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Time of India
19 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Italian Cultural Centre halts language courses after MEA directive, weeks after hosting event with historian Romila Thapar
The Italian Cultural Centre ( ICC ) has suspended registrations and postponed its language courses after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued fresh directives on the functioning of cultural centres in India , a TOI report stated. In a notice to students, the centre said, "This is to inform you that registration for our language courses is temporarily suspended, and the start of the courses will be postponed to Sept. This change is due to new directives recently shared by the ministry of external affairs, govt of India, regarding the operations of cultural centres." It added that the revised date would be shared soon and that the centre was "currently awaiting further updates to proceed in accordance with these guidelines." ICC and its cultural role in Delhi by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Stunning Photographs from History's Most Defining Events The ICC is among several foreign cultural institutes in Delhi that promote their national languages and cultural heritage. Alongside Alliance Française of France, Max Mueller Bhavan of Germany, and the Korean Cultural Centre, it offers language training, art exhibitions, film screenings, food festivals, and talks. Each of these centres also runs a canteen serving traditional cuisine, which makes them popular cultural and culinary destinations for Delhi residents. Live Events MEA guidelines and Vienna Convention While the MEA has not issued an official statement, official sources confirmed that guidelines were circulated to all foreign missions regarding compliance with the Vienna Convention on cultural centres. "If there is any commercial basis in running the centre, then it must comply with relevant guidelines. Article 42 of the Vienna Convention prohibits diplomatic agents from conducting any commercial activity," the sources said. Other centres unaffected A check with other cultural centres in Delhi showed that classes were continuing as usual. Both Alliance Française and Max Mueller Bhavan confirmed there had been no suspension of their courses. Before the suspension, the ICC had hosted 'Beyond Boundaries' on July 28 at the Humayun's Tomb Museum Auditorium. The event featured historian Romila Thapar and art historian Naman Ahuja in conversation on 'Ancient Rome and the Indian Peninsula'.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Italian Cultural Centre Halts Courses Citing Guidelines
New Delhi: The Italian Cultural Centre has abruptly suspended registrations and postponed its language courses following renewed guidelines from the ministry of external affairs on the functioning of cultural centres. In a notice to students, the centre said, "This is to inform you that registration for our language courses is temporarily suspended, and the start of the courses will be postponed to Sept. This change is due to new directives recently shared by the ministry of external affairs, govt of India, regarding the operations of cultural centres." It added that it would share the revised date soon and was "currently awaiting further updates to proceed in accordance with these guidelines". ICC is one of several foreign cultural institutes in the capital known for promoting their countries' languages and cultural heritage. Like its counterparts — Alliance Française of France, Max Mueller Bhavan of Germany, Korean Cultural Centre and others — it offers a wide range of courses in Italian language and culture, while also hosting talks, art exhibitions, film screenings and food festivals. Each centre also runs a canteen serving national cuisine, making them popular cultural and culinary hubs for Delhiites. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Gold Rates Today in Delhi | Silver Rates Today in Delhi While there was no official reaction from MEA or govt, official sources said guidelines had been issued to all foreign missions about the need to comply with the the Vienna Convention on running cultural centres. "If there is any commercial basis in running the centre, then it must comply with relevant guidelines. Article 42 of the Vienna Convention prohibits diplomatic agents from conducting any commercial activity," the sources said. A check with other cultural centres revealed that no such suspension of classes had been implemented there. Both Alliance Française and Max Mueller Bhavan confirmed that their operations were continuing as usual. The centre had hosted an event titled 'Beyond Boundaries' at the Humayun's Tomb Museum Auditorium on July 28, featuring noted historian Romila Thapar and art historian Naman Ahuja in conversation on 'Ancient Rome and the Indian Peninsula'. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Buddha's jewels dubbed sacred, swerve auction
Auction house Sotheby's said on Wednesday that it had postponed the auction of a collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha's corporeal relics after India's government threatened legal action and demanded the jewels be returned, reported Reuters. The sale of the collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha Mauryan Empire, Ashokan Era, circa 240-200 BCE, has drawn criticism from Buddhist academics and monastic leaders. India's government said in a May 5 letter to the auction house that the relics constituted "inalienable religious and cultural heritage of India and the global Buddhist community. Their sale violates Indian and international laws, as well as United Nations conventions." The auction was due to take place on Wednesday morning at Sotheby's headquarters in the Asian financial hub. Sotheby's said in an emailed statement that in light of the matters raised by India's government "and with the agreement of the consignors, the auction ... has been postponed. This will allow for discussions between the parties, and we look forward to sharing any updates as appropriate." Notice of the gems sale had been removed from its auction house on Wednesday and the website page promoting the auction was no longer available. Sotheby's had said in February that the 1898 discovery of the relics at Piprahwa in northern India ranked "among the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries of all time". India said that the proposed auction "offends the sentiments of over 500 million Buddhists worldwide," adding that the sale violated core Buddhist ethics and disrupted "sacred tradition." Earlier, as reported by the BBC, historians, Buddhist leaders, and scholars, all of whom questioned the ethics of commodifying sacred relics. "Are the relics of the Buddha a commodity that can be treated like art?" asked Naman Ahuja, an art historian based in Delhi. "If the seller is a custodian, then custodianship implies responsibility, not ownership." Critics also argued that had the sale gone through, it would have been part of a larger colonial legacy. "This auction continues the violence of extraction," said Ashley Thompson of SOAS and curator Conan Cheong. "It reduces consecrated relics to collectibles, ignoring their sacred meaning to millions of Buddhists." Questions remain over who gets to define what constitutes human remains. Many Buddhist practitioners believe the jewels, found with ashes and bone, are themselves part of the sanctified relics. As Ahuja noted, "These jewels are not just artifacts. They carry the weight of spiritual heritage and colonial history. Governments must act."
