Organization - Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH)

The objective spelt out in the Memorandum of Association (MoA) are :

• Sensitise the public about pluralistic cultural legacy of India
• Instill a sense of social responsibility towards preserving India’s living, built and natural heritage by undertaking necessary actions and measures.

The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a membership based organization founded in year 1984 in New Delhi with the vision to spearhead heritage awareness and conservation in India. Today INTACH is recognized as one of the world’s largest heritage organizations, with over 200 chapters across the country.

INTACH has 11 Divisions at the headquarters in Delhi dedicated to various aspects of culture. These include :

1. Architectural Heritage (AH)
2. Art and Material Heritage (MH)
3. Natural Heritage (NH)
4. INTACH Heritage Academy (IHA)
5. Chapters Division
6. Heritage Education and Communication Services (HECS)
7. Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
8. INTACH Knowledge Centre (IKC)
9. Crafts and Community Heritage
10. Publications
11. Listing Cell

The major activities are :

• Document unprotected buildings of archaeological, architectural, historic and aesthetic significance, as well as the cultural resources, as this is the first step towards formulating conservation plans
• Develop heritage policies and regulations, and make legal interventions to protect India’s heritage when necessary
• Provide expertise in the field of conservation, restoration and preservation of specific works of art; and encourage capacity-building by developing skills through training programmes
• Undertake emergency response measures during natural or man-made disasters and support the local administration whenever heritage is threatened
• Foster collaborations, Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and partnership with government and other national and international agencies.