Call for action on auction of heritage furniture abroad

TNN
Chandigarh: Three heritage items were auctioned for Rs 26.66 lakh in the United States on March 20. The auction house, Wright, Chicago, auctioned three furniture items designed by Pierre Jeanneret. These included occasional tables from PGI, cane chairs, and high stools from the scientific block at Panjab University.
Ajay Jagga, a city-based advocate, in a letter to the Union foreign minister, stated, "It is requested that the Indian embassies in foreign countries be sensitised about our heritage, so that wherever information comes to them, they can at least raise an objection, which may sustain or not, but at least we must raise our concern to save the heritage. The ongoing auctions can be stopped only through diplomatic channels and brought back, as they were taken out in an illegal manner. As such, it is requested that all Indian embassies in foreign countries should be made aware of these matters and necessary guidelines should be provided to them, as to how to react and seek protection of our heritage."
The advocate has demanded an investigation into the smuggling of city heritage furniture to foreign countries. "The minister of home affairs issued the prohibitory orders regarding furniture items of Chandigarh, putting a stop on the sale, export, shift, and move of these items. How it reached Luxembourg is also a matter of investigation, as to how it crossed the boundaries of India," stated Jagga.
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