CBC
06-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Sotheby's accused of 'colonial exploitation' as it auctions gems found with Buddha's remains
Art historian Naman Ahuja says the Piprahwa gems are "the cultural property of the world." But soon they'll be the legal property of the highest bidder. On Wednesday morning, the prestigious broker Sotheby's will auction off the gems, which were once mixed with the cremated remains of the Buddha, on behalf of the heir of a British landowner who unearthed them 127 years ago. The sale has drawn the ire of art experts, Buddhist leaders, and the government of India, which has demanded the "immediate cessation" of the sale and accused the auction house of "participating in continued colonial exploitation." "It's quite galling to hear that sacred relics can be commodified," Ahuja, a professor of Buddhist art at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, told As It Happens host Nil Kӧksal. "One didn't know that objects that were interred with the original ashes of the Buddha — you know, the offerings that pilgrims and people who actually belonged to the family of the Buddha had made — could be treated in this manner." Neither Sotheby's nor its client, Chris Peppé, have responded to CBC's request for comment. 'Extraordinary things' The collection includes amethysts, corals, pearls, garnets and gold and more, some worked into pedants and beads. Sotheby's calls them "a kaleidoscopic range of precious materials" that are of "unparalleled religious, archaeological and historical importance." On that point, Ahuja and Sotheby's are in agreement. "They're extraordinary things," Ahuja said with a gleeful giggle as he described seeing them in person at the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. "They are quite beautiful to behold." But long before they were displayed in museums, or prepared for auction, they were mixed in with ashes and bone fragments of Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly referred to as the Buddha, and buried for thousands of years in a funerary monument, known as a stupa, in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India. There they remained until 1898, when William Claxton Peppé, an English estate manager, had them excavated. According to the Guardian newspaper, the British crown claimed Peppé's find under the 1878 Indian Treasure Trove Act. The bones and ash were given to the Buddhist monarch King Chulalongkorn of Siam, while most of the 1,800 gems went to what is now the Indian Museum in Kolkata. But about one-fifth of the remaining gems, which Sotheby's describes as "duplicates," remained with Peppé and were passed down through his heirs — most recently L.A.-based film director and producer Chris Peppé. In an article on the Sotheby's website, Chris Peppé describes his family's relationship with the relics as one of "custodianship." "From the time we received the Piprahwa gem relics, my cousins and I have sought to make them available for viewing by the public (ideally a Buddhist public) to see at no cost to the institution borrowing them," he wrote. Over the last six years, he says, the gems have been displayed at museums around the world. Going forward, he said, he wants "the power of these gems to reach everyone, Buddhist or not." "So as our custodianship of the Piprahwa gem relics ends, I hope they will go to someone who really values them. And I hope that many people will be able to see the gems and connect with the Buddhists who gave them over 2,000 years ago, with our shared human experience of wonder and awe and with the Buddha and his teachings." India issues legal notice Peppé told BBC News that he and his family looked into donating the relics to temples and museums, but that they "all presented different problems on closer scrutiny." "An auction seems the fairest and most transparent way to transfer these relics to Buddhists and we are confident that Sotheby's will achieve that," he said. The Indian government, however, believes the best thing to do with the gems is give them back. The country's ministry of culture has issued a legal notice to Peppé and Sotheby's Hong Kong demanding they halt the auction, repatriate the relics and issue a public apology. The notice, posted in full on Instagram, accuses Peppé and Sotheby's of contravening both Indian and international law protecting items of cultural heritage, and threatens to issue legal proceedings against them "before competent international bodies and Indian and Hong Kong courts." Asked whether this threat will be enough to halt the auction, Ahuja said: "It must." "The ethical and the correct thing would be to have Sotheby's and the Peppé family and others recognise that these are the inalienable heritage of the world, and to co-operate in their dissemination and their safe custody, the transfer of their safe custody to India for the benefit of all Buddhists."
