Roerich trust to be global centre of art and culture
Concept plan for giving heritage status to Naggar
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 23
The concept plan prepared by the International Centre of Roerichs (ICR), Moscow, for the development of the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) at Naggar in Kullu into a global centre of art and culture underlines the need to accord heritage status to the village.

An eight-member delegation of the ICR, headed by Alexander Losyukov, made a presentation of the concept plan before Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy here last evening. The plan has been prepared in consultations with eminent architects and other experts from Moscow. It will be posed to the federal governments of Russia and India for financial support, besides approaching UNESCO and other world agencies.

The collaborative process between the ICR and the IRMT was initiated by Shakti Singh Chandel, a life trustee of the IRMT, during his visit to Moscow in September 2011. Subsequently, a team of officers from the State Department of Language, Art and Culture headed by Sudripta Roy visited Moscow in October 2012 and concluded an agreement for collaboration.

Thereafter, teams of experts from Russia kept visiting Naggar for the preparation of concept plan which proposes the revival of the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute, setting up of a new museum as was envisioned by S Roerich, creation of an indoor auditorium, introduction of a scholars-in-residence scheme and making the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts (for children) functional.

The plan lays stress on landscaping of the premises with flowers and herbal garden and ensuring that no undue construction took place to disturb the heritage character of the 200 bigha Roerich Estate nestling amid a thick jungle of cedar trees.

Alexander Stetsenko said the ICR had been organising exhibitions of Roerichs paintings and other works of the family members in various countries. Last year, an exhibition was held in Paris under the aegis of UNESCO and this year in Geneva at the UN headquarters. Next year, it has been proposed to hold such an exhibition in Shimla and other cities of India.