Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 17: Amar Singh College, Srinagar, has been awarded the prestigious Award of Merit in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The 48 projects that were received collectively represent a significant achievement in the progress of conservation in the Asia-Pacific region. 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 November 20–22 to deliberate the project entries. This year the Jury awarded two special recognitions for Sustainable Development, one Award of Excellence, one Award of Distinction, three Awards of Merit, and one Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts.
While recognizing the prestigious award, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Jury said, “The restoration of the Amar Singh College brought back one of the most prominent institutional buildings in Kashmir to its former glory. Undertaken with a high level of technical proficiency, the project reversed major deterioration resulting from years of inappropriate additions, poor maintenance, and catastrophic events such as the unprecedented flooding in 2014”.
“The project team’s meticulous attention to original building design and materials involved training a new generation of building artisans in brick and stone masonry. Competently led by INTACH Kashmir Chapter with support from the local Government and a group of community stakeholders, 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,” the Jury added.
Pertinent to mention here the Amar Singh College is one of the most important institutional buildings in Kashmir and in essence a built heritage asset that invokes pride in much of the academic and intellectual community of Kashmir as many luminaries are alumnus of this institution.
Apart from the high-quality architecture, the building also boasts of some wall murals in two of its hallways. It appears that these murals, which are influenced by the Ladakhi art, formed a significant part of the building’s interiors but had become obliterated over time. Extant samples of these wall murals can be seen in the adjacent rooms to the foyer in the first floor.
Expressing his gratitude for the recognition, Convener and Head, INTACH, J&K Chapter said that the restoration work was satisfactorily executed by the conservation team of INTACH Kashmir Chapter lead by Saima Iqbal, conservation architect assisted by Anjum Rafiq, Imran Bhat, experts from IGNCA for the murals.
“The artisans and other workers were sourced by Wasim and Basharat Kathwari. The project was successfully implemented with funding support and cooperation of the College authorities and the Department of Higher Education, J&K Government,” he added.
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