Historians must initiate a large-scale research on the cultural heritage preserved by the indigenous and language groups in India for long together alongside the evolution of the so-called mainstream cultural heritage. Faithful and fundamental research is important in addition to the scholarly studies based on secondary information,” said State Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan addressing the valedictory ceremony of the International Conference on Indian Cultural Heritage: Past, Present & Future’ here on Monday jointly organised by the Utkal University and the Institute of Media Studies (IMS) in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the OdishalIVE.
The three-day conference hosted over 100 academia, scholars, researchers, historians, policy makers, performing artists, tourism and media professionals, critics, writers and students from four SAARC countries including India, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri lanka along with Thailand. A total of 83 scholastic papers were presented during two plenary sessions and seven technical sessions organised at the Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education (DDCE) campus of the Utkal University.
“The Indian Culture has always generated global interest from ancient period. For centuries, the Indian culture has moved out of the mainland and has created new hues across the globe. We need to be rooted in our culture, rediscovering and reassessing our cultural heritage with its language, literature, religious faith and festivals,” mentioned ICICH convenor Prof Upendra Padhi in his concluding remarks.
Among others academia from Utkal University PG Council Chairman Prof Ranjan Kumar Bal, Director, DDCE Prof Susmit Pani, Public Admin Department HoD Prof Swarnamayee Tripathy, Academic Coordinator Dr Prajna Paramita Panigraphi and co-convenor, ICICH and founding Editor and CEO of OdishalIVE Nilambar Rath spoke at the valedictory ceremony.