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Japanese funding for INTACH

INTACH signs MoU with Shinnyo-en of Japan

More coverage on INTACH-Japan MoU

INTACH to sign MoU with Delhi Government to develop a World Heritage City

New life for old church records

INTACH organizes musical evening in the Crafts Mela

Indian Vice President Helps Launch INTO

Travels in India - Launching the International National Trusts Organisation

Cultural Heritage Cooperation-INTACH and “AusHeritage” sign MoU

Gov Lakhera inaugurate INTACH’s first seminar in Mizoram

Future citizens help preserve heritag

INTACH walk raises heritage awareness - Kids take part in ‘Heritage Walk’organised by INTACH in Amritsar

Thiruvanmiyur school bags Heritage Club award

INTACH: Keeping art intact

Kerala signs pact with INTACH to preserve State's heritage

Study Tour – Agra and Delhi March 2006 - The University of York, Department of Archaeology

Japanese funding for INTACH
The Hindu, July 18, 2008

NEW DELHI: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Shinnyo-en, a Japanese organisation for protection, preservation, promotion and management of cultural heritage sites in India.

Under the agreement, Shinnyo-en, a major Buddhist organisation, will provide INTACH $ 30,000 per year for five years for the works related to protection of monuments and historic sites. The two sides are considering restoration of Mangyu Monastery in Ladakh, apart from some other projects in and around Delhi.

Sites to be identified
The two sides will identify monuments and sites, especially related to Buddhism, and draw up joint plans for protection, preservation and conservation of such sites. Joint activities, including conferences, seminars and symposiums, will also be undertaken.

The two organisations will also exchange expertise and joint activities in research, conservation, preservation, promotion and management of cultural sites.

INTACH signs MoU with Shinnyo-en of Japan 
The Tribune, July 17, 2008

New Delhi: Confirming another step towards strengthening Indo-Japan cultural relations, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and Shinnyo-en, a major Buddhist denomination of Japan, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration in the areas of promotion, preservation and management of the cultural heritage in India.

Shinnyo-en has agreed to facilitate the maintenance of monuments and historical sites undertaken by the INTACH with a funding up to 30,000 US$ annually for a period of five years.

In a meeting, a delegation of Shinnyo-en met the officials of the INTACH, and discussed the issues related to the various projects in and around Delhi along with considering the proposal for the restoration of the Mangyu Monastery, Ladakh.

The MoU, which was signed on Monday, July 14, 2008, eloquently outlines the civilisation connections between India and Japan in relation to Buddhism while identifying and stressing on the need for enhancement of cultural relations via cooperation in management, conservation and promotional activities of cultural heritage in India.

The agreement promises to revisit the Buddhist chapters in India.

More coverage on INTACH-Japan MoU
INTACH signs MoU with Japanese outfil: The Pioneer, July 17, 2008
INTACH-Japan MoU to preserve heritage: The Hindustan Times, July 17, 2008
Japan to help India conserve Buddhist monuments: The Times of India, July 18, 2008

INTACH to sign MoU with Delhi Government to develop a World Heritage City
ANI, July 2, 2008

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), a nationwide non-profit organization founded to protect the common national heritage, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Delhi Government's tourism department on Thursday.

"The MoU is a very significant step in the beginning of a partnership with the Delhi Government in the field of heritage. The first step is that we will be working towards the long term plan for getting Delhi declared as the World Heritage City," said S.K.Misra, Chairman of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.

He elaborated that the process involves a lot of exercise in various areas like Research. And, when it finally reaches the UNESCO to decide, it is to be shown what is being done.

"On the ground, we have this project for getting the areas from Humanyun's Tomb to Red Fort and area from Nizamuddin to Safdarjung and Qutub Minar all around to develop it as Heritage Tourism Circuit where it is properly designed in an integrated manner i.e the signages, furniture, billboard, small restaurants and also heritage buses. Presently, Delhi is not seen as a heritage city but as a taking off point for other cities," Misra said.

INTACH has been privileged to be offered to sign a MoU with Prince Charles by mid-July in London to work on certain projects to be carried out in India.

