INTACH to rope in youths for heritage programme

JAIPUR: In order to raise awareness and instil the values of heritage and culture in the younger generation, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has decided to include youths in its heritage conservation programme.
"We are looking forward to associate youths who are interested in the heritage conservation and who can take the work forward with the innovative thinking and hard work," Dharmendra Kanwar, convenor of INTACH, Jaipur.
"We will be soon be informing students of schools and colleges to come forward and join INTACH. Small groups such as architecture and photography students will also be formed," she said.
Currently, there are around 75 members in the INTACH advisory committee and most of them are retired bureaucrats and senior members.
"It will be a great learning experience for the youngsters to work with senior members who were experts in various fields," Kanwar added.
Once the youngsters are selected, INTACH plans to start different heritage walks and set up a Jaipur Photographers' Club will to take pictures for different projects. "It will be an opportunity to enhance the portfolio of the students by involving themselves in good projects," an official said.
At present, a team of three young photographers is working for the INTACH central park project and has clicked pictures of 90% of the birds visiting the central park daily.
During its programme, INTACH has identified different species of plants at central park and also the permission of Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) to put a identification plates on the trees there for public information and government records.
"There are so many old trees in the central park. To protect them from being felled, INTACH has taken up this progremme. Involvement of youths in such projects will them a sense of belongingness," the official added.