Lok Sabha Question No. 1005 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-17
Subject: Project Mausam
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1005

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.12.2018

## PROJECT MAUSAM

## 1005. SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state :

- (a) the salient features of Project 'Mausam' along with its present status;
- (b) the details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and utilised under the project, since its inception, State/UT-wise;
- (c) the number of States/countries involved in the project at present;
- (d) whether the Government has fixed any time-frame for the said; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with the achievements made so far and its response with the other countries?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND MINISTER OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- a)  Project 'Mausam' is the initiative of Ministry of Culture to be implemented by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as the nodal agency with research support of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and National Museum as associate  bodies.  This  project  aims  to  explore  the  multi-faceted  Indian  Ocean 'world' - collating archaeological and historical research in order to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interactions in the Indian Ocean. The main objective of the project is to inscribe places and sites identified under Project Mausam as trans-national nomination for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
- b)  SFC  primarily  approved  a  fund  allocation  of  Rs  15,244,5021/-  for  the  period  of 2015-17, out of which Rs. 42,08,341/- has been utilized. Further, the duration of the  project  has  been  extended  up  to  2020  with  the  pre-approved  fund  of  Rs 60,039,297/-.
- c)  The list of 39 countries identified under Project Mausam is given in Annexure-I .
- d)  There is no specific time-frame fixed for the project.
- e)  The details of achievement made so far are as follows:-
6. (i) A publication titled Mausam: Maritime cultural landscapes across the Indian Ocean ; edited by Prof. Himanshu Prabha Ray
7. (ii) Ninteen lectures were held on various themes related to project Mausamwhich could now be taken up for publication. (Annexure-II)
8. (iii) An exhibition on 'Africans in India: A rediscovery' in the IGNCA (OctoberNovember, 2014)
9. (iv) One day Conference on 'Africans in India: A rediscovery' in the IGNCA on 15-10-2014
10. (v) National conference on the theme 'Cultural landscapes and maritime trade routes of India' under  project  Mausam  was  organised by  ASI and  Kerala Tourism on 17-19 November, 2014 at Kochi, Kerala- in which the IGNCA also participated
11. (vi) Exhibition on 'Unearthing  Pattanam: Histories, Cultures and Crossings' at National Museum ( 28-11-2014)
12. (vii) Conference  on  'the  making  of  the  Indian  Subcontinent:  Indian  ocean perspective' at National Museum (7-8 January, 2015)
13. (viii) An  international  conference  on  'Maritime  routes  and  cultural  landscapes' was  held  by  ASI  and  the  IGNCA  on  16-02-2016  at  Kancheri  Caves, Mumbai.
14. (ix) Symposium on 'Maritime culture of India and its potential' on 28-01-2017
15. (x) Conference  on  Maritime  Traditions  of  the  Indian  and  Pacific  Oceans  at Kochi, Kerala (22-24 March, 2018)
16. (xi) Brainstorming session for creation of a database of Coastal sites on 18-062018 in the IGNCA at New Delhi.
17. (xii) Director, World Heritage visited Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam 18 to 25 March, 2016 to explore possibilities of collaboration under Project Mausam.
18. (xiii) Indian Mission in these countries have been requested to identify appropriate authority / expert / resource person for dialogue. Seminar and academics have been taken in IGNCA.

## ANNEXURE-I

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO 1005

List of 39 Indian Ocean countries identified under Project Mausam:

|   1 | Bahrain                     |
|-----|-----------------------------|
|   2 | Bangladesh                  |
|   3 | Cambodia                    |
|   4 | China                       |
|   5 | Comoros                     |
|   6 | Egypt                       |
|   7 | Eritrea                     |
|   8 | Réunion, French Department  |
|   9 | Indonesia                   |
|  10 | Iraq                        |
|  11 | Iran (Islamic Republic)     |
|  12 | Jordan                      |
|  13 | Kuwait                      |
|  14 | Kenya                       |
|  15 | Lebanon                     |
|  16 | Madagascar                  |
|  17 | Malaysia                    |
|  18 | Maldives                    |
|  19 | Mauritius                   |
|  20 | Mozambique                  |
|  21 | Myanmar                     |
|  22 | Oman                        |
|  23 | Pakistan                    |
|  24 | Philippines                 |
|  25 | Qatar                       |
|  26 | Singapore                   |
|  27 | Sri Lanka                   |
|  28 | Saudi Arabia                |
|  29 | Seychelles                  |
|  30 | Somalia                     |
|  31 | South Africa                |
|  32 | Sudan                       |
|  33 | Syrian Arab Republic        |
|  34 | United Republic of Tanzania |
|  35 | Thailand                    |
|  36 | Turkey                      |
|  37 | United Arab Emirates        |
|  38 | Viet Nam                    |

| 39   | Yemen   |
|------|---------|

Annexure-II

ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (e)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED

| S. No.   | Title of Lecture   | Name of the Speaker   | Date   | Venue   |
|----------|--------------------|-----------------------|--------|---------|

