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Opinion Editorial
Published: January 17, 2013 00:35 IST | Updated: January 17, 2013 00:35 IST

Archaeology needs support

The recently inau urated e!hibiti"n # $edisc"%erin India: 1&'1(2011 # in )elhi *as a +ittin +inale t" the year(l"n celebrati"ns "+ the 150th anni%ersary "+ the ,rchae"l" ical Sur%ey "+ India -,SI./ This e!hibiti"n displayed the achie%e0ents "+ ,SI in the past +i%e decades/ The list is l"n and i0pressi%e: disc"%eries "+ e!istence "+ 1arappan culture in places such as 2aliban an in $a3asthan and )h"la%ira in 4u3arat5 e!ca%ati"ns at 6uddhist sites in 2ana anhali in 2arnata7a and 6"!ana ar in Tripura5 sal%a e "perati"ns at 8a ar3una7"nda, ,ndhra Pradesh, and c"nser%ati"n e++"rts in 1a0pi, 2arnata7a, are s"0e "+ its re0ar7able pr"3ects/ The ,SI pr"tects 3,'77 0"nu0ents and has c"pied 0"re than 79,000 inscripti"ns/ It has shaped the discipline "+ archae"l" y, hist"ry and herita e c"nser%ati"n in the c"untry thr"u h these si ni+icant c"ntributi"ns/ )espite all this, the +act re0ains that the ,SI has n"t instituti"nally inn"%ated t" 0eet e0er in challen es/ State apathy and p""r +inancial supp"rt ha%e added t" its *"es/ The :uesti"n is h"* t" c"ntinue the ""d *"r7 and secure the past better +"r the +uture/ ,rt and culture recei%ed "nly a 0ea re 0/1' per cent "+ the t"tal ;entral Plan "+ the "%ern0ent in the <le%enth =i%e(>ear plan all"cati"n/ ,s a result, the ?inistry "+ ;ulture, *hich the ,SI is a part "+, recei%ed "nly a +racti"n "+ *hat it needed/ This p""r +undin pattern is unli7ely t" i0pr"%e/ ="r the year 2012(13, the "%ern0ent has sancti"ned "nly "ne(third "+ the re:uested $s/ 2,&1' cr"re/ @+ the scant +unds that the ,SI recei%es in turn, less than "ne per cent is spent "n e!ca%ati"ns -2011(12./ This *"uld neither help e!pand the in%esti ati"n "+ the une!pl"red hist"rical landscape n"r lead t" reater in%est0ent in archae"l" ical science/ The casual appr"ach t" publicati"n "+ rep"rts als" re+lects the declinin i0p"rtance "+ e!ca%ati"n/ )espite the Parlia0entary Standin ;"00ittee "n Transp"rt, T"uris0 and ;ulture re0indin the ,SI t" speed up the publicati"n "+ 5' pendin e!ca%ati"n rep"rts +i%e years a ", pr" ress has been tardy/ In 2007, the A"r7in 4r"up "n ,rt and ;ulture +"r the <le%enth =i%e(>ear plan rec"00ended that 0"re hist"rical structures sh"uld be pr"tected and the ,SI sh"uld n"ti+y e%ery year ab"ut 70 unpr"tected structures as 0"nu0ents +"r better care/ 6ut n"t 0uch has happened "n this +r"nt t""/ The "%ern0ent sh"uld enhance +undin and c"n+er the status "+ a scienti+ic instituti"n "n the ,SI t" 0eet its special needs/ ="r its part, the ,SI sh"uld decentralise and 0a7e its +i%e re i"nal direct"rates aut"n"0"us/ They in turn, *ith acti%e participati"n "+ l"cal "%ern0ents, sh"uld unra%el 0"re "+ the hidden past and pr"tect the0 better/ 2ey*"rds: $edisc"%erin India, ,rchae"l" ical Sur%ey "+ India/ ,SI, e!ca%ati"n rep"rts
Printable %ersi"n | Jun 3, 2013 7:0':59 ,? | http:BB***/thehindu/c"0B"pini"nBedit"rialBarchae"l" y(needs(supp"rtBarticle93139'2/ece C The 1indu

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