As a part of global activity of gounesco, INTACH organizes Green Heritage Walk in Kashmir

Transcription

1 INTACH Jammu & Kashmir Chapter I Vol: 3 I Issue: 12I Month: March, 2018 As a part of global activity of gounesco, INTACH organizes Green Heritage Walk in Kashmir Heritage walk for students In the summer capital of J&K State Srinagar, INTACH Kashmir in collaboration with Sahapedia organized heritage walk for students on 24 th March, The walk starts from the famous Pather Masjid and culminated at the Khanqah-i-Mualla (Shah Hamdan mosque). The walk-route mapped by INTACH was followed to explore the heritage monuments and sites around the area which includes; Pather Masjid, Vakil House, Budshah Tomb, copperware market in Maharaj Gunj, & Khanqah Shah Hamdan. Umar Farooq, an architect working with INTACH, briefed the participants about the built heritage of the city, their typology, significance in terms of construction. The As a part of its yearly heritage awareness Mr. Irfan Ali Shah stressed upon the need campaign, INTACH Kashmir organized to adopt validated practices of preserving Green Heritage Walk on 25 th March, 2018 natural heritage. They encouraged the here in Kashmir. The program was a part participants to know more about the green The event focuses on introducing the of global activity of gounesco focusing heritage of in and around Srinagar. participants to the rich heritage of Kashmir upon the need to care for natural heritage. participants were seen interested to know about these heritage structures. especially Shehar-i-Khaas, both in tangible and intangible forms. The event, organized in collaboration with The the J&K Forest Department & Earth Day campaign planned by INTACH Kashmir program were the students of Green Network received positive response from focuses on conducting various heritage Valley the people who came to join the walk. The activities Government MIddle School Gulab Bagh. participants, numbered around 100, were workshops, seminars etc. in different remained focused throughout the program. heritage heritage including corridors Tree of awareness talks/walks, Srinagar city. Constructive dialogues, discussions, meetthe green areas explored on the day ups, Clean the Monument drives, craft- included: Mulnar Village Dhara, Kral Sangri training programs for rural and urban Nursery Cheshmashahi, and green belt of audience shall all be a part of this year the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. program. The participants who Educational Speaking to attended Institute INTACH, the the and students expressed happiness for being a part of this program which added to their knowledge about the heritage sites and monuments they have in their city. At Khanqah-i-Mualla, Ar. Umar Farooq briefly explained to the participants about IFS, Conservator the ongoing restoration work on the spire Forests Srinagar Circle, Mr. Nazir Ahmed, of Khanqah Shah Hamdan carrying by Wildlife Expert and Mr. Mehraj-ud-din, INTACH Kashmir. The spire which was SFS, DFO Planning & Publicity Kashmir gutted in a devastating fire recently is at its Division were the experts who briefed the final stage of restoration and shall be participants about the natural heritage of completed soon. Mr. Irfan Ali Shah, the valley of Kashmir. INDIAN NATIONAL TRUST FOR ART & CULTURAL HERITAGE 1