"Yes, Prince Charles has invited me to London. He wants to collaborate with INTACH on certain projects in India, where he will try to arrange for funds from the corporate and others. They have seen what INTACH has done and capable of. And, they feel that it will be beneficial for both the sides to join hands. So I'm going to sign MoU with Charles when I will be there during July 14 to 17. I will be having meeting with him and visiting various institutes run by him," Misra informed.

According to Professor A. G. Krishna Menon, Convenor of the INTACH Delhi chapter, making Delhi city a Heritage city is a established protocol of UNESCO.

"We have to make an application and show decisions what is the reason we want to make a World Heritage City. But significance to make a city a world heritage has to be defined and we will be defining that," Prof. Menon said.

"Instead of saying there are certain monuments here or there in the city, we have to show how it is important for us. That's why this development of heritage route is an important element. By connecting certain monuments by designing a road from Red Fort to Humanyun's Tomb and Safdarjung to Qutab Minar, we want to make people to recognize that they are going around a heritage area," he said.

"We have approached the Delhi Government with the idea what we would like to do. The first thing we did was to list them. We persuaded the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to make it a part of the Master Plan. Now we have approached the Delhi Govt. saying it should be made real and it is possible if the environment is designed accordingly," Prof. Menon said.

He elaborated that basically, it is urban design, landscape design, lighting, furniture design, landscape design, lighting and furniture design.

"All this is existing in the city but it if you orient it in a particular way, it will be recognized even by the citizens. It is regretful most of the people in Delhi don't recognize that they are living in a heritage city."

He also talked about the big misconception that conservation of heritage is anti-development.

"We believe that these are two sides of the same coin, not against each other. Heritage can be development focused and vice versa. So with these projects we are trying to show by developing these projects, we are going to make a more beautiful city, we make it a more usable city and in this process we will make monuments more accessible in the city," said Prof. Krishna Menon.

The INTACH, which was founded by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1984, is contributing to that endeavour by working to protect the common national heritage.

INTACH has been organized into 140 Chapters nation-wide with members who have over the years responded to threats to their local heritage in dramatic, imaginative and committed ways.

It addresses issues of local importance and alert their members to local conservation needs.

New life for old church records 
The Times of India, June 9, 2008

Mumbai: Catholics from Bandra to Borivli can look forward to tracing their lineage back several hundred years with crumbling church records receiving a fresh lease thanks to a conservation project at St Andrews Church in Bandra, one of the oldest in the suburbs.

The project will not only preserve the family histories of the community for the coming generations but also contribute to understanding suburban life over the past few hundred years.

"St Andrew's Church was established in 1580 and served a wide population from Bandra right up to Juhu for several hundred years. Some of its parishoners later migrated to Borivali and Vasai to avoid the plagues which killed many people in the 19th century but continued to come to the church for baptisms, marriages and burials," said Major Leon Fonseca, who first pushed for the project.

The oldest existing church register dating back from 1750 has been restored and the project is gathering steam. In a small room in the church complex, the painstaking work of restoration is being undertaken by experts from INTACH who were brought in from its Orissa Art Conservation Centre for the project. It is expected to last over six months and cost Rs 7 lakh.

Fonseca, a history buff, pointed out that the root of the oldest register is from the Church of Santa Anna, the earliest church in Bandra which stood on grounds which are now the BEST bus depot near the station. "The church was blown up by the British army as a defensive measure to prevent it from being used as a staging point for an attack by the Maratha army in 1739. Some of its registers and artifacts were taken to the other churches in Bandra," he said.

"The Church of Santa Anna was destroyed but its register is preserved and will yield useful information to any researcher who is curious enough to open its pages for a read," said Fonseca.

He pointed out that the birth registers are first on the list of preservation. In all there are 91 registers of births, marriages and burials along with old grave records.

Father Vernon Aguiar, parish priest of St Andrews, said he intends continuing with the work of preservation of the records."They are part of church history and have to be kept for posterity," he said proudly.

"There was an urgent need to start conservation as the registers were crumbling and many of them were missing. The records of all our families are here, so there is also an emotional need," Fonseca added, pointing to the rapidly changing skyline which was slowly eroding the old world charm of Bandra.

