Adopt a Heritage: Shifting Government’s Responsibility onto Corporates

'There are 3,686 archaeological sites, 36 world heritage sites, 116 ASI ticketed monuments and many other heritage sites across India. Each one of them brings to the forefront the elegance and splendour of the bygone era. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of the citizens to maintain them' - this is how a video, under the banner of Incredible India, is celebrating Modi’s government new scheme ‘Adopt a Heritage’, a scheme which plans to shift government’s responsibility of preserving the national heritage to a handful of corporate entities under the screen of CSR.

The 77-year old Dalmia Bharat group has signed a MoU with the tourism ministry and the Archaeological Survey of India under the government’s “Adopt a Heritage” project, making it the first corporate conglomerate to adopt a historical monument, the iconic Red Fort in this case, in a contract worth Rs 250 million (or Rs 25 crore) for a span of five years.

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Tourism for trusting us and giving us this opportunity. With our dedicated efforts we will endeavor to make Red Fort a world-class monument in terms of amenities and experience”, said Sundeep Kumar, Executive Director of Dalmia Bharat after the group managed to beat IndiGo Airlines and GMR group in the race to win the contract.

History up for ‘adoption’

The ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme (Apni dharohar Apni pehchan project) was launched by President Ram Nath Kovind on World Tourism Day on September 27, 2017. The Ministry of Tourism, in close collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archeological Survey of India (ASI), envisages developing the heritage sites, monuments and any other tourist sites by making them tourist-friendly to enhance the tourism potential and their cultural importance, in a planned and phased manner.

Amidst all the chest-beating about patriotism, Modi administration aspires to fulfil this vision by allowing corporate control of some monuments and heritage sites. It is an irreverent move which will turn almost a 100 historic monuments and heritage sites with architectural significance into a vehicle for corporate public relations.

The Adopt a Heritage website provides detailed compliance guidelines for the manner in which selected companies are to build various tourism amenities at heritage sites. It includes providing amenities like toilets, drinking water, accessibility for the disabled, signage, audio guides, illumination, canteens, ticketing and maintenance of cleanliness and security.

Once a memorandum of understanding is signed with a company, the contract will last for up to five years and can be terminated if the company does not comply with Archaeological Survey of India guidelines.

Monument Mitras

Milton Friedman, an American economist, while sharing his views on the social responsibility of corporations, had said that the only social responsibility of a corporation is to maximize profits. Maybe his response, which sounds uncivil, was not entirely correct. But it isn't completely wrong.

Public/Private sector companies or individuals successfully selected through the so-called process of ‘Vision Bidding’, on a competitive basis for the project shall be called Monument Mitras. Along with the opportunity of “sharing the responsibility” to improve India’s heritage tourism, the companies will get brand visibility at the sites in exchange.

The Red Fort adoption deal acts as precedence and two aspects of it specifically stand out. According to a Business Standard report, an indemnity clause is inserted which helps the Dalmia group against pressure tactics and frivolous activism of the ‘culture brigade’ and also provides creative freedom for transforming the Red Fort. The contract also allows eye-catching visibility to the Dalmia brand. The group would be able to use the ‘Dalmia’ brand name on souvenirs, banners during cultural events and all signage that it would install across Red Fort’s precincts. A sign saying it has been adopted by Dalmia Bharat Limited will be deployed. But all of this will be happening “in a discreet manner and tastefully”, of course.

Corporate appropriation of history

An interesting episode in our history introduces us to British appointed Governor General, Lord William Bentinck, who decided to dismantle Taj Mahal and auction off the marbles of the Taj Mahal in 1835. The auction didn’t materialize and Taj was saved for posterity.

Around 180 years later, GMR group and cigarette company ITC Ltd have expressed interest not in dismantling Taj but to be its mitra (friend). Though, under the scheme, it is clear that the legal status of a monument will not change after adoption and only the maintenance of these monuments is outsourced, the presence of profit-oriented guilds adulterates the aura surrounding these structures and “adoption of monument” merely acts as a euphemism for the corporate appropriation of our history.

Thousands of years of Indian heritage had been shaped by great kings, emperors, dynasties, and cultures and now a unique opportunity presents itself to you to attach your name to India’s heritage – this is how the same video, lauding this scheme, ends presenting a nocuous opportunity to the corporate entities to attach their name to the history of India.