Shimla: An international conference bringing together scholars and researchers from India and abroad has provided a platform for interdisciplinary dialogue on the history, culture, archaeology, heritage conservation and contemporary challenges of the Himalayan region, participants and organisers said on Tuesday.
The three-day conference, being organised by the Himachal Pradesh State Museum in Shimla, has brought together researchers from different parts of the Himalayan region, including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, the northeastern states and Nepal, besides scholars from Afghanistan and Germany.
Speaking with ANI here, German anthropologist Vítor da Silva said the conference was important because it brought together people from different academic disciplines and enabled them to share research that otherwise often remained isolated.
"So, the conference is important because it brings people with different expertise into dialogue. There are people from archaeology, museum preservation and cultural rituals, as well as academicians from different fields. People from different backgrounds can learn different aspects that are being studied and researched in different fields," da Silva said.
He said dialogue among researchers was particularly important for bringing issues relating to Himalayan heritage to the attention of governments and institutions responsible for conservation.
"Without discussion and dialogue, isolated research that sometimes happens in remote places does not get discussed or exposed to the state as well. If the state wants to be involved with cultural preservation and preservation of the heritage of the Himalayas, you cannot solve a problem that you don't know," he said.
"Our role as researchers is to come here, share our fieldwork and push these issues to the state, where it can use its resources and administration to do something about the preservation of the Himalayas," da Silva added.
He said he was particularly encouraged by the diversity of participants attending the conference.
"The conference has just started, but so far it is interesting to see diverse people coming from different parts of India and even from outside India, from different departments and different schools of thought. It is interesting to have that multicultural dialogue," he said.
Afghan scholar Tawafuddin Azimi, who is currently pursuing his PhD in Kerala, said the conference had provided him with an opportunity to interact with scholars from different parts of India and abroad and exchange ideas.
"This conference is very significant because different scholars and professors from various places in the country and abroad have come here to present their magnificent work. It is a very good opportunity for me to interact with them, exchange my ideas and sharpen my knowledge and skills," Azimi told ANI.
Azimi said he was presenting his research on the preservation of historical monuments in Bamyan, Afghanistan.
"I am going to present my work, which is about how to protect and preserve the historical monuments of Bamyan, Afghanistan," he said.
Asked about ways to protect heritage and cultural monuments, Azimi said human-induced activities were among the major threats to heritage sites and that greater preventive measures were required.
"Human-induced activity is one of the reasons for destroying heritage and monuments. If we could take initiatives to reduce such activities and establish ways to prevent and preserve such monuments, particularly in the Himalayan region, it would help," he said.
Azimi also drew parallels between Bamyan and Himachal Pradesh, saying that the landscape and weather of Shimla reminded him of his home region.
"I can carry lots of memories and messages from here. The people are wonderful and interesting. At the same time, Shimla and Himachal Pradesh have scenic views and fantastic weather. There are lots of similarities between here and my province, Bamyan. The weather is almost similar, so I can feel the fresh weather," he said.
Hari Chauhan, curator of the Himachal Pradesh State Museum and organiser of the conference, said the objective was to bring researchers working on different aspects of the Himalayan region onto a common platform.
"The conference has been organised to bring research scholars working on the Himalayan region across different disciplines onto one platform. Scholars from India and abroad are presenting their research work and discussing new findings in different fields and the possibilities for further research," Chauhan told ANI.
He said around 34 researchers from India and abroad were participating in the conference, with scholars from Afghanistan, Nepal and Germany among those attending, besides researchers from different Himalayan regions.
"Scholars working in the Himalayan region from Afghanistan, Nepal and Germany, apart from researchers from the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Nepal and Himachal Pradesh, have gathered here to share their knowledge," Chauhan said.
He said the conference was also intended to expand the perspective of Himalayan studies beyond present-day political boundaries.
"The Himalayas have never been simply a region defined by political boundaries. Today we talk about Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, but the Himalayan region has had a cultural continuity that has flourished across the higher ranges," Chauhan said.
He said communities inhabiting the mountains had developed lifestyles and economic practices different from those in the plains.
"In the Himalayan regions, there has traditionally been a different kind of pastoral culture, including animal domestication and sheep rearing, while the plains developed around cultivation. Therefore, the experience, lifestyle and culture evolved differently," he said.
Chauhan said the conference was designed to study the Himalayas as a broader geographical and cultural region rather than restricting research to individual states or countries.
He cited research in Spiti as an example of how continued archaeological research could change established understanding of the region's history.
"Earlier, it was believed that civilisation in Spiti came relatively late. But when research programmes started, evidence showed continuity from the prehistoric period through the Bronze Age, Neolithic and protohistoric periods into the historic period and continuing to the present day," Chauhan said.
He said bringing such findings together would allow researchers to understand what was happening across different parts of the Himalayan belt and identify new areas for investigation.
Chauhan also stressed the importance of exposing students to research beyond conventional textbooks.
"Our objective is to involve as many schools and colleges as possible so that students understand that research also exists beyond their textbooks. A researcher's findings can become a reference point for them and give them an idea about the fields in which they may undertake research in the future," he said.
He said conferences and direct interaction with researchers could also help young students recognise phenomena around them that they might otherwise overlook.
"Many things happen around us, but we do not pay attention to them. When we listen to a research scholar, we sometimes realise that we have also seen something similar. Such platforms give students an opportunity to ask questions, participate in discussions and develop curiosity," Chauhan said.
He said the conference format also encouraged critical academic discussion, where research findings were examined by other scholars rather than being treated merely as individual viewpoints.
"In a research paper, one has to satisfy the academic scrutiny of others. There are questions and answers, and one cannot simply proceed with one's own view. One has to look at things collectively. This also gives scholars an opportunity to identify weaknesses in their research and learn from the discussion," he said.
Chauhan said the State Museum had been organising such an international academic conference every year and that the response this year had been particularly encouraging.
"We received nearly 600 papers for presentation this year, out of which 40 papers were shortlisted. While selecting them, we made an effort to ensure that no region, community or subject was left out," he said.
He said the number of submissions made it necessary to select papers representing the widest possible range of subjects because it was not feasible to accommodate all researchers at a single conference.
"The idea is to select the best papers while ensuring that the essence and diversity of the subjects are represented," Chauhan said.
He added that the museum also organises lecture series in which scholars from outside are invited to interact directly with students.
According to Chauhan, such initiatives are particularly important because students and young researchers sometimes hesitate to ask questions in academic settings.
"From school onwards, we sometimes develop a habit of not speaking in front of teachers. But these platforms show students that questions can be asked, discussions can take place and one can learn through interaction. That creates curiosity among them to participate, ask questions and learn," he said.
The conference, according to the organisers, thus seeks to create an interdisciplinary and transnational platform for understanding the Himalayas through archaeology, anthropology, museum studies, cultural practices, heritage preservation and related fields.
For researchers such as da Silva and Azimi, the event also offers an opportunity to take field-based research beyond individual academic circles and place it within a wider dialogue involving scholars, students, institutions and policymakers.
The discussions are expected to generate new perspectives for further research and contribute to efforts aimed at documenting and preserving the cultural and historical heritage of the Himalayan region.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