This conservation project stands in sharp contrast to what has happened at some of the old Catholic churches which have seen the destruction of their old artifacts including some antique altars.

Fonseca said, "The project will illuminate city history and will give the local Catholic community some pride in their past. If you look at the register for deaths, any researcher will be able to tell you that the plague killed off many people in 1884 and that's when the many plague crosses came up in Bandra."

Fonseca added: "The project for the registers and other records will cost Rs 7 lakhs. We intend taking up workshops and programmes for creating an awareness about heritage and are looking at trusts and individuals to help in cash or kind."

Santosh Kumar Swain, Biswal Sahoo and Nandgir Goswami, the three restorers who have been trained by INTACH, have been busy for the last month preserving the old folios some of which are crumbling." After we have done the job, it is necessary to preserve these precious records," said Swain, who is a junior antique restorer with the Orissa state museum.

INTACH organizes musical evening in the Crafts Mela 
Northern Newsletter, April 25, 2008

Chandigarh: A musical evening was organized today by the INTACH where Smt. Shanti Hiranand performed Thumri, Dadra and Ghazal. Smt. Hiranand sung the songs of Begum Akhtar. Speaker, Haryana, Vidhan Sabha, Dr. Raghuvir Singh Kadian was the chief guest on the occasion. The night was organized at Rock Garden, Phase III, Chandigarh.

Smt. Hiranand was born in a business family from Lucknow, she was interested in music even as a child. Her formative years as a student of vocal music were spent at the Music College in Lucknow, but she had to shift to Lahore in the early forties. She presented her first performance on Radio Lahore in 1947. Her family returned to Lucknow following Partition. She then began learning from Aijaz Hussain Khan of Rampur. During this period, she continued performing on All India Radio. In 1957, she became a disciple of renowned vocalist Begum Akhtar and received training from her in thumri, dadra and ghazal.

140 artisans from all states of the country have been camping here and displaying their art works. Thousands of people come to see the Mela daily. It is likely to become an annual event. Chandigarh Administration, NZCC and Development Commissioner of Handicrafts (Government of India) are the sponsors INTACH Crafts Mela.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was founded by late Sr. Rajiv Gandhi for the promotion of Indian Culture and preservation and restoration of old Indian monuments. There are 104 Chapters in the country. Fifteen Chapters are in UK, Belgium, etc. INTACH is doing commendable work for restoration and preservation in Haryana and Chandigarh. INTACH started its awareness campaign to highlight the heritage of Bheema Devi Temple.

Chandigarh Chapter is taking all possible steps for its restoration and preservation. S.K. Misra, former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister of India, is currently the Chairman of INTACH. Chandigarh Chapter of INTACH has 120 life member, consisting of eminent citizens from all walks of life including educationists, bureaucrats, artists and journalists. S.K. Misra, Chairman of INTACH, convener, INTACH, Chandigarh.

Indian Vice President Helps Launch INTO
by David J. Brown on December 5th, 2007

Monday, December 3rd, was a remarkable day in India as our local host, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), brought both the Prime Minister and the Vice President of India to events celebrating historic preservation and heritage conservation. After the morning presentation by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to launch the 12th International Conference of National Trusts, the feeling among the almost 300 delegates was exceptional. Fiona Reynolds, General Director of the English National Trust, and I were commenting that all of us who care about heritage had just seen how an event like a conference - which our western cynicism often sees as simply a chance to network and learn about the work of others - can be used by skillful local advocates in the developing world such as S.K. Misra of INTACH to dramatically raise the profile for heritage in their country in the span of a few days.

Mr. Misra pulled his magic again in the afternoon when Indian Vice President Shri M. Hamid Ansari spoke at the official launch of the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) at the Ashok Hotel in Delhi. At an earlier plenary, I joined members of the INTO Steering Committee in presenting the charter to the group and in answering questions. Groups such as UNESCO were represented and spoke of their support for the creation of INTO, which helped give us strong credibility in the international and developing world. It was easy to see that there was a great deal of excitement about the creation of INTO, and I spoke briefly about how conversations and dreams of almost 20 years had finally been turned in a charter, budget, location - but most importantly a vision for this international group. The English National Trust has really stepped up by providing the office space at their London  headquarters, instantly providing INTO with the prestigious address and backing of the world’s largest National Trust. If any of you are interesting in a posting to London, here’s your chance!   more...

