Source: www.independent.co.uk
UNITED KINGDOM, June 1, 2010: The head of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the state body in charge of India’s heritage assets, told The Independent that the list of his country’s treasures held abroad was “too long to handle” and there was a need for a “diplomatic and legal campaign” for their restitution from institutions including the British Museum, the Royal Collection and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.
Gautam Sengupta, the director-general of the ASI, said that after decades of unsuccessful unilateral lobbying, India was looking to join a campaign with the support of Unesco, the United Nations body set up to preserve global heritage, alongside other countries with longstanding complaints about the foreign ownership of their artistic riches, including Egypt and Greece. While underlining the need to be “realistic” about the chances of large numbers of items being returned, Mr Gautam said a list of “unique items” that should be returned to their home countries was being drawn up by each of the participating countries.