2 INTACH Jammu organizes Heritage Awareness Camp The Jammu Chapter of INTACH organized an Awareness Camp about the Heritage Temples in Jammu City on 24 th of May The camp was at the Historical Raghunath Ji Temple in Jammu. Shri B.R Kundal, IAS (Retd.) President Dharmarth Trust Council, J&K (Former Chief Secretary J&K State) was the Chief Guest. Mr. S.M Sahni, Convener INTACH Jammu Chapter while welcoming the Chief Guest and other members of the chapter and Dharmarth Trust explained the salient features of historical Temples of Jammu maintained presently by J&K Dharmarth Trust. The trust was established during the period of Maharaja Ranbir Singh for the management of the Temples within the J&K State. Dr. C.M Seth, State Co-Convener, Shri Kuldeep Wahi, Co-Convener Jammu Chapter and Shri Vinod Malhotra, Advisor Built Heritage explained the significant architectural features of the heritage structures and stressed upon the need to preserve their glory. While appreciating the efforts of the chapter in terms heritage conservation, the trustees of the Dharmarth Trust discussed with the Convener of Jammu Chapter about the preservation of wall paintings of Sui Sumble Temple at Kanachak. It was further said that INTACH shall act as an advisor to J&K Dharmarth Trust for Conservation and Preservation of Heritage Temples within the State of J&K. At event, the project of photodocumentation of heritage temples within the Jammu City was also kick-started by Shri B.R Kundal. Philately Exhibition in Jammu University INTACH Jammu Chapter, with the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu and Department of Posts, India (J&K Circle) organizes Philately Exhibition a unique collection of stamps on Environment. Also, various oral presentations were made on the theme Connecting People to Nature to mark the World Environment Day Prof. R.D Sharma, Vice Chancellor, University of Jammu was the Chief Guest on the occasion. Sh. Sanjay Sharan, Chief Post Master General, Department of Posts(J&K Circle) and Dr. C.M Seth, IFS (Retd.) State Co-Convener INTACH, J&K State were the Guest of Honor. Prof. Sharma, applauded the efforts made by the organizers in organizing such a unique event and congratulated them for introducing this new concept in the University which shall be very beneficial for the students at large. Prof. Anil K. Raina, Head, Department of Environmental Sciences, welcomed the august gathering and introduced the theme of the Environment Day He also highlighted various initiatives and achievements of the department during the past one year along with various extension and outreach activities organized by the Department both within and outside the University specially the project like Listing of water bodies of Jammu District in collaboration with INTACH, Jammu Chapter. Dr. Deepika Slathia, Senior faculty member and her team of scholars made presentation on the topic Revitalisation and Restoration of Natural Heritage Sites of Jammu wherein she discussed at length about various threats being faced by these heritage sites and the need for their restoration and conservation. She made a presentation of bowlies, water talabs and step wells of block Dansal Nagrota. Dr. C.M Seth, in his address stressed upon the need of bringing positive changes in our attitudes if we really wish to conserve and protect environment. He also emphasized on the fact that J&K has large number of natural heritage sites which need to be explored, and protected. To achieve the desired results involvement and intervention of local inhabitants is needed. Sh. S.M Sahni, Convener INTACH, Jammu Chapter highlighted the role of their organization in Conservation of Built/Natural Heritage Sites of J&K. He made a special mention of collaboration of INTACH Jammu Chapter with the Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Jammu for conservation of Natural heritage sites of Jammu District. At the end, he proposed formal Vote of Thanks to the dignitaries and to all other participants. More than 100 participants attended the programme including Faculty Members, Scholars, Students, and other local organizations. 2

3 Govt survey for creation of artisan database on cards Kumar said that in order to bring the marginalized artisans to the forefront, the department is planning to register 50,000 artisans in first phase on its web portal in next one year. To create a virtual database of all the craftsmen involved in production of different kinds of handicrafts in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Government, with the help of the World Bank funding, is going to conduct an artisan s baseline survey. Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Shailendra Kumar told Greater Kashmir that a portion of Rs 100-crore World Bank fund allotted to the department would be used for conducting the artisans baseline survey to create a virtual database of all craftsmen involved in the Kashmir arts. As per official records, there are 2.32 lakh unregistered artisans in J&K making handicrafts. These artisans are unable to gets any benefits of government incentives and schemes. Kumar said that in order to bring the marginalised artisans to the forefront, the department is planning to register 50,000 artisans in first phase on its web portal in next one year. He said mapping of artisan clusters such as Downtown, Srinagar and Wathoora in Budgam district will help to identify neglected craftsmen. Becoming a part of the portal will help artisans to do marketing of their products in a better way and will eradicate the middlemen. We intend to have each artisan running a virtual showroom and expect this online facility to help them reach a wider client base, said Kumar. In its endeavor to boost handicraft and handloom trade, the department in its recent draft trade policy of the state has asked allied government corporations to develop e-commerce platforms for trading products from respective sectors to increase the outreach of local products worldwide. "The e-marketing shall also eliminate mediators and improve linkages between farmers, food processors, small time artisans, manufacturers and retailers," states the policy. Kumar said the Rs 100-crore funding for Restoration and Strengthening of Livelihoods by the Industries Department is from the World Bank Flood Recovery Project. This funding will be helpful for providing a boost to a series of upgradation projects which our department has lined-up. With such projects, the handicrafts and textiles industry of Kashmir will be granted a new lease of life and people involved in these sectors will also be benefitted, Kumar said. A large portion of these funds have been earmarked for upgradation of Rajbagh Silk Factory, Bemina Woolen Mills and Rajbagh Silk Factory upgradation project has been approved at a total cost of Rs crore. This will help to enhance silk production from 50,000 meters per annum to 5 lakh meters per annum, Kumar said. The Rajbagh Silk Factory, established in 1937 is presently functioning with obsolete infrastructure comprising looms made in The current annual production of silk at the factory dwindles between 20,000-50,000 metres and the annual turnover for 2017 was Rs 4 crore. As a part of this project, Rajbagh Silk Factory is set to be revamped by July 2019 following which the raise in its annual production would help annual turnover rise to Rs crore with a profit of Rs 2.93 crore, he said. As a part of the World Bank funding, Woollen Mills Bemina, which has been lagging behind in production would be also upgraded. The upgradation project for BeminaWoollen Mills has been approved at a cost of Rs crore. This will enhance Woollen fabric production from the present 75,000 meters per annum to 5 lakh meters, he said. Source: 3

