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INTACH was founded on 27 January 1984 with an aim to
create a membership organization to serve as a catalyst
for the heritage awareness and conservation in India.
INTACH has over the past 20 years blazed the trail for
the conservation and protection of India's natural and
cultural heritage. It has also acted as a vehicle to
save heritage as well as engaging and educating the
public in heritage awareness. The National Trust movement
begun in Great Britain in 1895 has grown to encompass
more than 40 National Trusts throughout the world. The
International Conference of National Trusts is held
in different parts of the world. The last conference
i.e. the 11th International Conference of National Trusts
was held at Washington DC, USA; the 10th one was held
in Scotland; and the 9th in Australia. INTACH is a member
of many important national and international organizations
and participates in all major conferences to share and
learn latest practices in restoration. One such organization
in which INTACH participates regularly , is the International
Conference of National Trusts which meets once in two
years to exchange ideas on heritage management, best
practices in conservation, latest technologies applied
in the field, and other related issues. These meetings
are particularly important for developing and underdeveloped
countries which run small organizations, to learn from
the experiences of other bigger Trusts.
The activities that are
part of INTACH include:
· conservation
of cultural heritage by documenting the cultural geography
and traditional lifestyles of tribal communities.
· preservation
of minority cultures like the Sikh, Jewish, Parsi, Buddhist,
Jain and Christian heritage.
· revival
of traditional arts and crafts through development of
crafts centres and skill development programmes at heritage
sites.
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•
develop heritage tourism through strategies for sustainable
conservation and enhancement of visitors' experience
of the site.
• identify and
develop heritage villages for rural tourism.
• collaborate
with State Governments to set up Haats (craft bazaars).;
and with national and international organizations to
promote heritage tourism in India.
• heritage Festivals
are organized every year in Kapurhtala, Amritsar and
Patiala that see coming together of craftsmen, puppeteers,
musicians, dancers, and theatre artists from all over
the country. INTACH organizes regular lecture and performances
as part of spreading heritage awareness among different
sections of the society.
These lectures and performances are open to all. Conferences
and seminars are organized in collaboration with State
Governments, national and international organizations;
bringing together experts from India and aborad to discuss
relevant issues.
The ICNT conferences look towards
the future and the global challenges of protecting threatened
countrysides, communities and landmarks and focus on:
• Share
best practices in the preservation and conservation
field
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Strategize on collective advocacy to protect endangered
international sites
• Examine
preservation's role in community revitalization
• Build
capacity for emerging Trusts
•
Meet, network, and build partnerships with fellow preservationists
and conservationists from around the world
• Celebrate
the vast cultural diversity of the collective sites
around the world that we cherish
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