Travels in India - Launching the International National Trusts Organisation
by David J. Brown on December 4th, 2007

After three wonderful days touring the Golden Triangle of India to visit Agra Fort, the incomparable Taj Mahal, the beautiful Fatehpur Sikri, and intriguing city of Jaipur, our driver Supe and my traveling companion Darko Babic from the University of Zagreb in Croatia headed north on Sunday morning to return to Delhi. Supe provided commentary along the way on the camps of gypsies, the rural poverty, the beautiful yellow fields of mustard, and the value of water buffalo (he owns two). As we entered Delhi on a new highway Supe saw something that surprised even him - a speed trap! Traffic laws in many parts of the country where we traveled are non-existent, so the presence of the police ticketing people shocked us all after three days of assuming that speeding was a birth right.
 
But I’m glad we made it back, because it began an extraordinary two days in which I was privileged to have speaking roles on programs with both the Prime Minister of India and the Vice President of India as part of the International Conference of National Trusts.

We arrived safe and sound at the historic Ashok Hotel which is located in the diplomatic enclave of Delhi, where they do have traffic laws and many historic and beautiful neighborhoods. It was apparent from the massive sign and banners at the hotel welcoming the National Trusts that this was going to be a special few days. I was met by representatives of our host National Trust for the conference - the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) - and taken immediately to a press conference with the international press. This 12th International Conference of National Trusts is a historic one, in that we’re launching an new international group of National Trusts. Let me backtrack a bit and explain.  more...

Cultural Heritage Cooperation-INTACH and “AusHeritage” sign MoU 
April 2, 2007

AusHeritage, Australia's peak heritage network, and INTACH have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on cultural heritage initiatives.

The MoU, signed at the inaugural session of a three-day Australia-India seminar on "Managing and Conserving Cultural Heritage" in Delhi today, will expand the collaboration between AusHeritage and INTACH to work together more closely in South Asian and South East Asia regional initiatives.

“The MoU between AusHeritage and INTACH signals the close and growing collaboration between our two countries in preserving cultural heritage. AusHeritage, Australia's international network for heritage services, has worked with INTACH and other Indian institutions on several projects, including workshops and training sessions, in recent years," said Mr John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India.

“AusHeritage and INTACH heritage practitioners have a strong history of collaborations as they learn from each other in preserving our valuable past for future generations,” said Mr Vinod Daniel, Chair, AusHeritage.

“The memorandum of understanding is a result of the close working relationship between the two organisations and will be of huge benefit as we learn and support each other,” said Mr Daniel.

Fifteen senior Australian heritage management experts are in India to participate in the AusHeritage-INTACH seminar from 2-4 April to share heritage conservation management expertise and experiences. This is the largest delegation of Australian heritage experts to visit India.

"The seminar will have a focus on 'Cultural Collections' as part of a strategic framework," added Mr Daniel.

The AusHeritage-INTACH seminar is being organised with support from the Australian Government through the Australia International Cultural Council (AICC) and the Australia-India Council (AIC). Established by the Australian Government, the AIC supports collaborative initiatives in a range of areas of mutual concern, including in heritage conservation.

AusHeritage is Australia’s international network for cultural heritage services. Its members include Australian universities, national collecting institutions, State galleries, libraries and museums, private architectural firms and private and government conservation services.

AusHeritage has taken up several initiatives in India, including in providing support for developing a new exhibition gallery at the Chhatrapati Shivaji (Prince of Wales) Museum in Mumbai; organising strategic workshops on Caring of Collection against Disasters and Pests; as well as working closely with several Indian private and government cultural heritage organisations.

Gov Lakhera inaugurate INTACH’s first seminar in Mizoram
NEWSLINK, May 19, 2007

Aizawl: Mizoram Governor L.t. Gen (R) M. M. Lakhera today inaugurated the first ever seminar to be held by the Indian National Trust for Art & Culture Heritage (INTACH) in Mizoram at the Information & Public Relations conference hall here.

