NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government’s ambitious cultural initiative to explore the multi-faceted Indian Ocean has fallen victim to multiplicity of authorities. The Ministry of Culture’s initiative, Project Mausam, involves the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum.
While the deadline of the initiative ends in March 2017, the agencies have not completed significant work for it. The deadline will be extended to complete the project.
A senior official of the ministry said the project requires a lot of study on cultural routes and maritime landscapes. It has two major units, including the Research Unit and the World Heritage Nomination Unit. The Research Unit has been set up at IGNCA.
“There is a lack of coordination among agencies. One agency’s work is dependent on another. ASI has a lot of work pending, which is one of the reasons for the delay,” said the official. “IGNCA has to give research inputs to the ASI to make a dossier for trans-national nomination as world heritage. The government has identified 39 countries to be brought on board for the nomination but has not entered into partnerships.” The total cost of the project is `15 crore.
Countries along the Indian Ocean have shared links with each other for millennia. At the macro level, the project aims to reestablish communication between countries of the Indian Ocean world, will lead to an enhanced understanding of cultural values and concerns. At the micro level, the focus is on understanding national cultures in their regional maritime milieu.
“This will strengthen ties between countries across the ocean and set a precedent for new bridges of co-operation and continued relations and interactions,” said an IGNCA official.