A gem rises from ashes

After years of neglect, the historic Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Convocation Hall of University of Mumbai has been restored to its original glory to kickstart the institution’s 150-year celebration on Tuesday. The hall has been fully renovated at a cost of Rs2 crore with new chandeliers, gold-laden arches and glowing stain-glass windows.

Completed in six months by conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah and her team, the revamp has been total - from rewiring, acoustics, restored furniture, lighting to cleaned up stain-glass.

“The vault had massive leakage with the lime leached away. We also had to replace the Burma teak to strengthen the structure. Since the hall is built in Cathedral style, we had to fit a 6mm acoustical layer to ensure there are no echoes during meetings and educational events,” said Narain Lambah.

Based on the drawings sent by British Gothicist Sir Gilbert Scott, the convocation hall was completed in 1874 by the Bombay Presidency at a cost of Rs3.79 lakh. It was after Sir Cowasjee Jehangir donated Rs1 lakh in 1868 that the hall was renamed. For the renovation, the state government gave Rs1 crore, Tatas, Rs70 lakh, and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA)’s conservation society, Rs30 lakh.

Lambah began her task by digging up old photographs. She chose experts from all fields to get the original look back. All stones in the building underwent a petrographic analysis to get matching stones. To tackle the leaking roof, the Burma teak was strengthened, followed by Lead flashing and Mangalorean tiles over it.

The stain-glass on the zodiac rose wheel has been cleaned and restored along with the Octo foils and Lancet windows. The flooring’s Minton tiles from England were found to be too expensive to import. So while the bulging ones were reset, matching tile stones were found to replace the broken ones.

“The 16 trunk metal brackets were cleaned and gold gilded by master craftsmen from Rajasthan at a cost of Rs5 lakh. We pulled up original antique furniture dumped in various rooms of the university campus in Fort and Kalina,” said Lambah.

The existing stage has been raised for better view, and statues of all city scholars restored for display. Also, sheds behind the building would be removed to ensure a better view from the nearby Oval maidan and Kalaghoda. “A comprehensive maintenance manual has been prepared and our staff trained to do so. We will require Rs5 lakh annually,” said Bharat Ishi, the university engineer.

There are also talks of a heritage tour of the building. “It is needed to keep the building alive and make citizens aware of their heritage,” said Lambah.