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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Gandhi portraits: India, Hungary seek Unesco tag
New Delhi It was January 8, 1934, and Mahatma Gandhi had granted young Hungarian artist Elizabeth Brunner exactly 15 minutes. Brunner, undeterred by the Mahatma's scepticism about portrait painting, began sketching his downward gaze—capturing not just his weathered features but what she saw as his inner spirit. That brief encounter, which Gandhi would later sign and treasure, now anchors an ambitious cultural preservation effort. India and Hungary are jointly seeking UNESCO's prestigious Memory of the World status for Brunner's remarkable collection of over 2,000 portraits documenting India's independence era, officials at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts announced. The bid runs parallel to a separate joint application with Nepal to inscribe Emperor Ashoka's ancient stone edicts Brunner's path to that fateful veranda began with dreams—literally. Driven by recurring visions of Rabindranath Tagore, she arrived in India from Hungary in 1929 with her artist mother, Elizabeth Sass Brunner. Financial hardship and bureaucratic hostility nearly forced their deportation, but refuge came at Tagore's Santiniketan under master artist Nandalal Bose. There, Brunner developed what would become her signature gift: an ability to perceive and capture her subjects' inner essence. Tagore himself, moved by her early work, became her first major Indian subject, granting her unprecedented access. It was encouragement from one of Gandhi's close aides, impressed by her Bombay exhibition, that eventually led her to the Mahatma's veranda. What began as reluctant cooperation evolved into profound collaboration. Brunner's portfolio became a visual chronicle of modern India's founding generation: Tagore in contemplation, a gesticulating Jawaharlal Nehru, a young and intense Indira Gandhi, the regal Maharani Gayatri Devi, and the serene Dalai Lama. 'She didn't just paint faces; she painted presence,' the IGNCA official explained. 'There's a depth to her work—she sought the spirit within the person.' Her portraits were encounters rendered in charcoal and paint, informed by her unique position as an outsider who had embraced India as her 'homeland-to-be.' Her 1962 return to Gandhi's image, now housed in the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya's reserve collection, bears her handwritten inscription echoing his philosophy: 'Let us have the courage and determination to stand together and do our very best in this time of need.' The IGNCA, guardian of Brunner's legacy, holds over 800 meticulously preserved and digitised works from the collection, which officials describe as having 'outstanding universal significance' for embodying a unique cultural dialogue between Europe and Asia during a transformative historical period. The UNESCO campaign The path to UNESCO recognition, targeting 2026, demands extensive documentation. Applications must demonstrate global impact, rarity, integrity, and lasting relevance through precise historical records, rigorous preservation plans addressing threats like decay, concrete strategies for public access (bolstered by existing digitization efforts), solid legal custody documentation, and thorough stakeholder consultation. India has had recent success: the April 2025 inscription of Bhagavad Gita and Natyashastra manuscripts brought the country's total Memory of the World inscriptions to fourteen. IGNCA recently convened scholars and UNESCO experts to refine dossiers for both the Brunner Collection and Ashokan edicts applications. The parallel nominations represent different but complementary aspects of India's cultural legacy. Ashoka's stone edicts, carved millennia ago, preach peace and moral governance. Brunner's charcoal portraits, drawn during the struggle for independence, capture the human faces behind the ideals of modern India's founding. 'The edicts speak of statecraft; the portraits breathe the human struggle,' the IGNCA official observed. Both legacies, deeply woven into India's identity and its message to humanity, now seek acknowledgment in the world's shared memory. The UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, established in 1992, preserves documentary heritage of outstanding value to humanity. If successful, the Brunner Collection would join an elite list of cultural treasures, ensuring global recognition and protection for an extraordinary artistic testament to one of history's most significant independence movements.
