The seminar is the last of three
organised under the project funded by the Fort Foundation -
"Bringing Together Scholars, Scholarship and Scholarly Resources on
the Silk Road 2006-2008, India - Russia - China". The first two
seminars were held respectively at the National Library of China in
Beijing in November 2006, and at the Institute of Oriental Studies in
St. Petersburg in April 2007. The last seminar is now being held at the
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, from 17th -
19th March, 2008. This project aims to build resources for Silk Road
scholarship by focusing on hitherto neglected collections held in
Russia, China and India. The seminars provide an excellent opportunity
for scholars from these three countries to meet and exchange ideas. The
project is intended to give young schlars from all three countries the
chances to travel to the other two countries, and benefit from mutual
scholarly exchange. One youg scholar from each country (India, China and
Russia) is project coordinator for that country and has already spent an
internship at the British Library in London researching topics for the
three seminars.
The research topic for the third seminar
under the Fort Foundation project will be "History of the Central
Asian collections from their archaeological site of origin to their
present institution, focusing on either all Central Asian collections in
one country, or one discrete collection in an institution. Although much
is known about important collections in major institutions worldwide,
scholarship would benefit from a closer look at smaller and less known
collections. The participants will speak of the importance of their
collections and the quantum of work done by them. The present seminar
will discuss the problems and methodology of documenting the Central
Asian objects in detail and define the operational framework for the
implementation of the project. The main purpose of the seminar is to
make the rich heritage of Central Asian accessible to scholars. We hope
that as a result of this project scholars from India, Russia and China
will forge long term relationship and continue their scholarly dialogue.
Coinciding with the seminar IGNCA will
also organize an exhibition on 'Aurel Stein and the Silk Route' in No.
5, Dr. R. P. Road
Theme of the Seminar
The theme of the Seminar
is very interesting involving both academic expertise and professional
knowledge.
Central Asia occupies an important
geographical position, through which passed inevitably the Silk Route
trade which connected China with the Western countries. As a result,
this region became meeting places of diverse people and races and served
as channel for interchange of ideas between various nations, the Indian,
Iranian, Chinese and others.
Being the meeting place of various
peoples and religions, Central Asia developed a cosmopolitan culture.
Buddhism was a great civilizing force over the whole of Central Asia.
Towards the late 19th and early 20th
century the archaeological wealth of Central Asia especially the Tarim
basin attracted the notice of energetic European scholars and experts.
Though many scholars and explorers and missionaries have visited Chinese
Turkestan, the credit of discovering Central Asian art and
archaeological antiquities in thousands of various periods go largely to
Sven Hedin, Sir Aurel Stein, A von Lecoq, Paul Pelliot, Kozolv and
Oldenburg and Count Otani. Many of them led three to four expeditions to
bring to light the rich heritage of ancient Central Asian sites. They
braved many dangers and undertook painstaking labour to unearth
invaluable evidence in the form of varied antiquities and enormous
monumental remains as to the glory to the forgotten Central Asian
civilization. Thanks go mainly to the efforts of Sir Aurel Stein today,
that the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the
National Museum, New Delhi are in proud possession of most varied
Central Asian cultural objects in enormous qualities.
We know that the scholar
– explorers of Central Asia did not rest contented merely with
recovering the antiquities, they have also studied and classified the
objects and documented them in a laudable manner.
The Stein Collection in
the National Museum, New Delhi is very vast and varied. This collection
consists of more than 11,000 objects which throw a considerable light on
the rich cultural heritage of Central Asia.
To make the rich heritage of Central
Asian objects more accessible to scholars, it is desirable to study
varieties of antiquities and art objects lying in different countries in
their proper context keeping in view of their original location and
chronological sequence
Dr Radha Banerjee Sarkar
Coordinator, IDP, British Library, London
