What the Elgin Marbles Mean to India

One of the arguments against the return of the Elgin Marbles is the precedent it would set and the danger that precedent would pose to the great museums of London, New York and Paris. But here’s an interesting post from India’s Livemint.com where Mandipa Mandal makes a case that Indians have a stake in the return of the Acropolis frieze:

Indian art and culture critics seem to hardly have taken notice, though — and yet they should. For the sake of the peacock throne and the Kohinoor that has become a ‘Crown Jewel’ in quite the wrong crown. They sit in British hands, like the stigma of imperialism. […]

The argument of “world heritage” for “global consumption” falls flat to my ears. Why not argue the same about Nazi relics? Because of course to the victor belong the spoils, and the right to write history. […] To those who argue that it sets a poor precedent which could empty prized collections: I agree—that is the point, precisely. The precedent for emptying out poorer collections has long been set, and the need is for perspective, preferably a global and non-parochial, anti-imperial one, to be restored. No longer is Greece, or for that matter India, a beleaguered nation incapable of protecting its heritage and waiting for divine (White missionary) intervention for their salvation.

Why India Should Root for the Return of the Elgin Marbles (Livemint.com)