Japan Forward
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Lee Jae-myung's Anti-Japan Stance a Setback for South Korea
このページを 日本語 で読む Lee Jae-myung is the former leader of the North Korea-friendly, anti-Japan, left-wing Democratic Party of Korea. Inaugurated on June 4, now Lee is the new president of the Republic of Korea. In his inaugural address, Lee declared, "We will strengthen the ROK-US alliance as the bedrock and solidify trilateral cooperation with Japan." Yet, we cannot help but have concerns as to whether he will actually implement policies in line with this vow. After all, in his campaign platform, Lee pledged to try to have materials on former comfort women entered into UNESCO's "Memory of the World" registry. He also announced his intention to set up a new foundation to address the issue. Then he raised it again, pledging to work towards international solidarity regarding the human rights of women during wartime. Furthermore, at a debate on the comfort women issue during the election campaign, he made the following pronouncement: "I will restore the honor [of the former comfort women] and obtain maximum compensation. I will correct the historical legacy and be a responsible presidential candidate." Lee thereby revealed his intent to rehash the issue. Fond of anti-Japan rhetoric, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung addresses his supporters in his campaign on March 19, 2024. (©Lee Jae-myung Facebook) 'Final and Irreversible Resolution' in 2015 The governments of Japan and South Korea have confirmed that their 2015 agreement concerning the comfort women issue constituted "final and irreversible resolution." Seeking UNESCO registry or similar acts would run counter to the agreement. There is even a possibility that Japan-South Korea relations will return to the level they were at during the Moon Jae In administration. At that time, many observers said they were at their worst in the postwar era. Should that occur, the foundation of political and economic relations between Japan and South Korea will again collapse. In the past, Lee had labeled Japan as an "enemy state." However, during his campaign for the presidency, he changed his tune and referred to Japan as "an important partner." But a nation that does not abide by bilateral agreements cannot be considered a partner. Moreover, scrapping the decision agreed to by South Korea and Japan would damage South Korea's own credibility and national interests. North Korea tested a 240mm caliber multiple rocket launcher with improved guidance technology on August 27, 2024. (©KCNA via Korean News Agency) National Security Intertwined with the Region There are also concerns about Lee's perception of security issues. North Korea has clearly identified South Korea as an enemy state. Meanwhile, in his inaugural address, Lee signaled a shift away from the realistic approach adopted by the preceding Yoon Suk-yeol administration. According to Lee, "[South Korea] will keep channels of communication with North Korea open and pursue peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation." North Korea is receiving military technology from Russia in exchange for aiding it in its invasion of Ukraine. China, which aims to annex Taiwan, has also been stepping up its military coercion. In the past, Lee made the following provocative statement: "The United States military should withdraw from the Korean Peninsula." He added, "Whatever happens in the Taiwan Strait is of no concern to us." If South Korea tries to remain uninvolved in a Taiwan crisis, the US-South Korea alliance will surely collapse. South Korea should also participate in efforts to deter China. Lee should never forget that South Korea's own security, including in the event of an emergency on the Korean Peninsula, cannot be achieved without the US military presence in South Korea and Japan, as well as Japan's security cooperation. Advertisement RELATED: Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun このページを 日本語 で読む
Hamilton Spectator
17-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Notman Photographic Archives receives UNESCO Memory of the World Register distinction
MONTREAL - The Notman Photographic Archives, a collection of photographs described as a Canadian treasure, has been inscribed into UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal is the home of the collection, which contains 400,000 prints and 200,000 glass plate negatives as well as records and ledgers from the Montreal Notman studio between 1856 and 1935. William Notman's studio employed people across Canada and the United States, and the collection includes portraits, cityscapes and landscapes from coast to coast that the museum's head describes as shedding light on the construction of Canada over an 80 year period. Notman brought unique innovation and esthetic to portrait photography, which the museum says helped him earn an international reputation as the most prominent Canadian photographer of his era. The archive had first been added to Canada's national Memory of the World Register in 2019 before receiving the international distinction this week. Cody Groat, a Western University professor and Chair of the Canadian commission for the UNESCO Memory of the World advisory committee, says the designation is given to the most significant archival or documentary heritage collections in the world. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Notman Photographic Archives receives UNESCO Memory of the World Register distinction
MONTREAL – The Notman Photographic Archives, a collection of photographs described as a Canadian treasure, has been inscribed into UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal is the home of the collection, which contains 400,000 prints and 200,000 glass plate negatives as well as records and ledgers from the Montreal Notman studio between 1856 and 1935. William Notman's studio employed people across Canada and the United States, and the collection includes portraits, cityscapes and landscapes from coast to coast that the museum's head describes as shedding light on the construction of Canada over an 80 year period. Notman brought unique innovation and esthetic to portrait photography, which the museum says helped him earn an international reputation as the most prominent Canadian photographer of his era. The archive had first been added to Canada's national Memory of the World Register in 2019 before receiving the international distinction this week. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Cody Groat, a Western University professor and Chair of the Canadian commission for the UNESCO Memory of the World advisory committee, says the designation is given to the most significant archival or documentary heritage collections in the world. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025.
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-04-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Royal Commission for AlUla, UNESCO Launch Innovating Documentary Heritage Conference
The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), in partnership with UNESCO, launched its international conference titled 'Innovating Documentary Heritage for Sustainable Development in AlUla and Saudi Arabia,' to be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on April 29 and 30. The conference is held under UNESCO's 'Memory of the World' program and will host leading experts, institutions concerned with historical memory, and cultural policymakers. It will discuss ways to utilize documentary heritage in supporting education, promoting cultural dialogue, and advancing sustainable development goals in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region. Alongside the conference, an exhibition titled 'Words on Memory: A Window into Saudi Arabia's Documentary Heritage' is being held at UNESCO headquarters from April 28 to May 2. It will showcase archival materials and historical narratives of the Kingdom, in partnership with national memory institutions, for the first time internationally. The initiative reflects RCU's commitment to preserving AlUla's natural and cultural heritage in support of Saudi Vision 2030 and to establishing AlUla as a regional center for cultural leadership and heritage-driven development. The conference also extends RCU's partnership with UNESCO under the 'Memory of the World' program and the Kingdoms Institute, reaffirming their joint efforts in documentary heritage preservation, capacity building, and global knowledge exchange.
