The lost treasures campaign

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ASI makes efforts to bring back artifacts held abroad

The Archaeological Survey of India has joined international network of various countries to give a fillip to effort to bring back precious Indian artifacts held abroad.

Many other countries such as Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Chilie, Cyprus and Bolivia are working together with India to reclaim their lost treasures. Also, they are getting support from the UNESCO. Each of these countries are trying to prepare a database of such artifacts. It's understood that once it is ready they will make a concerted effort through diplomatic and legal channels to reclaim their antiquities.

Of late, India has launched a campaign for the return of iconic Kohinoor and Sultanganj Buddha statue that were taken away during the British rule. But, chances of bringing these rare artifacts back are really dim as British Museum Act-1963 doesn't allow items acquired through authentic process to be removed, according to experts. In order to get these artifacts, India and other countries will have to mount pressure on the UK to change its antiquities law.

Even ASI officials are apprehensive about the move. They believe that their efforts may not yield positive results in particular cases. A senior ASI official told TSI on the condition of anonymity: "We have successfully brought back many lost and stolen artifacts in the past. But Kohinoor is a different case altogether. There are many complex issues involved in the process. We are studying the antiquity law of the UK and trying to collect the necessary facts." ASI chairman Gautam Sengupta has stressed on the need to be realistic on the chance of getting back these most-talked about treasures.

Earlier, the ASI had succeeded in bringing back many stolen artifacts such as Atru Tehsil of Rajasthan and a Buddha statue of Bodhgaya, Bihar. Indian-origin people lobbied in the UK for the return of these stolen items. Besides, the ASI also raised the issue with UK Ambassador and ultimately the artifacts were returned. Can the ASI repeat its success story again? It seems difficult with Kohinoor, say experts. They said the Britishers took it after the treaty of Lahore was signed following two wars with Sikhs. However, the ASI is trying to push the matter on case-to-case basis as the list of artifacts held abroad is too long to handle.



Vikas Kumar

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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eBay’s latest TVC may refresh the good ol’ memories of Doordarshan instantly

but will it actually make an impact in the consumers’ minds to eventually hop on to internet’s buying and selling world is still an unanswered question.

Location: Humboldt County, 420 km north of San Francisco, California. Three cows, eight houses, and a post office. Add to it a population of less than 25. Founded in 1865 in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush, it boasts of three owners in the last 130 years. Still Clueless? Bridgeville, the tiniest of towns in North Western California may provide a little help, which seemed long past its glory days when in 2002, it shot at immortality as it became the first town ever to be listed on eBay. The world’s greatest auction and shopping website has again made heads turn with its ‘Super Deals, Super Safe’ campaign in India. But is this really a new beginning of ‘The eBay way’ in the country?

Narottam Puri and Komal GB Singh, the oldest anchors on the Indian television, reignited the nostalgia of Doordarshan’s talk show programs via the latest TVC of this online shopping giant. The names are well-known to almost every single Indian individual belonging to the 20+ age group as they ruled Doordarshan’s charts when simplicity and to the point talk ruled the roost and glamour and frivolity were almost non-existent. The TV commercial showcase a similar talk show called ‘The eBay way’ where callers ask questions related to various choices in their lives and the hosts direct them to the eBay website with the message of getting the best and the most secure deals. This move by eBay at one level, creates a unique identity in the minds of the target group so as to enhance the brand awareness and brand recall but fundamentally, this campaign is trying to achieve something far bigger (read: tougher). According to market reports, close to 50 million Indians go to the internet at least once a week. Out of these, at least 35 million visit the internet daily. And around 90% of those surf the net for some or the other sort of products, be it goods or services. But, as it

goes with the Indian psyche, word of mouth publicity still towers above all and most netizens still want to follow opinion leaders in their reliability sphere. Hence, still maximum purchases happen to be offline. And that’s the wall eBay is trying to crack with this campaign.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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