Amar Singh College of Srinagar has received prestigious award for cultural heritage protection in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific in 2020.
Forty-eight projects were received collectively to represent a significant achievement in the progress of conservation in the Asia-Pacific region as per the statement issued by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) J-K chapter.
Saleem Beg, convener and head INTACH, J-K Chapter said in a statement, “Project entries were diverse in scope and typology and were submitted from nine countries across the Asia-Pacific region. The Jury consisting of nine international conservation experts was convened from 20thto 22nd November 2020 to deliberate the project entries.”
“This year the jury awarded two special recognition for sustainable development, one award of Excellence, one award of distinction, three awards of merit, and one award for new Design in Heritage Contexts,” Beg said.
With support from the local government and a group of community stakeholders, the restoration project was completely led by INTACH Kashmir Chapter.
“The project serves as a noteworthy model for safeguarding a unique 20th-century architectural asset in the Victorian neighborhood of the old city of Srinagar,” he added.
INTACH spokesperson said that the purpose of saving the building was to preserve the past glory of the building and to repair the damage caused by the floods of 2014 and the earthquake of 2006.
“The ornamental gauged bricks used in the building are handmade ‘rubber’ bricks and therefore very soft and predisposed to erosion and defacement. One of the challenges was to train the craftsmen to restore these ornamental bricks and to prepare new bricks to fill in the missing ones in the walls,” he said in a statement.
Expressing gratitude for the acknowledgment, convenor, and head of INTACH, J-K chapter said that the restoration work was carried out by the INTACH Kashmir Chapter conservation team led by Saima Iqbal, conservation architect assisted by Anjum Rafiq, Imran Bhat, IGNCA experts on murals.
With the support and cooperation of the college authorities and the Department of Higher Education, J-K Government, the project was successfully implemented.
