Vijay Kumar, the person behind India’s resounding success in bringing again stolen idols and artefacts

Recently, the Government introduced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bringing again 157 artefacts and antiquities from the United States to India. And the person who deserves all of the credit is Vijay Kumar, as he has labored around the clock to carry again India’s artefacts to the soil that holds nice significance to the nationwide treasure.Source: News MinuteSanjeev Sanyal, a author, and economist took to Twitter to applaud for Vinay’s position in looking down India’s artefacts. He tweeted, “He is too modest to say this himself, but Vijay Kumar @poetryinstone had a big role in hunting down many of these artefacts. Many years of effort tracing these idols across the world. Well done!!!!!!!”He is just too modest to say this himself, however Vijay Kumar @poetryinstone had an enormous position in looking down many of those artefacts. Many years of effort tracing these idols the world over. Well performed!!!!!!! https://t.co/dvbNSrSRSF— Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) September 25, 2021PM Modi bringing again the artefactsIn a bid to strengthen efforts to fight theft, illicit commerce, and trafficking of cultural objects, India was handed over the 157 artefacts by the US. An official assertion mentioned, “While nearly half of the artefacts (71) are cultural, the other half consists of figurines related to Hinduism (60), Buddhism (16), and Jainism (9).”It features a huge vary of things starting from the one-and-a-half metre bas aid panel of Revanta in sandstone of the tenth CE to the 8.5 cm tall, beautiful bronze Nataraja from the twelfth CE.Referring to the artefacts, the official assertion mentioned, “They largely belong to the period of 11th CE to 14th CE as well as historic antiquities such as the copper anthropomorphic object of 2000 BC or the terracotta vase from the 2nd CE. Some 45 antiquities belong to Before Common Era.”Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President ICCR, took to Twitter to indicate gratitude in the direction of PM Modi. He tweeted, “We at @iccr_hq wholeheartedly thank PM @narendramodi for bringing back artefacts that are parts of our invaluable national treasure! Indeed, this too is a unique way of strengthening cultural relations, based on mutual respect and genuine good wishes. @poetryinstone @sanjeevsanyal. ”We at @iccr_hq wholeheartedly thank PM @narendramodi for bringing again artefacts which are components of our invaluable nationwide treasure!Indeed,this too is a singular approach of strengthening cultural relations,primarily based on mutual respect and real good needs. @poetryinstone @sanjeevsanyal pic.twitter.com/MEtpHMlg9h— Dr. VINAY Sahasrabuddhe (@Vinay1011) September 25, 2021Vijay Kumar, the person who introduced again stolen idols and artefactsThere is a person who has been making an attempt with all his may to carry again the treasures that belong to India. Meet Vijay Kumar, the founding father of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) India Pride Project (IPP), who has a ardour for conventional arts and sculptures. He has been preventing a battle for the final 14 years to recuperate the sacred idols that had been smuggled overseas.In 2011, when New York-based gallerist Subhash Kapoor was arrested for allegedly operating a $100 million smuggling racket, it was Vijay who had helped Interpol to arrest the idol trafficker. Vijay believed that the Indian companies’ crackdown is simply the beginning of many skeletons tumbling out of the cabinet. Vijay informed, “We’ve been working against organised lifting mafia since 2008, helping out task forces and custodians worldwide, in terms of digging out evidence and securing criminal prosecutions.”Thereafter, he researched on artefacts that led him to hint the evolution of the ardhanari type of sculpture. “I picked a personal favourite – the Vriddhachlam Ardhanari,” he says. To his shock, the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney had the idol. Vijay had mentioned, “Back in Vriddhachalam, the Virddhagesevarar temple authorities were blissfully unaware that the idol they had was a fake.”What rose him to reputation was the return of a Ganesh idol which was handed over by the US authorities to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2016.In 2013, a member of the India Pride Project traced the 1,000-year-old Ganesha idol to the Toledo museum in Ohio. “We matched the idol’s blemishes to the photo archives of the French Institute at Puducherry,” Vijay mentioned. The NGO then uploaded a YouTube video titled ‘Remover of Obstacles’. Thereafter, the Toledo museum returned the idol, saying that they didn’t need stolen objects.Earlier in 2020, the bronze idols of Lord Rama, Lakshman, and Sita had been introduced again years after they had been smuggled out. Vijay Kumar had informed that “IPP approached French Institute of Pondicherry (FIP) and browsed through their photo gallery. They have photo-documented and archived 10 per cent of Tamil Nadu temples in the 1950s and 1960s. It contains lakhs of photographs of thousands of sacred idols. These photo archives have played a crucial role in retrieving the smuggled out treasures.” India Pride Project (IPP)A worldwide group of volunteers who select to contribute their uncompensated time, abilities, and vitality to the restitution of stolen artwork objects to India, IPP was co-founded by Vijay Kumar in 2013. The organisation just lately grabbed headlines in July this yr for contributing its analysis in the direction of an investigation that resulted within the return of the eight statues and 6 work by the National Gallery of Australia to the Indian authorities.Namans to @NatGalleryAus for upholding morality and returning these #heritage objects to India.Cause to have fun!!! 👏👏👏https://t.co/KwKuUTOu2x— India Pride Project (@IndiaPrideProj) July 29, 2021One of the volunteers from the organisation mentioned “If you look at the industry that peddles heritage art, they strip an object’s emotional value away and sell it only for its functional or aesthetic value,” he informed VICE. “I get emails from people from small villages, saying ‘we had this temple; when my grandparents died they did their shraadh (last rites) there; my parents got married there, but now the deity is not there anymore; can you help us get it back?’ They don’t look at it as a national crime or a heritage crime; it’s a personal loss.”Artefacts smuggling in IndiaIn keeping with a report, it is vitally handy for smugglers to take terracotta artefacts overseas. Terracotta idols and pots are damaged into items and transported from India to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Dubai, and thru London and Switzerland to keep away from detection. Many of those stolen gadgets ended up within the Swiss Freeport. Since then, freeports have been offering looters a safe location to fence the stolen artefacts. In a agency message to the smugglers, Vijay had as soon as mentioned, “It involves many conspirators and compliant individuals. Our biggest enemy is compliance. We want to make sure that the next time someone wants to buy an Indian idol or artefact, they know not to mess with us.”