INTACH mulls over ways to preserve Punjab’s heritage

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Amritsar, April 18

The heritage of Punjab, both tangible and intangible, needs to be saved through immediate intervention of the right people and government agencies. Highlighting several aspects of the heritage and possible solutions for revival, experts from the field of literature, architecture and civil society today held a special session through INTACH, Punjab, at Khalsa College.

Revival of heritage requires efforts

One cannot just click pictures or visit these sites for enjoyment and then forget about them. Their revival requires constant effort and making citizens aware to ensure that government entities do their duty. Rajan Mann, Eminent writer

Convened by its Amritsar chapter that is trying to preserve the heritage across the country, the event was presided over by Dr Mehal Singh and convener of INTACH, Punjab, Major General Balwinder Singh.

Gagandeep Singh Virk, convener, INTACH, Amritsar, said that saving the heritage is not only the job of the government, but also the duty of the entire country. He gave the example of Inderjit Singh Bajwa, an eminent writer and activist, who saved heritage institutions and monuments with his team. Eminent writer Rajan Mann said that if heritage is to be saved, people will have to raise their voice. “One cannot just click pictures or visit these sites for enjoyment and then forget about them. Their revival requires constant effort and making citizens aware to ensure that government entities do their duty,” he said.

Niresh Kumar, from Punjabi and Dogri Department, Central University, Himachal Pradesh, said that linguistic heritage is also a part that needs attention. “There are many regional dialects and languages that are being lost from mainstream communication as we have adopted foreign languages. When we get separated from our heritage, we separate from ourselves, we separate from people. Regional languages, dialects represent the diversity of our culture and they deserve a place in future,” he said.

Another researcher, Sita Ram Madhopuri, who researched about Ghadri Babas, gave detailed information about how Ghadri Babas made Punjabi heritage greater through their efforts. An expert on agriculture, Rajbir Singh from Pingalwara’s organic farms, spoke about the work being done to save the heritage crops.