Preservation of Heritage

Sir,
This has reference to the article ‘Preservation of Heritage Monuments and sites’ DE April 18.
The World Heritage Day reminds us of our duty towards protecting our cultural heritage which we inheritaed from our ancestors. In case we don’t commit ourselves to preservation of this cultural wealth we shall be doing great insult to them.
At a time when we are moving fast with new art and architecture to suit our interests and taastes, we are losing touch with the past by not paying adequate attention to monuments, forts, ponds and other art pieces. These sites of historical importance are in a state of neglect. As a result, these buildings are crumbling day by day and getting mixed with earth, and losing their existence. It is a great loss which can never be compensated at any cost. So it is time we wake up to this reality and make efforts to preserve them for posterity, so that a link is established between our past and future. As a source of identity, heritage is a valuable factor for empowering local communities and enabling vulnerable groups to participate fully in social and cultural life. It can also provide time-tested solutions for conflict prevention and reconciliation.
Our State is gifted with rich cultural diversity both tengible and intangible, natural and cultural which needs to preserved in its entirety.
Yours etc…
Vishal Gupta
Kathua