In his inauguration address, Governor Lakhera pointed out the difficulties faced by the North East Region and mainland India saying there had been problems in understanding each other. He said this lack had resulted in the many difficulties that both the region and the Centre now face.

Despite the rich cultural heritage that is to be found everywhere in India, there had been problems in preserving them, he pointed out. “Because of these difficulties, we have lost a lot of our heritage,” he added.

Speaking about India’s proud heritage, the Governor said India used to have a thriving civilization even before the western world had such. He said these civilizations become lost during a period of time but that there are still ways to recover what had been lost.

“We have to modify our old heritage to suit our modern system and there are examples that can be replicated. But lack of interaction not only between the region and mainland India, but also between the different states in the region, has been a problem that we need to overcome. One means to do this is to bring all communities together. But this again is a problem because we are too busy with out selfish interests and our own problems. We can overcome this,” Governor Lakhera emphasized.

Bringing out an example of how tradition can be made use in the modern world, the Governor said one area is traditional medicines which are more inexpensive than those manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. He said if governments give the effort, these traditional medicines can be revived by encouraging cultivation of medicinal plants in the private sector which can also generate employment in turn.

Bringing out a challenge, Governor Lakhera said, “One challenge is balancing tradition with the modern. If we can take the best of both, we can use it to our advantage.” He added that balancing the old with the new will create a better society.

Also speaking on the occasion was INTACH chairman S.K. Misra who said his organization had been trying to focus in some important areas that had suffered neglect and that one of these was the North East region.

“Massive effort is needed to bring the North East region to the mainstream. INTACH can be the catalyst for this as a result of which we had organized a series of seminars in the North East,” Misra said.

Seminars have already been held Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, Kohima, Nagaland and Shillong, Meghalaya

Future citizens help preserve heritage
newindpress.com

VISAKHAPATNAM: After the demolition of the Round Building, where former president Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan once had a brief stay, and sale of lands near the Buddhist sites to IT companies, an urgent need was felt by the INTACH and like-minded individuals to guard the heritage sites.

Any construction or mining activity around the Buddhist sites violates the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. According to the Act no construction should take place up to 300 metres from the protected monument.

With an intention to create awareness about the significance of heritage sites, among the public, particularly among children, the INTACH Visakhapatnam chapter initiated programmes like walks to heritage sites and set up ‘Heritage Clubs’ in various city schools.

Through these clubs, the INTACH conducts walks to heritage sites for children and in-house activities like quizzes, debates, poster making competitions etc.

In order to make it interesting to children, the INTACH has announced special School Awards for the Heritage Clubs which show keen interest in preserving heritage sites by taking up some effective works.

INTACH coordinator for schools, Rani Sarma told this website's newspaper that a platform would be created for children to interact with the officials of various departments like Archaeological Survey of India, district administration, VUDA and municipal corporation.

“The children are already asking questions to their parents about their family-tree,” Sarma said.

The members of the Heritage Clubs also become the members of the INTACH. They can participate in all the activities of the INTACH. Each member of the club receives a newsletter of INTACH, ‘Young INTACH’. Through this, they can know about the activities of the INTACH across the country.

“The aim of creating the clubs in schools is to make children understand, appreciate and preserve heritage, including monuments, art, dances, music, crafts, etc.,” Rani Sarma said.

The INTACH has been planning to start these clubs in more schools in the entire district, including the government ones and colleges, said Vizag chapter co-convenor Srinivasa Murthy

INTACH walk raises heritage awareness - Kids take part in ‘Heritage Walk’ organised by INTACH in Amritsar
Written by P.K. Jaiswar, Tribune News, Amritsar

A heritage walk was organised by the local chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to mark World Heritage Day, which commenced from the historic Jallianwala Bagh and passed through various markets and historically important buildings.

A large number of students and teachers from various schools, including S.L. Bhawan School, DAV International School, Khalsa College Public School, Police Line DAV Public School and Manav Public School, participated in the walk.

