Cultural Heritage Management: Significance in Development Planning

Anthropological studies on 'Cultural Heritage, as component of 'Cultural Traits' could be seen in many ethnographic accounts on various ethnic groups in India. However, a study on the inherent social mechanisms that work towards managing persistence of 'Cultural Heritage' in an ethnic group or more than one such group is rare in Indian context. Such a study on Cultural Heritage Management in the context of an upcoming mining industry perhaps has no precedence in our country.

The book "Cultural Heritage Management: Significance in Development Planning" aims at unveiling the social/cultural mechanisms those are interwoven in the societies, living in 15 villages in Bunder area of Buxwaha tehsil of Madhya Pradesh. Besides depicting detailed mechanisms of management in respect of "Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritages' the book provides an in-depth account of spatial distribution of deities, shrines, rock arts through Geographical Positioning System (GPS).

An assessment of likely impacts of the proposed mining industry on these 'Cultural Heritages' of the societies inhabiting within 10 km radius of the mine has enhanced relevance of this book in the arena of 'Applied Anthropology.

Jayanta Sarkar, M.Sc. Ph.D in Anthropology (Ranchi University) has the distinction of conducting field investigations on the Scheduled Tribes and other communities inhabiting the high hills of Arunachal Pradesh, forest-clad areas of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as a member of the Anthropological Survey of India. Guided and supervised Research Scholars in formulating and also completing their research projects Retired from the Anthropological Survey of India as 'Director-in-Charge Was Honorary Research Director of the Indian Anthropological Society and Associate Editor of the Journal of the Indian: Anthropological Society. About 40 years of research experience in the field of social/cultural anthropology. Authored Six books on anthropology and jointly edited eleven volumes. Published more than 80 anthropological articles in various journals and edited volumes.

Sibir Ranjan Das, Ph.D. in Anthropology (University of Calcutta) was associated with the Anthropological Survey of India for almost three decades in different official capacities. He had extensively travelled in several parts of India and did anthropological fieldworks among different ethnic groups. His area of interest includes village and urban studies, social change, rural development, tribal ethnography. He has number of scientific articles published in the reputed anthropological journals.

Diamond has been discovered in Bunder area of Buxwaha tehsil of Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh by the Australian Mining Organization Rio Tinto in 2004. Following this an advanced Diamond Mining Industry was to come up in Bunder area.

In order to achieve desired success in establishing the proposed diamond mine, Rio Tinto had completed a Social Impact Assessment Study by the professionals to have firsthand information on how the different sections of people at villages and beyond the villages located within 10 km meter radius from the boundary of proposed mining project identified as "Buffer Zone" are likely to experience impacts of this industry on their life and culture.

In addition to this the Company decided to have a grass-root level study on the mechanism of 'Cultural Heritage Management" prevalent among the people of 15 villages of the "Buffer Zone" and also beyond this area with a view to have an idea about the likely impact on the cultures of the people of the area. Such information would help the Company in establishing the mine smoothly.

The PRISM, Kolkata was entrusted with this work. It was a challenging work as the team of researchers had to document "Cultural Heritage" negotiating diverse natures of terrains like plains and undulating lands, forests, rock shelters bearing rock arts of prehistoric periods located in gorges and also river beds.

The study team took cognizance of the "Cultural Heritage" as defined by the UNESCO to begin with and then extended the scope of this study by including those items of cultures perceived by the people of the area as their "Cultural Heritage" through their expressions like "Parampara", "Dharohar" and "Sanskar".

In the process the team came across a huge number of deities, shrines, even 'specific trees' spread over the "Buffer Zone". With a view to record all the categories of such "Tangible Cultural Heritage" for benefit of the users of this research work the study used Geographical Positioning System (GPS) machines.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages