive and should be honored. Informing about the state government’s attempt to conserve the age old heritage Mr. Lepcha said that in total 900 traditional healers (witch doctors) are being paid with an amount of Rs 500/- per month by the government. Adding further Mr. Lepcha also informed that a Multipurpose Community Centre is on the verge of completion which will house a State Library along with all the modern facilities, construction of a State Museum below Tashi Namgyal Academy (TNA) compound and a Habitat Centre below White Hall will soon be started.


Raksha RaiRaksha Rai
Convener of INTACH Sikkim Chapter Mr. P.K Dong in his address said that INTACH was basically formed to create awareness in the community starting from the school children about the value of heritage and also to respect the knowledge, experience and skills of the past. Mr. Dong added that the All India Essay Writing Competition was for the school students of classes 6 to 9 and the participants had to write an essay on little known facts or unusual story about their own city, town or village. Four schools had participated from the state with a total of 20 students.

Though the quantity of participants was low, the quality of their essays was high, exclaimed Mr. Dong. To become a member of INTACH one does not need to be archaeologist or a historian. One has to be emotionally involved in appreciating the value to heritage, have reverence to our ancestors for their contribution in preserving nature and creating beautiful artifacts, music, costumes and many more along with enough care for the conservation of heritage of India in general and Sikkim in particular. Every day in the name of progress and development a historic monument, building, manuscript or a natural heritage is destroyed but we must remember a heritage once lost is lost forever added the convener.

Shri S K Sarda, Co-Convener, Intach-Sikkim also addressed the gathering.

The Principal of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok Mrs. S.S. Lata Chettri expressed her gratitude towards INTACH and the former Principal of the school Mrs. C.C. Bhutia along with two other teachers under whose guidance the students were encouraged to come forward and prove their worth and make the state proud.

Out of 20 participants Miss Raksha Rai of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok and Miss Anita Subba of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Namchi were shortlisted among the 5 winners of the East India Region for their essay on “Sakewa” and “Rabdentse” respectively. All the participants of Deorali Girls Senior Secondary School, Gangtok articulated their essays during the function.

Courtesy: Sikkim Mail

Books on Heritage Sites for Children

Kumari Selja asks ASI to Produce Guidebooks for School Children on all Important sites in India Specially the World Heritage sites to help Involve Children in the Preservation Efforts

The Union Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja today celebrated Children’s Day, the Birth Anniversary of India’s first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru with about 700 school children including the less-privileged children at the world famous Humayun’s tomb in New Delhi. On the occasion, she released the first ever site specific guidebook for Children in India on Humayun’s Tomb.

Speaking on the occasion the minister said, Humayun’s tomb is one of India’s 26 World Heritage Sites and is visited by over 300,000 school children every year. She said, the guidebook will help involve children in the preservation efforts from an early age and inspire many of them to become archaeologists, architects and historians. She said, the country needs many more people to become actively involved in protecting and presenting India’s built heritage or at least to be concerned about protecting what our ancestors built before us.

Appreciating the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India in this direction, Kumari Selja urged the ASI to produce such guidebooks for all important sites in India specially the World Heritage Sites or those sites frequented by school groups. She said, such publications should be brought out not only in Hindi and English but also in the regional languages to create awareness about country’s rich heritage in children from an early age. The Minister said, she expects ASI to complete this task within a year as ASI is celebrating 150th year of its establishment. The Minister announced that the ASI will give 1000 copies of the guidebook to MCD for free distribution among children of its schools in Delhi.

The Minister said, since 2007 the Archaeological Survey of India in partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture is implementing a major conservation project on Humayun’s tomb. She said, the conservation efforts have been supported by Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Ford Foundation has supported a cultural awareness programme making this a very successful public-private partnership programme towards the preservation of our shared heritage.

The book authored by Dr. Narayani Gupta and illustrated by Anitha Balachandran brings to light some very interesting facts about the Mughal kings, the tomb of emperor Humayun and the folklore associated with the greater Nizamuddin area. From the times of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya to the coming of Babur, from the building of Dinpanah by Humayun to the building of his tomb by Emperor Akbar, the book brings to light several interesting facts, beautifully illustrated. The book has been published by the Archaeological Survey of India.

National Monument Authority

To stop the rampant encroachment and construction around the monuments and other sites of archeological importance the Government has enacted The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010.

National Monuments Authority (NMA) under the Act will be the highest body to oversee functions under the Act, particularly consideration of NOC applications for construction/reconstruction/repair and renovation in prohibited and regulated areas. National Monument Authority has been already established at Tilak Marg, New Delhi with a full time Member Secretary and small component of staff. The process of appointment of 1 full time member and 2 part time members is also in the final stages.

26 Competent Authorities (CA) under the Act have been already notified across the country. They are jurisdictionally co-terminus with circle SAs of ASI.

Announcing this in New Delhi the Minister of Culture and HUPA Kumari Selja said, steps have been also initiated regarding formulating monument-wise heritage bye-laws. The bye-laws for Begumpuri Mosque are being finalized in consultation with INTACH and once these are approved it can serve as model for other monuments.

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Sikkim has 305 unprotected monuments

Posted on May 4, 2011 by iSikkim | Category: Arts & Culture Featured Post Other | 8 views | 0 Comments

Sikkim has 305 of the 33,826 unprotected monuments in India, says the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The findings became public in a press release by the PIB based on the report of the National Mission of Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA). NMMA was established by the ASI to prepare a national database of monuments to create a heritage catalogue.
Rajasthan has the largest number of 5,220 unprotected monuments in the country followed by Uttar Pradesh with 3,653 monuments. West bengal has 3,627 monuments while Orissa has 3,248 unprotected monuments, a statement released by the ministry of culture said Tuesday.
Following is the complete list of numbers of unprotected monuments:

Sl.No	State/UT	No. of Monuments
1.	Andhra Pradesh	413
2.	Andaman & Nicobar	47
3.	Bihar	834
4	Chhattisgarh	445
5.	Delhi	1180
6.	Diu	290
7.	Goa	1384
8.	Gujarat	800
9.	Haryana	2537
10.	Himachal Pradesh	901
11.	Jammu & Kashmir	1185
12.	Karnataka	445
13.	Kerala	186
14.	Madhya Pradesh	1150
15.	Maharashtra	972
16.	Manipur	22
17.	Mizoram	33
18.	Orissa	3248
19.	Pondicherry	1800
20	Punjab	1168
21.	Rajasthan	5220
22.	Sikkim	305
23.	Tamil Nadu	831
24.	Tripura	330
25.	Uttaranchal	820
26.	Uttar Pradesh	3653
27.	West Bengal	3627
	Total	33826

India has an extraordinarily rich, vast and diverse cultural heritage in the form of built heritage, archaeological sites and remains since prehistoric times. The sheer magnitude in number alone is overwhelming and these are the symbols of both cultural expression and evolution. There now appears to prevail a fundamental lack of knowledge, understanding and, perhaps, interest in our past: in what constitutes the heritage of India, the process that governed its coming into being, and how this heritage relates to the people.
In view of the above, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India made an announcement on Independence Day, 2003 for setting up of a National Mission on India’s Tangible Heritage. Accordingly the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities was launched on 19th March 2007.
The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities proposes to launch its activities through out the country with independent functional strategy in each state and union territory. The project is stipulated to be completed time frame of five years i.e. 2007-2012.
The NMMA is compiling information as available from secondary sources. So far, more than 32,000 villages containing information on unprotected built heritage and sites have been compiled in the template.
The NMMA has also taken up the work of digitisation of records of registered antiquities through the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. This would finally form the database of antiquities