The second day of the national seminar on cultural heritage of Meghalaya combined presentation of research papers focusing on Khasi Ethnic cuisine by Anandita Nayak (a doctoral scholar from Jharkhand Central university of Jharkhand). Rest two presentation largely focused on Verrier Elvin, one by his son Ashok Elwin and last one by Tara Douglas who also showed animation film on various folktales from North-East India taking Elwin as central character.
All these three presentation created huge impact among the participants as these are densely linked with the theme of celebration.
This two-day national seminar created a platform for exchanging ideas of different notion of culture in the context of a multiethnic state and this also gave rise of many future initiatives which indigenous people and IGRMS as national museum can take forward. Prof Mitasree Mitra of Pt Ravi Shankar University, Raipur chaired the whole session.
Exhibition - Photographs by Verrier Elwin inaugurated
An exhibition of Photographs clicked by Verrier Elwin has been inaugurated today at RockArt exhibition hall by Pankaj Rag, IAS (Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Culture) in presence of Ashok Elwin, son of Verrier Elwin. Verrier Elwin (1902-1964) was born in England and during his lifetime he was one of the best known anthropologists in India. Elwin was unquestionably the pioneering scholar of India’s tribal people.
In the 13th Annual IGRMS lecture Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Director General, CSMVS, Mumbai) spoke on ‘Museums, Communities and Collections’ and AK Danda (Former Director, Anthropological Survey of India) chaired the lecture. He said that Museum as an institution holds an important place in the society because it does not only tell the story of man and the world and how humanity survived in its environment over the decades but also because it houses things created by nature and by man in the past and thus it is important for the changing society and nation.
Museum is a cultural as well as a social space. It’s also a meeting place for individuals and communities to engage in dialogue and exchange of ideas.