The Implications of Blockchain Technology for the Preservation of Indian Intangible Cultural Heritage

Introduction

Culture is not reducible to material objects since it is dynamic and ever-changing; instead, it consists of the indefinable qualities that embody the human culture and are collectively known as intangible cultural heritage (Goetcheus & Mitchell, 2021). This encompasses a broad spectrum of cultural values and norms such as arts, social behaviours, rituals, beliefs, and events, and incorporates diverse components of cultural heritage such as traditions and live expressions acquired from ancestors. The meaning of the word “cultural heritage” has changed because of the various tools created by UNESCO. Cultural heritage extends beyond monuments and artifact collections. It also includes customs or living experiences that have been passed on from generations, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social customs, rituals, holiday celebrations, and knowledge and customs related to nature and the cosmos as well as the know-how required to make traditional crafts which are considered intangible. This Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has been the focus of tourism organizations for the past two decades because of its valuation and rareness across the globe. Organizations like UNESCO and UNWTO have been extensively active in recognizing ICH globally.

UNESCO has identified 631 intangible cultural heritages corresponding to 140 countries till now. The disappearance of intangible cultural heritage is a persistent concern, mostly as a result of globalization. To address this issue, UNESCO created the convention for the safeguarding of Intangible Culture Heritage in 2003.

To date, many countries have signed on to the Convention and enrolled close to 500 ICH essentials on the lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. Cultural heritage is the metaphorical presence that integrates a country's history, traditions, and culture. It is an extraordinary source of pride for the people of that country, but it also has universal value that can touch people all over the world. There are countless properties of valuable intangible and tangible cultural heritage that are currently endangered. This paper investigates the possibility of preserving and making available Indian cultural heritage reserves in a digital world.

It is challenging to gather, identify, and manage intangible cultural resources at present. Thus, there is a growing interest in studying about safeguarding ICH. As a way to safeguard ICH many diverse facets of ICH digitization have attracted the interest of various scholars. These range from the three-dimensional digitization of artworks and archives, ethical and legal considerations involved in the revitalization of cultural artifacts, management, and preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

Management of intangible cultural resources has benefited greatly from the proliferation of computing technology and the rise in living standards around the world (Cisneros et al., 2022). Using paper archives, for example, to manage intangible cultural material has the drawbacks of sluggish search speed and a complex administration process. Through database queries, the digital ICH management system can expedite the retrieval and monitoring of ICH, streamline the management of ICH through online approval, cut down on labour-expenditure, as well as boost workplace productivity (Jun & Li, 2022).