Guide New Generation to Path of Heritage Awareness: Minister

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Creating awareness about the country’s glorious history and priceless heritage among the tech-savvy young generation is vital for inspiring them, and the efforts of the State Archaeology Department in this regard are laudable, Minister for Ports, Museums, Archaeology and Archives Ramachandran Kadannappally said here today.
“At a time when the man is gearing up to conquer space, he should also know about the roots of his hopes and dreams. It’s high time we created awareness about the importance of historical heritage of our country,” he observed.
The minister was speaking after launching the English website of Padmanabhapuram Palace of erstwhile Travancore royal family, situated at Thuckalay in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. He also launched the YouTube channel of State Archaeology Department during the function held at Mascot Hotel here.
Kadannappally said the mindset of tech-savvy young generation should be attuned to the rich and diverse history and the priceless heritage of the country, which would inspire them immensely.
“Researchers from several countries visit our museums and palaces to enrich their knowledge. The new website and YouTube channel will be of great help to them. We have around 179 protected monuments and 12 museums under the Archaeology Department,” he pointed out.
Presiding over the function, K. Muraleedharan, MLA, said the new initiative of the Archaeology Department would be helpful for tourists as well as researchers. “Such initiatives are vital for providing an objective outlook of history to the posterity,” he observed.
In his keynote address, Dr. P.K. Michael Tharakan, Chairman, Kerala Council for Historical Research, said the panel appointed by the minister under his leadership would submit its report soon about the ways to improve the activities of the Archaeology Department. J. Rejikumar, Director, Archaeology Department,welcomed the gathering.
Palayam Rajan, Councillor, Corporation, Thiruvananthapuram; P. Biju, Director, Archives Department; R. Chandran Pillai, Executive Director, Kerala Museum; and T.K. Karunadas, Education Officer, Archaeology Department, were also present.