The conference had six academic sessions, each focusing on a different area of India’s maritime connections, following the conference’s plenary session….reports Asian Lite News
Under “Project Mausam,” the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) organised a two-day national conference to foster additional research and enhance understanding of the exploration of cross-cultural links along the Indian Ocean Rim Countries.
The conference, held in New Delhi on October 7 and 8, was christened ‘Jaladhipurayatra: Exploring Cross-Cultural Linkages Along the Indian Ocean Rim Countries’. It incorporated manifold aspects of maritime exchanges and interactions, the Ministry of Culture said on Sunday.
The conference was inaugurated by Minister of State for Culture and Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi. Ambassadors of several nations in the Indian Ocean Region attended.
MoS Lekhi stressed the need for unbiased research on several aspects of India’s economic and cultural relations with other lands. MoS Meghwal shared several interesting historical episodes pertaining to India’s contacts with other countries.
The conference had six academic sessions, each focusing on a different area of India’s maritime connections, following the conference’s plenary session.
One session dealt with issues relating to the World Heritage properties with special reference to identification of historical sites and structures located in different countries of the Indian Ocean region and exemplifying inter-country relations, thus qualifying for trans-national nomination for UNESCO World Heritage certification.
This was followed by a special session in which the ambassadors and representatives of the various nations in the Indian Ocean area reviewed various facets of the region’s cross-national relations and transnational nomination of significant sites in the region for the World Heritage designation.
The second day saw an interactive session with ambassadors from the nations around the Indian Ocean rim. MoS Meenakashi Lekhi chaired the session and issues related to the Project Mausam were discussed with the Ambassadors. The focus was particularly on inter-country links pertaining to textiles, spices and spicy cuisine, architecture and other aspects of intangible cultural heritage.
“Project Mausam” was launched by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, at UNESCO’s 38th World Heritage Committee Meeting held in Doha, Qatar, in 2014. Its goal is to better understand how the monsoon winds and other climatic factors impacted interactions between various nations in the Indian Ocean region at various points in history.
Currently, the Archaeological Survey of India is in charge of overseeing the project.