4 Drive to save Chinar launched across Kashmir GKNN Srinagar, Publish Date: Mar Srinagar s rich cultural heritage must be preserved Tassaduq Hussain Mufti convenes meeting on Urban Infrastructure A valley-wide campaign to save Chinar trees was launched today with wide-scale plantation of Chinar saplings, a symbol of the famed heritage of Kashmir. At Srinagar, Minister for Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and Floriculture, Javaid Mustafa Mir today kick-started the plantation drive by planting a Chinar sapling at Emporium Garden here. The Minister was the chief guest at a function organized by Department of Floriculture themed Plant a Chinar, Plant a hope which was attended by director Floriculture, Kashmir, Mathura Masoom, noted poet Zareef Ahmad Zareef and officials besides farmers from various areas. On the occasion, Mir was informed that the Department starts Chinar plantation drive every year on March 15 and distributes 10,000 free Chinar saplings among the people and various government departments. The director said that this year Floriculture Department has set target more than previous years. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that there is a need to plant more trees in order to create the eco-friendly environment. He said that preservation of Chinar tree must be a duty of every conscientious Kashmiri and by planting more Chinar trees, we are doing some good for the future generations. Later, the Minister also released the booklet on Chinar trees The Majestic Chinar of Kashmir which was published by Department of Floriculture, Kashmir. At Bandipora, District Development Commissioner SajadHussain kick-started the Drive by planting a Chinar sapling at the Mini Secretariat premises Bandipora. On the occasion, the DDC was informed that Floriculture Department is providing 250 Chinar saplings to schools and other Government institutions free of cost in the district. It was said that the district has 1491 Chinars as per the census conducted by Floriculture Department during At Baramulla, the drive was initiated by Deputy Commissioner Dr Nasir Ahmad Naqash at Government Degree College for Boys. The drive is being organized by Floriculture department under which chinars will be planted at several places across the district. Principal GDC for Boys Prof Fazlul-Rahim, District Floriculture Officer Shakeel Samoon, officers of various departments and other concerned were present on the occasion. At Shopian, Floriculture Department carried out the plantation drive in the premises of District Administrative Complex Shopian. At Kupwara, the drive was organized by Department of Floriculture at Handwara in which Additional Deputy Commissioner Handwara was the chief guest. The ADC kick-started the drive at Government Degree College, Handwara by planting Chinar sapling in the premises of the College. Similar functions and plantation drives highlighting the significance and importance of Chinar trees were held in all the districts of the Valley. Srinagar: Published at March 02, 2018 Summer capital Srinagar of Kashmir region has a rich and diverse heritage and should be an example to the world by preserving it, said Minister for Tourism, Tassaduq Hussain Mufti Thursday while convening an interactive meeting on Urban Infrastructure in the tourism hub of Srinagar City. The heritage city is home to many heritage sites and buildings. But even these are threatened by urbanization. The meeting was attended by the representatives from SMC, SDA, LAWDA, UEED who gave separate power point presentation on the statues of ongoing development projects and schemes being executed in the city. SMC Commissioner Riyaz Ahmad Wani briefed the Minister about various development schemes being implemented for the beautification of the city. He informed the meeting about the development of parks, green spaces, public conveniences points, installation of street lights, creation of parking places, besides plantation and beautification of open spaces. SMC Commissioner also informed the meeting that Corporation is working on tackling the dog problem in the city. For the conservation of the Dal Lake and other water bodies, Lakes and Water Ways Development Authority (LAWDA) outlined its rehabilitation plan of the Dal dwellers and also demarcation of the lake boundaries to prevent encroachment and construction illegal structures. VC-LAWDA in his presentation informed the meeting that they are doing geotagging of the structures within 200 meters of the water bodies in the notified area to keep watch on any illegal construction. Source: Source: 4

