History lost to apathy, neglect
India is not making enough efforts to preserve its past
Do Indians have a sense of history? In ancient India, records were kept and references made to the past. The Mughals too did the same, with many of the emperors writing detailed autobiographies, replete with details about the empire and themselves. The British were, of course, meticulous. But increasingly in India, there is growing disconnect with history. Look at how citizens deface monuments. Even our museums are usually nearempty. Who is responsible for this, the State or the people themselves? It is difficult to pin the blame on one party.
A new example of this disconnect/disinterest comes from National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune. According to a report, 51,500 cans of film reels, and over 9,200 prints, “were not physically present” at the archives, and 4,922 cans containing 1,112 film titles, which are not listed in the NFAI’S registers, were present in its vaults. The missing list includes the best of world cinema, including celluloid prints of films by Satyajit Ray (Pather Panchali, its sequel Aparajito, Charulata), Mehboob Khan (Mother India), Raj Kapoor (Mera Naam Joker, Awaara), Mrinal Sen (Bhuvan Shome), Guru Dutt (Kaagaz ke Phool) and several other giants of Indian cinema. Prints of several international acquisitions were also missing.
Who is responsible for this mess? One would say the State and the NFAI but this disinterest is symptomatic of a lack of understanding of the value of institutional memory and a lack of plan on how to monetise this precious archival material, considering how expensive maintaining these items are. Most museums abroad have generate funds for their upkeep by selling merchandise, organising tours/talks and even letting out their premises for cultural dos. Why can’t we go the same way? Despite a lack of interest in the rich cultural history, we often demand that artefacts of Indian origin must be brought back to the country. Before making such demands, we must try to evaluate whether we have the wherewithal to keep them safe and in good condition.