Developing cultural policy on ICH for Punjab

Punjab State Cultural Heritage Policy defines the state government’s newly adopted stewardship towards safeguarding the state’s vast cultural heritage assets — ranging from physical heritage of the historic monuments and sites to movable heritage in museum collections and archives, to the living heritage traditions of the diverse cultural communities. As the first initiative of its kind in India, this policy serves as an example to unequivocally establish the role of local heritage assets, cultural skills and traditional knowledge as the cornerstone of future development throughout our great country.

Culture is both the driver and an enabler of sustainable and inclusive development. As a thematic group on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and Traditional Cultural Industries, we were assigned by the Punjab government to undertake a study in 10 districts (Patiala, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Sangrur, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Hoshiarpur) to assess the condition of ICH there. The aim was to mobilize the cultural strengths of the people to ensure sustainable development through cultural assets, promote social cohesion, and foster an equitable economic growth. The study participants included folk artists and crafts persons and their support network — like the crafts persons who make the instruments, promoters of the art and craft forms, patrons and support institutions (both governmental and non-governmental).

During the study, our team was exposed to the unique heritage assets of Punjab, its rich tangible and intangible cultural heritage in terms of archaeology and architecture, as well as the rich philosophy, poetry, spirituality, crafts, artistry, music, cuisine and manifold traditions.

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