WORLD HERITAGE DAY,LIKE ANY WHERE,was celebrated in kashmir too with ferver & cultural enthuiasism. IN sri partap musuem an exibition for Genext was opened where coins,manuscripts and history of kashmiri's history was depicted in a befiting way.Jammu & kashmir Academy of Art,Culture & Lamguages(JKAACL) organised a seminar on this accasion in its seminar Hall at LalMandi in srinagar.Dr.Rafeeq Masoodi,its former secretary & ADG Doordarshan presided over the jam packed hall drawn from writers,intellectuals & heritage activists.Prof.Bashar Bashir former chairman of Sheikh ul Alam centre of Kashmir University & Cultural activist,poet-writer Zarif Ahmed Zarif read thought proboking papers & voiced there concern that in a mad rush of development kashmir is fast loosing its heritage like structure,archetecture,habits,attires & food even.Dr.Hanif Tareen,an NRI,praised academy for organising the event.Heritage activist Ghulam Rasul HasratGadda showed his concern that event organisation will not save our rich heritage unless we practise what we say or write.Dr.Rafeeq Masoodi who is known for his cultural & Heritage activism warned that coming 5 years will delete our heritage from cultural history from ground & mind if we,People & Govt both,dont rise to the occasion & preserve whatever is left now..people come here to visit gardens,flower vallies & pollution free air, why not study our thousands year old cultural heritage .we ought to preserve it & showcase it to external world.Ahraf Tak,chief Editor of academy in his welcome address said thst academy is comitted to preserve our rich Heritage.Programme was ably conducted by Dr.Syed Iftikhar.
Contributed By: Rafeeq Masoodi,rafeeq_masoodi@yahoo.co.in