5 Renovating Rahim s tomb: The original monument of love Shashank Bhargava (The Hindu) MARCH 17, 2018 Some 50 years before that magnificent monument of love, Taj Mahal, was built, Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan, a poet and diwan in Emperor Akbar s court, built a tomb in the memory of his wife Mah Banu. It was the first Mughal tomb built for a woman. Constructed in 1598, the tomb stands a few hundred meters south of the Humayun s Tomb, a world heritage site, in Delhi. This location was chosen for its proximity to Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya s Dargah it was considered auspicious to be buried near the grave of a saint. Rahim too was eventually buried here in Located near one of Delhi s busiest roads, Mathura Road, Rahim s tomb remained largely ignored for several years. Then in 2014 the Ministry of Culture requested the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to restore Rahim s tomb. The tomb s condition was precarious, to say the least, when the project began. I usually don t say this, but this building could have collapsed, says Ratish Nanda, AKTC s Chief Executive. It was a very complex project, he says. The restoration began in association with the Archaeological Survey of India and funding from InterGlobe, an Indian conglomerate. There were deep cracks in the crypt, the first floor and the dome some so wide that you could put your arm through them. This needed immediate attention, and he realized it would take up to a year to fix them. Vandalism had added to the structure s deterioration. Stones were missing, the white marble on the dome had been stripped off, water was seeping through. A flood a few years ago had also created cracks in the crypt s vault. Kilos of concrete The restoration that had been attempted previously was woefully inappropriate and used modern plaster and cement, and had compounded the problem. AKTC had faced a similar challenge during their restoration of Humayun s Tomb, where they had to remove over a million kilos of concrete. The tomb wasn t particularly Rahim s tomb, inspiration behind the Taj Mahal, was about to collapse when it was rescued by a conservation project Major structural work is being carried out both on the dome and the facade of the tomb of Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana. structurally sound to begin with either, much like Humayun s Tomb.The team began with architectural documentation. This involved 3-D laser scanning (a technique first developed to find leaks in nuclear plants), photo archival research, historical research. Every stone was drawn up. In 1968, the renowned British historian Percy Brown identified Humayun s and Rahim s tombs as structures that inspired the Taj Mahal. But what is most significant about Rahim s tomb, Nanda says is Rahim. Rahim was just four when his father, Bairam Khan, an important military commander in the Mughal army, was assassinated. He grew up under the foster care of Emperor Akbar. He would later become one of Akbar s nine most important ministers, the Navaratnas, and prove his own capability as a commander. Most of us, however, know Rahim better as a poet. Apart from his famous dohas, he also wrote verses in Arabic, Sanskrit and Turkish, and translated Emperor Babur s autobiography, Baburnama, from Turkish to Persian. I like the idea of this multidimensional personality. [He is] almost a renaissance figure, says former diplomat T.C.A. Raghavan, whose curiosity about Rahim eventually led him to write a book about the man and his father, Attendant Lords (2017). Secular symbol Ujwala Menon, a conservation architect with AKTC, says that he was a secular figure and a patron of architecture. The water supply system that he built in Burhanpur, with underground pipelines to every part, we can t replicate that even today. Menon says that an attempt will also be made to restore the grand garden with plants that the Mughals favoured, such as citrus orchards. A project of this scale requires several layers of work preservation to keep the building in the state that it is found, restoration to bring the structure as close to its original condition as possible and reconstruction, which also involves a technique called anastylosis, where a ruined building or a broken object is restored using its original material. The vaults and parapet here were reconstructed using new pieces of Delhi quartzite and red sandstone respectively. Paint and lime-wash layers had to be painstakingly removed to reveal the incised geometric and floral patterns. It will be another 16 to 20 months before the restoration of the tomb is complete, as there is major structural work to be done on the dome and facade. But views on conservation can be subjective. There are those who criticize the work being carried out, saying that such techniques take away the narrative of age from the structure. Some believe that preservation is the only correct conservation technique. But critics often focus on the aesthetics, not taking into account the structural integrity of the building. Nanda illustrates this with the analogy of skin. You cannot say, oh my skin is falling off, but I won t repair it. Skin, besides making you look like who you are, is also fulfilling a lot of other functions. It is to counter such mad arguments that Nanda says AKTC got the project extensively peer reviewed by over 50 different individuals from architects, archaeologists and engineers, to historians, journalists and bureaucrats. These included Jaya Jaitly, Narayani Gupta, Saleem Beg, William Dalrymple, Gillian Wright and Lynn Meskell. Nanda says that AKTC doesn t take up a project unless the work can benefit local people. The Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative, of which the Rahim tomb renovation is a part, has also generated over five lakh man days of work for master craftsmen. Source: 5

6 INTACH Jammu & Kashmir Chapter I Vol: 3 I Issue: 12I Month: March, 2018 INTACH Craft Shop Craft products available: Publications available: Hand-embroidered Cushion Covers Crafts of Kashmir A monograph on Willow Wicker Craft practiced in Kashmir INR 200/- Hand-embroidered Rugs Architectural traditions of Kashmir A monograph on Naranag Temples in Kashmir INR 200/- INTACH Jammu & Kashmir Chapter 2nd Floor, Government Building, East Block Press Enclave, Regal Chowk Srinagar (J&K) Tele Fax: Website: Follow us on: Intach Kashmir I INDIAN NATIONAL TRUST FOR ART & CULTURAL HERITAGE intach_official 6