Happy Diwali A.S.I.!

[Dilip Rajgor]

Dear Steven and the Group,

You have hit the nail.  I do agree with you that the revised prices by the
ASI is unfair. There is no doubt that every institution needs money for
maintenance. However, the charges should be reasonable. There are other
options from where money can be generated. In fact, what we need is a
professional who can guide about the possible sources of income.

I would like to site an example of museums in Gujarat. The State Govt. has
fixed prices for photographing any objects at professional rates (though it
is a different point that they also charge heavily from research scholars,
too!). I know when I say that photography should be allowed in these
monuments, there is a going to be criticisms about the bad effects of light
on the objects and monuments. But, dear all, all our monuments are open to
sky and summer-sun in this part of the world is more dangerous than flash
lights. Moreover, people using these monuments as a picnic spot are
"hazardous for the health of" these monuments. Next in line are
encroachments of these historical places.

If we want that the concerned authorities should take a serious note of our
concern about these monuments and the ASI, all of us should forward these
posts to the ASI. This will make an impact that we do care for them.

Cheers
DR

----- Original Message -----
From: Steven E. Lindquist <s-lindquist at THE-FOUNDRY.NET>
To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2000 1:46 PM
Subject: Happy Diwali A.S.I.!


> To the list:
>
> I have not posted in the last four years of watching this list.  Given the
> last month, the reasons should be obvious.  Please do not let this email
> devolve into us/them nonsense.  My concern is simply as a
> "educator-in-training" of Indian history.
>
> --
> ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) has recently changed its entrance fee
> for ASI regulated sites.  As of late Oct., fees for sites are now Rs. 5
for
> Indians, and U.S. $5 (Rs. 250) for foreigners.  World Heritage sites are
$10
> (Rs. 500) for foreigners.  The Taj Mahal is over Rs. 1000.
>
> I am posting this so that those concerned with the fee structure,
> particularly educators of Indian history, religion and art (foreign and
> local), are aware of these changes.  Personally, I find the change
abhorrent
> for the following reasons:
>
> (1) because most foreigners seeing the purchasing power of Rs. 250 will
> often not pay this to enter these sites, particularly the sites that are
> less known.  For example, at the early Buddhist site, Bhaja, every
foreigner
> I saw left in anger (a friend has told me he saw the same at the Red Fort
in
> Delhi).
>
> (2)  Determination of "foreigner" status is based simply on skin-color
(and
> not on passport, for example).  Thus, the policy is ill-managed at best
and
> certainly unethical.
>
> And most importantly
>
> (3) ASI's goal should be the promotion of the heritage of ancient India.
> While, of course, this institution needs money (something I fully
support),
> I do not support its means of discriminatively placing its financial
> problems on foreigners.  Baldly put, it "looks bad" -- it creates a
hostile
> environment at the site (Indians horrified at foreigners who would pay
such
> a price, foreigners horrified at the extreme price difference), does not
> encourage foreigners to visit (most tourists in India are not
businessmen --
> particularly those visiting ASI sites -- and do not have the money to
spend
> especially if they want to see 5 or 10 sites!), and such fees will make
the
> smaller sites even less known.
>
> I ask anyone concerned with this change to contact ASI directly (I have
> emailed and snail-mailed them, but have not received a response).  I, like
> many foreigners, am used to paying higher prices for most things in India,
> however, ASI should be principally concerned with education and the
> promotion of Indian archaeological history, and not how to "get the fast
> buck," with a lack of concern of how this is viewed by the rest of the
> world.
>
> ASI Contact information:
>
> Director General
> Archaeological Survey Of India
> Department of Culture
> Government of India
> Janpath, New Delhi - 110011
> email: asi at del13.vsnl.net.in
>
> Truly,
>
> Steven
> --
> Steven E. Lindquist
> In the US:
> Doctoral Student
> Dept. of Asian Studies
> University of TX at Austin
>
> In India:
> AIIS Junior Fellow/Associated Research Scholar
> Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
> Pune, India
> --
>