Author: Atul Sethi
Publication: The Times of India
Date: January 2, 2011
URL: http http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-billion-dollar-opportunity/articleshow/7203311.cms
The year is 2025. You are on a visit to the
Maluti temples, a World Heritage site in Jharkhand. The temple complex and
the village adjoining it are a magnificent example of sustainable development.
There are no touts or beggars in the area. Tourists get a holistic experience
of the temples and can savour the living legacy of the region.
What's more, this is not the only place where
such a heritage experience is possible. All across the country, in each state,
there are thousands of places where a concurrent model is replicated, providing
communities with work and sustaining monuments. Because of the unique combination
of tangible and living culture, Indian heritage sites are attracting hordes
of international and domestic tourists and are top-of-the-line contributors
to the country's foreign exchange and GDP.
Sounds like a utopian dream? Not if a recent
report by a global heritage organization is to be believed. According to the
report, developing countries like India can tap a $100 billion-a-year opportunity
by 2025, if they make a sincere attempt to preserve and responsibly develop
their heritage sites. The report estimates that heritage, thus tapped, can
even help meet the UN Millennium Development Goal of eliminating poverty by
the next decade. This may seem a bit far-fetched, but it does raise a pertinent
question: can heritage be the driving force of our economy?
"It would seem so," says Jeff Morgan
of the Global Heritage Fund, that has published the report. Morgan points
out that an estimated one-third of all international travel is cultural heritage-related.
"Tourism is now increasingly viewed as a core economic growth strategy
for many countries, and should be embraced as a core component of international
development. Countries' investment in the protection of their heritage sites
is highly correlated with economic growth and improved standards of living."
However, it may not be as simple as that,
more so for a country like India where conservation remains a huge challenge,
especially as monuments abound in every nook and corner. Add to that a lack
of conservation ethos and bureaucratic apathy and the problem gets compounded.
"Ours is a country where 'culture' and 'heritage' are words that are
often over-used, but when it comes to implementation, little gets done,"
laments O P Jain, founder of the Delhi-based Sanskriti Foundation.
Jain points out that problems often arise
because of lack of consistency. "Even if a heritage site has been successful,
it is not used as a model for similar sites elsewhere. Instead, decisions
are taken arbitrarily, without involving experts. In the process, a lot of
money is wasted. For instance, there are many structures in Delhi for which
grand plans were made, but still, people are openly defecating there."
Even in popular heritage sites which see a
lot of tourist traffic, the delicate balance between footfalls and conservation
has been difficult to achieve. "It's a Catch-22 situation," admits
an official with the Archaeological Survey of India. "Places like the
Taj Mahal or the historic civic centre of Shimla, which receive a huge tourist
inflow, have to be constantly safeguarded against degradation. Increased tourist
flow has put pressure on many fragile sites."
Then, there is the question of political will.
Jain says that culture is often considered a soft subject and that shows in
the bundling of the portfolio with other ministries like youth or sports affairs.
"The government's schemes are often well-intentioned, but there is rarely
any follow-through. For instance, under the public-private partnership, the
adopt-a-monument project was a good idea for corporates to do their bit for
conservation, but it fell through, because of red tape."
Considering a scenario like this, is correlating
heritage and tourism with rapid economic growth really a practical proposition
in India? There are many who believe that hinging the nation's future economy
on tourism is, in itself, a fragile notion for development. Heritage consultant
Amita Baig points out that tourism is essentially a service industry that
cannot possibly be sustained unless the basics in education and health are
achieved. "Protection of heritage can only be achieved with the local
community. A good example is the Taj Mahal, India's most iconic site, which
is situated in Agra, one of the most dismal destinations in the world. Because
of the closure of industry to ensure the Taj Mahal is protected, the city
economy is in decline, and its people have paid a very high price," she
says.
Inclusive development, therefore, is the key.
Morgan agrees that "empowering local communities, focusing expert aid
and funding on the most endangered sites can help build a strong infrastructure
and ensure long-term stewardship of heritage sites, thereby boosting the economy."
Education has an important role to play in
sensitizing people. Baig says that the valorization of our heritage must be
a part of core curriculum. "Things can be much easier, once there is
an educated populace who respect their heritage as a legacy of their forefathers."Another
idea is to learn from success stories. Jain points at the success of heritage
palaces in Rajasthan, most of whom have reinvented themselves as hotels."These
places are a microcosm of what heritage tourism in India stands for - a complete
value-added experience."
In essence, cultural heritage should remain
infused with life and energy or else it ceases to be relevant. Baig concurs
that this is especially true in India where we still have a colonial mindset
in how we manage our sites. "The western notion of heritage preservation
is based on the fact that once it is catalogued and archived, its future is
secure. But we also need to take into account the wisdom that made it possible.
We require to think beyond the magnificence of stone to make creative use
of our sites. If we can moderate this sensibly, then there will be serious
economic base for the future of our heritage."
