Cultural Treasure

One of the unique features of India is its rich and vast cultural heritage. India has a treasure trove of various culture phenomena that comprises arts, traditions, religious confluence, centuries old literature, customs, visual and performing arts and so on. Thus it becomes the responsibility and duty of each one of us to understand the cultural diversity of our country and help preserve it.

With a view to acquaint our readers with the importance of conserving our rich culture and to know some of the components of our culture better, like the temple architecture, the richness of Sanskrit language, the relevance of Upanishads, Vedic values, ancient manuscripts, Vastu Shastra and more, One India One People has taken up ‘Culture’ as its theme in August, which happens to be the 14^th anniversary of One India One People Foundation. 

Tracing the cultural history of India and highlighting the importance of oral and wisdom traditions that form the bedrock of Indian culture, Dr. Gautam Chatterjee, an expert on Indological studies and Deputy Controller (Media) at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, in the lead article talks of conserving our culture and observes that traditions, customs, beliefs, rituals, art, literature, architecture are all part of the rich Indian culture that has evolved, sustained and nurtured over a time by the people themselves, who have acted as its custodians.

Tushar Gandhi, social activist and the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and the Managing Trustee of Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, Mumbai, in his article on the foreign influence on Indian culture, opines that culture does not need protection and can withstand external influences, but it is up to us to accept what is worthwhile and discard what is not.

Emphasising the importance of Upanishads, B. M. N. Murthy, a prolific writer on Indian heritage and Vedic wisdom, says that the Upanishads, also called the Vedanta, embody the ancient Indian wisdom and the grand outpourings of the spiritual experiences of those unique sages and seers who saw the ‘Truth’ and thus gave us thoughts as no other philosophy of the world could give. But how many of us actually realise the importance of this great work, he asks.

 In the article on the relevance of the Sanskrit language, Mr. Murthy states that Sanskrit is not merely a language but it represents the totality of Hindu culture right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Unfortunately, the general perception that Sanskrit is complicated has restricted its utility to the recitation of Vedic mantras during religious ceremonies, he rues.

Our ancient manuscripts are a window to the enormous knowledge that our country has and gives an idea to the posterity about the amount of strain our forefathers took to pass on the light of knowledge. Prof. M. R. Veerabhadra Swamy, Professor & Chairman, DOS in Sanskrit, University of Mysore and the Director of the Oriental Research Institute, Mysore, highlights the importance of preserving our ancient manuscripts and guides us on how to preserve them.

N. Ramasharma, an expert on Vedanta, and who looks after the administrative affairs of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Kancheepuram, Tamilnadu, talks about our Vedic heritage and gives us simple lessons on how to live a happy life.

Dr. Ishrat Alam, Associate Professor, Centre of Advanced Study in History, AMU, Aligarh and Member Secretary, Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, writes about the invaluable contribution of some of the prominent dynasties in promoting art and architecture, especially temple architecture till the thirteenth century.

Vastu Sastra is the science of dwelling or architecture. The science owes its origin to the Vedas – the knowledge books of India – Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Vastu is said to relate to Atharvaveda, says Niranjan Babu Bangalore, well-known international consultant in Vastu, author and a member (as a Vastu specialist) of Sri Dharmastala Manjunatheshwara Dharmottanna Trust, (Dharmastala, India), which maintains and manages a large number of India's well-known temples and other theological institutions and gives us an account of the origin of Vastu and its relevance even today.

When you talk about culture, can the colourful festivals of India be far behind? Katie Dubey, travel writer, was lucky to visit Assam during the native festival of Bihu and she comes back mesmerised with the celebrations.

Mumbai continues to be vulnerable. Once again it has been targeted by terrorists. Today ordinary citizens ask if the US can prevent attacks on its homeland after 9/11, why can’t India do it? That is because we refuse to learn any lessons from the past experiences, says P. M. Kamath, former Professor of Politics, University of Mumbai; who has authored numerous research papers on terrorism points out how India refuses to learn from its past experiences.

 ‘Know India Better’ features Himachal Pradesh, a place steeped in myths, legends, fantasy and history. Travel writer Akul Tripathi visits the Dev Bhumi or the ‘Abode of the Gods’ to give us an account of the spectacular flora and fauna inside the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) and the popular hill station Manali, and its picturesque surroundings. 

In our ‘Face to Face’ section, eminent writer and theatre critic Shanta Gokhale speaks on culture and its various traits and trends. Interviewed by Anuradha Dhareshwar, Associate Editor, OIOP.

Great Indians:

The raw courage, personal example and supreme sacrifice of Major Padmapani Acharya MVC (1968-1999) encouraged his troops to quickly secure Knoll during the Kargil war. Like his mythical mentor Arjun of the Mahabharat, he fought bravely till his last breath. Contributed by Brig S. C. Sharma (retd.)

M. F. Husain (1915-2011) was a controversial figure alright, but his contribution to Indian art cannot be ignored. He played a major role in showcasing Indian art and artists on the international stage. Contributed by Prakash Bal Joshi, Mumbai based journalist and artist.

Solid academic achievements, scholarly expertise, objective analysis, credibility, integrity and above all, humility and values were what made Dr. Suresh Tendulkar (1939-2011) a cut above the rest. Contributed by Sunil S. Bhandare, consulting economist and former economic advisor, Tata Group.