QUESTION NO 1005

|   1. | The Coastal Sites: Possible Port Towns of the Harappan Period in Gujarat                                                                               | Dr. Y.S. Rawat, Director, Gujarat State Department of Archaeology.                                                              | 25th April 2014      | Conference Room I, India International Centre, New Delhi   |
|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
|    2 | Commerce and the Cult of Khizr: The Sacred Geography of Healing in the Indian Ocean World                                                              | Prof. Lauren Minsky, New York University, Abu Dhabi                                                                             | 16th May 2014        | Conference Room 1, India International Centre, New Delhi   |
|    3 | Neglected and Forgotten: Indo- European Defense Architecture in North Konkan (1510 - 1818 A.D.) with special reference to the Vasai and Revdanda Forts | Sh. Mayur Babulal Thakare, Circle Officer Former Competent Authority Office (For Archaeological Survey of India, Mumbai Circle) | 4th June 2014        | Conference Room 1, India International Centre, New Delhi   |
|    4 | Stupa at Amaravati Great in coastal Andhra and the Indian Ocean World                                                                                  | Dr. Akira Shimada, State University of New York, New Paltz                                                                      | 31st July 2014       | Conference Room 1, India International Centre, New Delhi   |
|    5 | Stallions of the Indian Ocean: Global Horse Trade in 16th Century Vijayanagara                                                                         | Dr. Srinivas Reddy, Asstt. Professor, South Asian Studies, IIT - Gandhinagar                                                    | 22nd Septemb er 2014 | Lecture Room, IGNCA, New Delhi                             |
|    6 | Early Globalization in the Indian Ocean World                                                                                                          | Prof. Abdulaziz Lodi                                                                                                            | 29th October 2014    | Lecture Room, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi                 |

|   7. | "Maritime Trade and Cultural Exchanges in the Indian Ocean : India and Sri Lanka"                           | Dr. Osmund Bopearachchi, Numismatics and Archaeology Expert in the Indian Ocean Region under Mausam Project Lecture Series      | 30th Decemb er 2014   | Lecture Room, 11, Mansingh Road, IGNCA, New Delhi. Time :      |
|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|
|    8 | Emporiums of Indian Ocean Trade, witnessed by the Java Sea Shipwrecks of the 9th and 10th Centuries         | Dr. John Guy, South and Southeast Asia, Department of Asian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art under Mausam Project Lecture Series | 9th February 2015     | Auditorium, C.V.Mess, IGNCA, New Delhi - 110001                |
|    9 | Climate Change and the Oceans                                                                               | Shri S.W.A. Naqvi, Director, National Institute of Oceanography, Goa                                                            | 25th February 2016    | IGNCA Lecture Room, Ground Floor, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi |
|   10 | In Pursuit of the Parsis: The discovery and excavations at the Early Medieval entrepôt of Sanjan            | Dr. Kurush Dalal, Director Chandore Excavations, Centre for Archaeology, University of Mumbai                                   | 29th March 2016       | IGNCA Lecture Room, Ground Floor, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi |
|   11 | Role of Past Sea Level Fluctuations in Shaping the Destiny of Ancient coastal cities:Lessons for the Future | Dr. Rajiv Nigam, Senior Scientist, NIO, Goa                                                                                     | 10th May 2016         | Lecture Room,11 Man Singh Road, New Delhi                      |
|   12 | Trading in Stories                                                                                          | Ms. Sumedha Verma Ojha( LSR Alumna, Author and Speaker on Ancient Indian                                                        | 24th May 2016         | IGNCA Lecture Room, 11 Man Singh Road, New Delhi               |

|    |                                                                 | History, Religion and Philosophy)                                                                         |                   |                                                             |
|----|-----------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| 13 | Cunningham's Lost Treasures                                     | Dr. Sanjay Garg, Deputy Director, National Archives, New Delhi.                                           | 31st May 2016     | IGNCA Lecture Room, 11 Man Singh Road, New Delhi            |
| 14 | Sailing the Indian Ocean: The Seafarers of Kachchh              | Dr. Chhaya Goswami, Mumbai                                                                                | 22nd June 2016    | IGNCA Lecture Room, 11 Man Singh Road, New Delhi            |
| 15 | Impact of Bharat on Business of Countries around Hind Mahasagar | Shri Sandeep Singh                                                                                        | 25th July 2016    | IGNCA Lecture Room, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi.           |
| 16 | Dhow Trade from Western India: Past and Present                 | Dr. Nidhi Mahajan, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, California State University - Santa Cruz, U.S. A. | 24th October 2017 | IGNCA, Lecture Hall, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110 011 |
| 17 | Land Routes to Sea Trade of Kushans                             | Dr. B.R. Mani                                                                                             | 19 th March, 2018 | IGNCA, Lecture Hall, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110 011 |
| 18 | Boat making in the Malabar                                      | Prof. K.S. Mathew                                                                                         | 18 th June, 2018  | IGNCA, Lecture Hall, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110 011 |
| 19 | Monsoon Winds and Maritime Trade                                |                                                                                                           | 19 th June, 2018  | IGNCA, Lecture Hall, 11, Mansingh Road, New Delhi - 110 011 |