The India Post Team, Chandigarh,17 June:The Ministry of Culture in India is going to launch a “Know your Country” chapter in 12,000 senior secondary and 5,000 colleges across the country to make the Generation Next aware of their rich cultural heritage.
To further its initiative to teach school and college students about Indian culture and heritage—monuments, art forms or literature—the Ministry has set up a Cultural Heritage Volunteers (CHV) scheme and the proposal has already been sent to the Planning Commission for approval according to Ministry of Culture. Under the scheme, master trainers—teachers, lecturers or university officials—will be selected who in turn will select 100 student volunteers. The volunteers are expected to pass on their knowledge to the community.
This volunteer group will then be asked to develop a district cultural map on the rich heritage of their area. The heritage could include oral traditions, music, dance and theatre, social practices, rituals and festive events, practices regarding nature and traditional crafts and they could also list sites that bear witness to multiple cultural identities, list deteriorating monuments, books, manuscripts and historical objects.
The Ministry has recommended an outlay of Rs one billion during the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) and Rs 200 million for the annual plan 2007-08.
The students will be trained on the lines of the National Cadet Corps/ National Service Scheme/ National Service Volunteer but in the field of culture only according to a ministry official. The training would inculcate in students the ability to appreciate art and culture and promote creativity and this will result in a tremendous growth of creativity in the various forms of art. The students will get certificates.
Under the proposal, student volunteers will be trained by scholars, educationists and artists. They will also be engaged in recording and documenting the most threatened forms of cultural heritage and there is a need to protect young people from marginalization and neglect by ensuring their social inclusion and involvement in civic and cultural programmes.
While looking at the present state of affairs or the prevailing conditions in India, it is seen that the ill effects of Globalisation is slowly and gradually killing the basic tenets of Indian cultural ethos.