KARIMNAGAR: While the century-old Osmania General Hospital is slowly crumbling and requires desperate attention, the heritage building seems to have found a few admirers among the medical staff. Walk into the heritage block of hospital, apart from the famous three-floor high dome, one would be welcomed by two life-sized bright paintings of the last two Nizams of Hyderabad — Mir Osman Ali Khan and Mir Mahboob Ali Khan. These paintings, now encased in brilliant glass frames, were always there, but were covered with a ‘purdah’.
Fungi-infested and covered with layers of dust, the glass of the painting had turned opaque till it caught the attention of a few doctors, who pooled in money, roped in an expert and restored the antique oil-on-canvas portraits. Thanks to their efforts, the paintings have regained their lost charm and continue to awe visitors.
“They are 80-year-old antique paintings on canvas (cloth). Special gums such as animal glue and chemicals are heated and brushed over the cloth. There after, ground oil paints are used to create images. After physical examination, we got to know that fungus was damaging the two paintings.
We removed the fungus and dust. There after, suitable chemicals such as Ethanol and Methanol were used to preserves the paintings for next 30-years,” said C Srinivasa Murthy, the art restorer who took up the work.OGH superintendent Dr B Nagendar who initiated restoration of the project said that the doctors and volunteers who pooled in money helped in restoration of the paintings wanted to remain anonymous.
Dr Nagender, an alumnus of Osmania Medical College said, “It took around `35,000 to `40,000 for the restoration works. We did it to express our gratitude to Mir Osman Ali Khan who built the hospital.”
He added, “To let students joining the Osmania Medical College know about rich history of the place, they will gather old photographs of the hospital and display it on stands under the dome.”ABAD: