Indian Memory of the World Register set in motion

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) and the Ministry of Culture, with the support of UNESCO New Delhi, stepped up their efforts to set up an Indian national register for the Memory of the World Programme, through a webinar organized on 14 August 2020.

The creation of such a national register will help “inscribe documentary heritage which has been influential within India and is judged to have national significance”. This is in line with the vision of the Memory of the World Programme, which is to ensure that “documentary heritage is fully preserved and protected for all and, with due recognition of cultural mores and practicalities, be permanently accessible to all without hindrance”.

In his introductory remarks, Mr Ramesh C. Gaur, Dean, IGNCA and Member of the MoW Programme’s International Advisory Committee (IAC) explained the relevance of a national register, emphasizing that there was also a need to create a national committee to manage the register.

or his part, Mr Sachchidanand Joshi, Member and Secretary of IGNCA highlighted the rich heritage of India and the efforts made by the government towards preserving it, adding that “IGNCA, the government of India and UNESCO must strengthen their partnership to save our rich documentary heritage.”

Set up in 1992, the MoW Programme aims to identify documentary heritage of world and historical significance, ensure its preservation, and promote universal access to it.