By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Aligarh: The destruction of the idols of Gautam Buddha at Bamiyan (Afghanistan) was an example of insanity and anti-culture mindset, said Syed Shahid Mahdi, vice-president of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in Aligarh on Tuesday.
Inaugurating a 3-day conference on ‘Recent Progress in Preservation of Museum Collections’ that was organized at Aligarh Muslim University, he stressed on social awareness about the preservation of cultural heritage. He also regretted destruction of a world heritage in Rome. Comparing India and the U.S. in terms of preservation of cultural heritage, he said people in the U.S. are more concerned about their heritage. Recalling the role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in creating social awareness about cultural heritage, Mahdi said Sir Syed was the first man in India who authored the book ‘Asarus Sanadeed’ before 1857 in order to safeguard Indian cultural heritage.
AMU acting vice-chancellor, Prof. Badr-e-Alam Iqbal, said the destruction caused by the atom bomb dropped at Hiroshima is displayed in Japanese museum. This demonstrates that they want to communicate information about the historical event to the young generation.