Don't just save them, keep, show and tell
This week, Sotheby's was forced to suspend auction of ancient relics linked to the Buddha's remains after GoI threatened legal action. Rightly so. The 334 gems - excavated from Piprahwa, believed to be the ancient city of Kapilavastu, in UP - aren't just historical artefacts; they are sacred fragments of India's heritage. GoI's legal notice called out the sale as 'continued colonial exploitation'. India's demand for repatriation fits into a larger global push to reclaim looted heritage. It's a campaign India has recently pursued with vigour. Over 640 antiquities have been brought back since 2014.But retrieving stolen treasures is only the beginning. Too often, artefacts brought back home are swallowed into silence - locked in storerooms, or shuffled into half-forgotten museums. Even those on public display often suffer from patchy maintenance. The Seated Buddha triumphantly returned from Australia in 2017, and now reportedly sits outside a museum director's office. Some return for glory, others for gathering dust.Systemic neglect risks making these treasures 'lost' all over again - this time not to colonial looters but to our own apathy. Poor documentation, underfunded conservation and low public visibility remain serious challenges. It's one thing to demand the return of history. It's quite another to prove worthy custodianship. So, while GoI's intervention at Sotheby's is welcome, it must not stop there. India needs a clear, ambitious plan - to not just store relics safely but to showcase them widely, proudly and professionally, like it was done in Khajuraho during the G20 summit. Proper conservation, modern site museums and maximum public access must be the goal. Bringing our history home is just the start.
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