Twitter
Advertisement

JJ School of Art receives Unesco heritage award

Heritage movement in the city got a boost on Friday when Sir JJ School of Art building received the award of merit in the 2006 Unesco Heritage Awards.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Heritage movement in the city got a boost on Friday when Sir JJ School of Art building received the award of merit in the 2006 Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.

Symbolising the Victorian era with its Gothic Revival style of architecture, the building, designed by George Molecey, had been decaying fast. The rot was stemmed by the tireless efforts of a newly-formed public trust, Friends of JJ School of Art. It pooled in Rs 25 lakh for restoration work, but the spadework was done by former Member of Parliament Pritish Nandy, who allocated Rs 48 lakh from his MP fund.

“We are not just working on the physical upgradation of the heritage building,” said Sangita Jindal, founder trustee, Friends of JJ school of Art. “We plan to improve the library, spruce up classrooms and improve the curriculum to restore JJ as a throbbing art centre.”

Work on this Grade II(B) heritage structure began in March 2004, with conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah given the job to reinvigorate India’s premier art institution. The beginning was made with stone cleaning, gentle water mist cleaning and polishing techniques to restore the carvings. Ad hoc additions like tube lights, service pipes, which had been eyesore, were removed. “The roof had to be extensively repaired, and the windows too were badly damaged. The front veranda on the first floor, too, was restored along with toilets,” said Lambah.

But the work is far from over, she pointed out. “The interiors require attention, especially the electrical fittings. The beautiful Burma teak ceiling is oil painted and must be cleaned up,” said Lambah.

It took Nandy one whole year to get the go-ahead from Parliament for allocating funds for JJ conservation. But he is a proud man today, happy that his efforts have paid off. “I hope this will inspire other MPs to donate funds for public needs, instead of benefiting themselves or their parties.

It’s ironic that on one hand we value art, pour crores to buy it, but neglect all premier art institutions like JJ School. If this Unesco award changes the perception of politicians towards cultural and heritage issues, it will be a bigger victory,” said Nandy.

Unesco officials have applauded the documentation and use of local building materials and technologies for the restoration. They expressed hope that the inparting of conservation know-how to the PWD department would help Mumbai preserve its rich Victorian heritage.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement