The Ministry of Culture (MoC) has initiated Project PARI (Public Art of India) ahead of the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee(WHC), which is scheduled to be held from 21st July to 31st July, 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Delhi.
- The first intervention under Project PARI is taking place in Delhi coinciding with the meeting.
- For the first time, India is set to chair and host the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s WHC.
About Project PARI:
The initiative is executed by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Gallery of Modern Art.
Aim:
- To promote public art that draws inspiration from millennia of artistic heritage (lok kala/lok sanskriti) while incorporating modern themes and techniques.
- To stimulate dialogue, reflection, and inspiration, contributing to the dynamic cultural fabric of India.
Significance:
i.Under this project, More than 150 visual artists from across India have come together to create various wall paintings, murals, sculptures and installation.
ii.The representation of art in public spaces will reflect the rich and diverse cultural heritage of India.
iii.The project is in alignment with the proposed 46th WHC meeting, some of the artworks and sculptures will draw inspiration from World Heritage Sites such as Bimbetka and the 7 Natural World Heritage Sites in India find a special place in the proposed artworks.
iv.In line with India’s efforts to promote NARI SHAKTI, Women artists have been be an integral part of ‘Project PARI’.
Theme & Artworks:
i.The themes for proposed sculptures to be created include ideas such as: paying tribute to nature, ideas inspired by the Natyashastra, Mahatma Gandhi, toys of India, hospitality, ancient knowledge, Naad or primeval sound, harmony of life, Kalpataru–the divine tree.
ii.The project will include various artworks such as: Phad paintings (Rajasthan), Thangka painting (Sikkim/Ladakh), miniature painting (Himachal Pradesh), Gond Art (Madhya Pradesh), Tanjore paintings (Tamil Nadu), Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh), Alpona art (West Bengal) and Cheriyal painting (Telangana), Pichhwai Painting (Rajasthan), Lanjia Saura (Odisha), Pattachitra (West Bengal), Bani Thani Painting (Rajasthan), Warli (Maharashtra), Pithora Art (Gujarat), Aipan (Uttarakhand), Kerala Murals (Kerala), Alpana art (Tripura), among others.
About World Heritage Committee:
i.WHC was established under the convention relating to the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by the General Conference at the 17th session of UNESCO held on 16th November, 1972.
- Later, it was revised by the WHC at its 39th session held in Bonn, Germany in 2015.
ii.It consists representatives from 21 State Parties to the World Heritage Convention (1972) elected by the General Assembly of UNESCO.
- At present, members of the WHC are: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zambia.
Note: The 45th WHC meeting was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September, 2023. During that session, 42 new sites were added in UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
About UNESCO’s World Heritage Site:
i.A world heritage site can be either cultural or natural areas or objects which are inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for having cultural significance to all the people in the world.
ii.UNESCO aims to protect and preserve such sites through the convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This international treaty was drawn up in 1972.
India’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites:
i.At present, India has the 6th largest number of UNESCO’s recognised World Heritage sites after Italy (59), China (57), France (52), Germany (52) and Spain (50).
ii.India currently has 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including 34 cultural sites, 7 are natural sites and 1 is a mixed site.
About Ministry of Culture:
Union Minister- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (Constituency-Jodhpur, Rajasthan)
Minister of State (MoS)- Rao Inderjit Singh (Constiuency- Gurugram, Haryana)
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO):
Director-General (DG) – Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters- Paris, France
Established- 1945 (came into force in 1946)
