INTACH turns to students to raise awareness

Officials said,the ‘Delhi: A Heritage City’ project aims to make citizens aware of the importance of their cultural and historical environment and also help them develop a harmonious relationship with it.

“The city has a long history and today,after centuries of growth,its citizens live in an environment where new elements are juxtaposed with old ones. The idea is to engage the public with the city’s tangible as well as intangible heritage. When the nomination dossier is finally submitted to the UNESCO,it will incorporate contributions from the citizens of Delhi,” said an INTACH spokesperson.

Though 226 cities worldwide have so far got UNESCO’s prestigious tag,not a single Indian city has made it to the list. Delhi,given its historicity and international importance has been compared to Rome,Cairo and Damascus,all of which are World Heritage Cities.

A background note explaining the nomination process will be sent to all 65 schools in Delhi. “The Heritage Club of each school will be encouraged to read this note during the school assembly to generate awareness about the process. The schools can decide on activities which they can organise within the school to help students connect with their heritage. The school principal and head girl/boy will sign a pledge and return it to INTACH,which will compile the pledges and hand it over to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit,” an official said.

The other activities planned range from adopt a monument and heritage walks to inter-class heritage quiz programmes,etc. Poster and film making,essay writing competitions too will be held as part of the campaign.

“We will start approaching the schools now but the competitions and activities can be carried out in the coming months,” said an official.