Amaravati to take leaf out of Vietnam

HYDERABAD: The sustainable development framework of the ‘Hoi An’ heritage site in Vietnam would be implemented to develop Amaravati in the State.

Delivering a lecture at the Archaeology and Museums Department here today, Prof. Amareswar Galla pointed out that critical aspects of the development of ‘Hoi An’ could be proposed as possibilities in the development of the Buddhist heritage site in Andhra Pradesh. ‘’For any society, heritage values are of utmost importance in order to ensure cultural rights of the people as they are pivotal to their sense of identity or belonging to a place in this multi-cultural world,’’ said Prof. Galla, who is a faculty member in Museum Studies in Queensland University and is also UNESCO chair in Museums and Sustainable Heritage Development. During the course of his lecture, Prof. Galla lamented the lack of community participation and collaborative initiatives in heritage conservation, which was precisely why the ‘Hoi An’ model was relevant for the development of Amaravati.

Prof Galla added that the model, through capacity building, brought together cultural heritage, voluntarism and community participation.

Speaking on the occasion, Andhra Pradesh Official Language Commission (APOLC) Chairman ABK Prasad stressed the need to develop the Amaravati site in the wake of Telugu getting classical language status.

“There is a dire need to preserve the rich Telugu heritage and culture,’’ said Prasad, the guest of honour.

Tourism and Culture Department Special Secretary GN Rao also attended the lecture, which was presided over by Department of Archaeology and Museums director P Channa Reddy. On the occasion, the Archaeology and Museums Department felicitated Prof Amareswar Galla and ABK Prasad for their contributions to Telugu culture.

Courtesy: ExpressBuzz