Gandaki Province to Move Forward in Listing Intangible Cultural Heritage: Minister Thapa

Pokhara. Bindu Kumar Thapa, the Minister for Social Development, Youth, and Sports of Gandaki Province, has announced that Gandaki Province will move forward with the listing of intangible cultural heritage. 

He made this statement at an interaction program titled "Role of Provincial Government in Listing and Management of Intangible Cultural Heritage," organized by the Ministry in collaboration with the Government of Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Kathmandu, and the Indigenous Nationalities Commission.

Minister Thapa committed that the provincial government will move forward with the listing and management of intangible cultural heritage by conducting studies and formulating relevant laws. 

He said, "The Gandaki Provincial Government has been running various programs for the protection of culture through the Gandaki Pragya Pratishthan (Academy). 

Communities in Pokhara, the tourism capital, can play a significant role in promoting culture, and the provincial government will continuously support them."

Speaking at the program, Dr. Suresh Shrestha, Joint Secretary at the Government of Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Kathmandu, mentioned that Nepal introduced the National Culture Conservation Policy back in 2067 BS (2010 AD) and has been working accordingly. He said, "Nepal is rich in culture and nature. 

However, due to insufficient knowledge about cultural aspects among different communities, the expected achievements have not been realized. 

The province must create a law and move forward to list intangible cultural heritage." He defined inter-generational transfer as the fundamental basis for the protection of intangible culture.

A free discussion was held among the participants on the identification, protection, digital documentation, and community participation related to intangible cultural heritage. 

During this session, Tek Bahadur Pun Magar, Karuna Rai, and poet Ramesh Shrestha also presented their queries and comments. 

Poet Ramesh Shrestha said, "Let original legacies like literature, songs-music, and colloquial language not be missed during the listing work. 

Limiting the culture that exists in the community's lifestyle to mere paper documentation is not enough; active state involvement is needed to preserve it in practice."

Upon the conclusion of the program, a unanimous view was expressed by the participants that the province should institutionally move forward with the listing of intangible cultural heritage.