WORLD HERTAGE DAY-2011 (APRIL-18)

                                     WORLD HERITAGE DAY 2011(APRIL-18)

John Kurakar

  World Heritage Day on April 18, as endorsed by the international council for Monuments and sites, gives an opportunity to raise public awareness of the diverse world heritage and the works to be done for its protection.The Indian Institute of Architects, Thiruvananthapuram center, will celebrate it by conducting a seminar and an exhibition on issues related to heritage. Efforts. are imitated by the Institute in association with the departments of Tourism and Archaeology of the state government and the Department of Architecture of college of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram, to conduct regular heritage walks in and around the historic Fort of Thiruvananthapuram as an attempt to conserve and celebrate heritage.
    Heritage comprises the full range of inherited traditions, monuments,objects and culture. Tangible heritage is in the form of all natural bodies, such as mountains, Valleys, Water bodies, Meadows, Agricultural lands and rocky outcrops and man-made historic structures.  Songs, folklore, traditional knowledge systems, recipes, languages, dances, social and cultural practices are intangible heritage. All these are an essential part of the present and the future. India is rich in tangible and intangible heritage. But globalization is leaving a heavy foot print on its physical, cultural and economic development with the transformation perceptible in the built and un-built environment. It is almost impossible for any civilisation to preserve the reminiscence of its past in its totality.
  People should be conscious of the heritage and its value, which is only possible through awareness programmes. These are required in developing countries such as India, where poverty is high. Visit to monuments and sites and places of work of traditional craftsmen and restoration works should be encouraged. Active public discussions about the material and intangible heritage of individuals, groups, communities and nations should be made a valuable feature of public life in this multicultural world. The people should protest against the abuse or destruction of heritage. Historic continuity is a must for a dynamic society which desires ti have memorable legacies.

Prof. John Kurakar