Culture Archives - Amora Escapes

India, US sign ‘Cultural Property Agreement’ for retrieval of antique objects

Thomas Mccarthy — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:35:25 +0000

A large number of antiquities have been smuggled out of India before the ratification of 1970 UNESCO Convention, which are now housed in various museums, institutions and private collections across the world.

India and the US on Friday signed their first ever ‘Cultural Property Agreement’ on the sidelines of the 46th World Heritage Committee being hosted by India this time. The agreement was signed to prevent and curb the illicit trafficking of antiquities from India to the US.

Culture secretary Govind Mohan and Eric Garcetti, US ambassador to India, signed the agreement in the presence of Union minister of culture and tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The Cultural Property Agreement (CPA) is aligned with the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the “Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, to which both countries are parties.”.

The illicit trafficking of cultural property is a longstanding issue that has affected many cultures and countries throughout history. A large number of antiquities have been smuggled out of India before the ratification of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which are now housed in various museums, institutions, and private collections across the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Shekhawat said that the CPA is “another step towards securing India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and invaluable artefacts of our grand history. It is the beginning of a new chapter to prevent the illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin.”

The Union minister further added that the “preservation and protection of the Indian artefacts and cultural heritage has emerged as an integral component of India’s foreign policy over the last decade.”

India has repatriated 358 antiquities since 1976; out of these, 345 have been retrieved since 2014, mostly from the US, said the Shekhawat.

In 2023, the US had offered 1,440 artefacts in possession of its museums or authorities for repatriation, and a team of experts from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had visited to examine their antiquarian value. The team found around 300 artefacts eligible under the “antique” category. The agreement would mean that the repatriation would be “faster and smoother.”

While it is not clear where these repatriated artefacts will be situated once returned, Shekhawat said that most of them would be sent back to the states to which they belong with a “possibility” of having a “special section or a museum” for the repatriated artefacts.

The minister further said that the agreement is a “culmination of year-long bilateral discussions and negotiations held on the sidelines of the G20 culture working group meetings” and is a “groundbreaking endorsement” of “culture as a standalone goal” in the post-2020 development framework in the New Delhi’s Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD).

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the US last year, conveyed his deep appreciation for the repatriation of Indian antiques. Both the state parties expressed their strong interest in working expeditiously toward a Cultural Property Agreement aimed at preventing illegal trafficking of cultural heritage and enhancing cooperation between the two nations. As many as 262 antiquities were handed over to India by the US on the occasion of Modi’s visit.

Garcetti, after signing the agreement, said, “The colonial experience in India meant that much was taken from the country, but independence did not bring everything back to India. This cultural property agreement is about two things. First, it’s about justice, and secondly, it’s about connecting India with the world, because every American and every global citizen who is not Indian deserves to know, see, and feel the culture that we celebrate here today. This agreement will allow us to legally be able to share that part.”

With this agreement, India joins the ranks of 29 existing US bilateral cultural property agreement partners. The US-India Cultural Property Agreement was negotiated by the state department under US law implementing the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.

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Source: Hindunstan Times

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The Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay Understands that People Make A Place

Julian Berry — Sun, 21 May 2023 03:30:53 +0000

True hospitality can’t be bought. Not exactly. You can go to the most expensive hotel, the most glamorous, the most exclusive, the most spectacular property in the world and it can still feel underwhelming and uninspiring. As of late, there is a huge emphasis and an entire vocabulary dedicated to the value of experiences and travel, especially in high-end travel.

And this is valid. Watching schools of candy-floss-colored fish swim by on a snorkelling expedition, or hiking up to the top of a craggy mountain, or flipping slender crepes in a frying pan with a world-class chef, these are the kinds of experiences that can make a trip soar, but at the heart of this, it’s really people who make a trip and a destination stand out.

The Four Seasons brand has always been known for its exemplary service, creating teams who are warm and welcoming but also authentic and approachable. It’s a combination that is easier said than done.

And the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay gets it right on what can only be described as down to the molecular level. Much of the staff has worked at the property since it opened in June 1993. And at the hotel’s sister property in Sayan, Randy Shimabuku, the longtime general manager, made such an impression on a vacationing guest—Barack Obama—that the two spent an entire day together.

Taman Wantilan at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.

Haloed in white sand beaches, Bali is home to more than 20,000 temples, earning its nickname “the island of a thousand temples,” or “the island of the gods.” To this end, Jimbaran Bay, has its own resort temple, where guests can take guided tours with the resort priest, Aji Ngurah, or visit the nearby Goa Gong cave temple for a water purification ritual.

Four Seasons Resorts Bali at Jimbaran Bay at dusk.

On arrival, guests will find 147 villas, laid out like a traditional Balinese village. The rooms are large and discrete, folding into the surrounding gardens and trees. Once here, be active—via paddleboards, kayaks and the on-site fitness center—or simply reset, courtesy of the resort’s 2,000 square metre Healing Village Spa.

With 10 spa suites, delivering a panoply of top-to-toe treatments, this new haven includes everything from traditional massages to facials and scrubs to more unexpected energy rebalancing treatments influenced by age-old Balinese wisdom.

Spiritual healing is second nature here, from the medicinal properties of indigenous herbs to complex body work. And treatments like the Celestial Light Ritual build on this. Using the vibrations of gemstones, chromotherapy lighting, and resonant singing bowls, guests have their body, mind and emotions lulled into balance. And it is just the kind of intuitive treatment the hotel does best.

A view from the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.

It’s not hard to simply stay put at the resort. Meals are flavorful and diverse. There’s the open-air Taman Wantilan, serving a breakfast that seems to tour every cuisine around the world, until 11.00am. Poolside Alu serves tasty bites, like poke bowls and made-to-order chocolate-dipped ice creams.

An aerial view of the Four Seasons Resort Bali Jimbaran Bay.

Sundara at the hotel’s beach club, offers a boozy tapas-style weekend brunch that ripples with flavor; but the standout is Jala, the atmospheric seafood restaurant that wafts scents of satay and lemongrass through the property every evening. The jumble of tastes, from the sizzling garlic to the sweet soy sauce is a memory to be retained.

The location, too, does not go unnoticed. Curved beachfront and powered white sand, outlines the resort, which despite its calm and secluded feel, is only 20 minutes from the airport. Denpasar International Airport has become a global hub, manoeuvring sleek aircrafts from around the world along its runways.

And leading that fleet is Singapore Airlines, the world’s most awarded airline. In 2023, the brand was hailed as among “the 50 most admired companies in the world” by Fortune magazine, and named Airline of the Year at the annual Airline Industry Awards.

Four Seasons Resort Bali At Jimbaran Bay.

Ease and convenience are second nature, regardless of the class. Even in Economy, headrests are adjustable, the comfortable footrest bar is built in. Every seat has a USB charger, and the touch-screen entertainment systems rival the choice available at most traveller’s homes.

Business class seats fold down into soft beds. Or, blink from inside one of the new suites—available on the airlines Airbus A380s—and you could easily mistake it for a tightly packed hotel room.

Travel pulls us from our day-to-day, gives us something to hold on to, as well as to talk about and learn from. But when it’s really done right, it gives us something to dream about.

Source: FORBES

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