Time to hew a new antiquities law (Concerns around protecting antiquities)

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Time to hew a new antiquities law (Concerns around protecting antiquities)

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• Importance of archaeological findings: To find facts about the history of any civilisation, the archaeological digs play an important role.  In fact, such finds (artifacts, objects, etc.) end up defining an entire time period. Our laws too are made according to that.
• Problem of collectors: It is a general notion that any artefact held by a collector could be stolen from some genuine site.
• How to build a view of our history? In addition to archaeological finds, we get insights from literature, history, anthropology etc. All combine to give a total perspective. But our laws since 1947 focussed extensively on material culture preservation alone (which was right at that point in time).
• The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972: This is no longer relevant at all, and an amendment is proposed by the Ministry of Culture. Net result? The legal framework of ownership, purchase and sale of artworks is a headache for the art collectors.
• Vigilantism: Cultural vigilantism and presumption of guilt without trial rules. Collectors are scared. Media trials can happen with anyone anytime.
• ASI: Registering antiquities with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is cumbersome. The collectors are many, govt. resources few.
• 100 year rule: The law says that any object over a 100 year old is an antique. That makes it impossible for genuine collectors to maintain anything.
• Big questions: Will religious and cultural vigilantism be allowed to continue, hampering private collection work? Should all antiquities really belong only to religious sites/temples, and not in private collections for study? Can the govt. really handle the massive flow of pieces as they attain 100 years of age? Are all govt. collections truly sourced from authentic sources and not pilfered? (Aurel Stein Collection, Delhi)
• Time to change the law: Let secular spaces be allowed, so that true appreciation of art may happen.
• Summary : The law governing antiquity trade in India is antiquated, and a broad-minded amendment is needed to curb religious vigilantism, and promote personal collections.

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