Editorial
Artefacts need scientific preservation
Let's take stock of things and do the needful
IT is a matter of concern that the National Museum which has at its disposal more than 86,000 artefacts -- of immense archaeological, cultural and aesthetic value-- doesn't yet have modern security and identification systems to preserve and protect the ancient treasures. The archaeological experts at the museum still depend on manual checks and visual inquiry to judge the genuineness of any artefact. Obviously, this is a serious limitation in a field infested with frauds and swindlers operating globally and ready to take advantage of any loophole in the security system.
The point has become all the more relevant following the return of 42 artefacts from France, after the total messing up of what was supposed to be an exhibition of our archaeological pieces in a French museum. Two priceless statues from the Gupta era were stolen from the airport, raising a barrage of questions regarding the security of the items about to be flown to France earlier as part of the deal. The exhibition had to be abandoned, which did little to brighten our image abroad and the country almost got into a diplomatic wrangle. And all this could be attributed to the sad truth that we do have a wealth of archeological pieces but our handling of the same leaves much to be desired.
The officials concerned have complained that successive governments failed to pay due attention to the issue of protecting and publicising our rich collection of wonderful artefacts. It seems nobody has ever treated it as an area requiring the highest degree of specialisation for ensuring proper maintenance and preservation of archaeological pieces. We can ill afford to forget that these pieces take us back to the dim and distant past and are an integral part of our heritage and history. The artefacts tell us a lot about the life, religion and culture of the people who lived in this land hundreds or even thousands of years ago. They have survived the onslaught of time and our duty is to preserve them for the posterity.
The government and the authorities concerned are expected to show due sensitivity to the issue and introduce the latest methods and techniques of preserving archaeological relics.
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