Bhubaneswar, May 22: Cultural diversity needs to be celebrated in a globalised environment and should be linked to economic advancement, Prof. Kishor Kumar Basa, former Chairman of National Monument Authority and former Director of Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, said on Thursday.
“In the globalised scenario, people are getting exposed to new and different cultures as they get the opportunity to learn from each other and use it in their own context,” Prof. Basa said while addressing a program organised to celebrate the ‘World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development’ at the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation and Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) here.
The program also coincided with the culmination of the week-long workshop on Text Editing organised by PPRACHIN, the preservation and restoration of ancient heritage arm of SOA Deemed to be University, which was attended by 41 researchers.
Prof. Basa, also former Vice-Chancellor of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Baripada, said such cultural exchange could contribute to growth of innovative tourism and bolster creative economy. “People can celebrate this occasion by listening to different music, explore different literature, enjoy different cuisine or visit a cultural diversity museum,” he said adding “how a culture is accepting a different concept is important.”
He also stressed on the need to preserve dying cultural vestiges while pointing out how the diversity of the famous Mayurbhanj Chhau dance form was getting truncated with the gurus passing away and the well-known ‘Ravan Chhaya’, a shadow puppetry art form of Odisha, was getting obliterated due to lack of patronage.
The program was also addressed by Prof. Satyanarayan Acharya, Vice-Chancellor of Odia University, Puri, and Mr. Debaranjan, author and film maker. Prof. Gayatribala Panda, Director of PPRACHIN, welcomed the guests.
Prof. Acharya complimented PPRACHIN for publishing ancient Odia literary works while proposing the signing of a MoU between SOA and Odia University for joint endeavours in the field of language and literature.
Mr. Debaranjan spoke about the documentary ‘Formless Form’ he had directed exploring the 19th century anti-caste Mahima spiritual movement spearheaded by saint-poet Bhima Bhoi and its radical rejection of caste and ritual authority.
In her address, Prof. Panda said the workshop on Text Editing and World Day for Cultural Diversity were deeply connected because every preserved manuscript, every edited text and every rescued language was ultimately an act of protecting the rich cultural diversity and collective memory of humanity.
“Research is not only about producing new knowledge, it is equally about rediscovering, preserving and reinterpreting forgotten knowledge,” she said.
Prof. Gouranga Charan Dash, Adjunct Professor, Culture Studies, PPRACHIN, presided over the program while Dr. Nihar Ranjan Mishra, Associate Professor, PPRACHIN, proposed the vote of thanks.
