CHANDIGARH:Come June and a team of experts from Pakistan, led by renowned conservationist Kamil Khan Mumtaz, will be in Amritsar to help restore three heritage buildings in the city. The team will use traditional methods of conservation under The Amritsar Project (TAP), a collaborative effort between the Lahore Conservation Society (LCS) and the Dilbir Foundation in India, which works for environment protection and heritage conservation. A host of cultural exchange programmes have also been planned under the project.
LCS president Mumtaz, recipient of Pakistan’s highest civilian honour Tamgah-i-Imtiaz, and his team of architects and conservationists is presently working on The Lahore Project, which involves restoring old heritage buildings in Lahore.
Under TAP, three buildings—Serai Amanat Khan, Guru Ki Masit in Gurdaspur and the Khalsa College campus—will be worked on first, which would be followed by environmental conservation and adoption of best global practices for developing a vibrant city. Mumtaz has developed a comprehensive team of artisans and craftsmen for the project.
Gunbir Singh, an environmentalist and chair of the Dilbir Foundation, said, “In olden times, construction was done using limestone, jagri and other natural materials. The old buildings were constructed keeping in mind the aesthetics and utilizing natural light and without steel and cement.”
He added, “Our effort is to reconnect with this old method through our interaction with Mumtaz. Since Mumtaz is still using the same method in this era to build buildings in Lahore.’’
Training programmes on restoring heritage buildings using traditional methods and on the methodology to be used in conservation will also be conducted for Indian architects and craftsmen involved in the project.
The scope of this partnership will not just be the tangible heritage, but also the intangible legacy of the region including theatre, music and dance. “We have started work on Sufi music as a group from Pakistan is here to perform and teach our artists,’’ said Singh.
“Cross-border exchange programmes will be organised and performances by Indian and Pakistani artists will be held in both Punjabs,” said Singh. “Musical instruments, unique to India and Pakistan, and not found here and vice versa, such as Algoza (a wind instrument), will be shared,’’ he added.
Singh said, “TAP aims to enhance the cultural experience of the region and will address—musicology, arts, crafts, architecture and other rich traditions, as well as dialogues on innovation and sustained development.’’
Last year an MoU was signed between The Lahore Conservation Society and Dilbir Foundation at Amritsar. It was agreed they would collaborate to work together towards common goals, to begin with—restoration of heritage buildings in the cities of Amritsar and Lahore.