Australian and Indian heritage bodies to work jointly

An MoU was signed today by AusHeritage, Australia's international network for cultural heritage, and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to work together for the preservation, promotion and management of cultural heritage.
INTACH said the collaboration would focus on building conservation aspects of Acharya Bhavan where the J C Bose Science Heritage Museum would be housed.
He said that while the Goethe Institute of Germany in association with the Berlin Museum authorities was advising INTACH on the overall museum project with specific reference to its musicological and curatorial aspects, the collaboration would complement the work INTACH was already doing with the Germans.

The MoU was signed at a joint Australia-India forum to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Indian Museum.
AusHeritage's chairman Vinod Daniel said, "AusHeritage has worked with major Indian museums and with the museum movement in India going through a revival phase, such forums offer ideal platforms for information sharing and establishing people-to-people linkages within the museum specialist domain."
Australian Deputy High Commissioner Bernard Philip, said, "I am delighted at this collaboration between Australia and India and to be part of this cultural heritage knowledge sharing forum at the oldest museum in India".
B Venugopal, director of the Indian Museum, expressed interest in continuing cooperation with Australian museum experts as the Indian Museum upgraded its facilities and exhibition space.

He said the forum would help build strong conservation human resource capability for India.