Presiding over the function, Dr P.S. Sharma, head, foreign languages, Guru Nanak Dev University, lauded the efforts of the local chapter of INTACH for consistently working towards awareness about cultural heritage. He distributed prizes among the winners.

Dr Sukhdev Singh, Punjab state convener, INTACH, while explaining the significance of World Heritage Day, said, “The blind following of modern development models of industrialisation and urbanisation has lead to the huge loss of cultural heritage wealth.”

Appreciating UNESCO’s declaration to celebrate April 18 as World Heritage Day to collectively raise the voice for cultural diversity and cultural heritage, he said, “The development strategies must be synchronised with the local knowledge systems, socio-cultural fabric and environment.”

Hira Singh, co-convener, INTACH, Amritsar Chapter, declared that INTACH would give an award of Rs 5,000 for the best performance in cultural heritage activities during the year. He also announced the judgement of the traditional dress competition.

Amrit Lal Mannan, in charge, INTACH heritage Clubs, Amritsar Chapter, presented a report on awareness activities and said the teachers should encourage the students to save cultural heritage and environment. He appealed to the people to vote for those candidates in elections who promise to consider heritage and environment an issue.

Tinisha Handa of S.L. Bhawan School stood first in the folk song competition, while Vridhi of Spring Dale Senior Secondary School and Nehal of DAV International School stood second and third, respectively.

In the traditional dress competition, Kamaljit of Khalsa College Public School stood first, while Parmeshwar Kaur of Police Line DAV Public School and Akhil Arora of DAV International School stood second and third, respectively.

Harpreet Singh of DAV Public School, Palak Arora of DAV International School, and Gagan of Manav Public school were adjudged first, second and third, respectively, in the debate.

Sahil Seth, Sakshi Dhawan and Harmandeep, all of DAV International School, lifted first, second and third prizes, respectively, in reports on traditional recipes. In the on-the-spot report on heritage site competition, Sakshi Dhawan of DAV International school, Plakpreet Kaur of Police line DAV Public School and Rajat Chatrath of DAV International School bagged the first, second and third prizes, respectively.

In the quiz contest, Ravi of Government Senior Secondary School, Ktara Sfaid, stood first while Harjit of Government Senior Secondary School, Town Hall, stood second.

Thiruvanmiyur school bags Heritage Club award
The Hindu

CHENNAI: The Parampara Heritage Club of Sri Sankara Vidyashramam Matriculation Higher
Secondary School, Thiruvanmiyur, has won the "Best Heritage Club Award" of the INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage). It will receive a cash award of Rs. 10000.
 
The school has been selected from among 500 Heritage Clubs established in schools across the country. Kalpalatha Mohan, principal of the school, said INTACH had called for reports from schools on the activities of the Heritage Clubs since their inception in 2003.
 
"The members of our school have displayed projects during the Madras Day Celebrations organised by INTACH every year. Our students visited Illalur and Echangadu in 2004 and interacted with villagers. In turn, 20 children from the villages visited our school last year. They stayed in the homes of the Heritage Club members and got a taste of urban life. Heritage visits to places such as Mamallapuram, Fort St. George Museum and Gingee Fort have been regularly undertaken by the club," she said.
 
The club members have also been participating in rallies for public causes.
 
"Our students have contributed articles to the Young INTACH newsletter. Two of our students won prizes for their contribution in January this year," the principal said.

INTACH: Keeping art intact
The Hindu

Hidden within the building of The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage - better known by its acronym Intach - at Delhi's Lodi Estate isa wonderland known as the art conservation laboratory, where painted works of varying dates are brought in for repair and restoration. ANJANA RAJAN takes a look round the lab where artistic inspiration meets the miracles of science... .

THOSE WHO appreciate art need not be reminded about the painstaking process of creating an oil painting - the various technical procedures that intervene between the artist's inspirational vision and the final work as a framed and finished object. But as soon as that work is ready, a process of change begins that is not immediately perceptible, rather like the course of aging in a living being.

To preserve the painting from the ravages of time is a specialized job, and not many are aware of its intricacies. Even artists - for whom each creation would be equally cherished - are not usually equipped with the technical know-how required to preserve, protect and repair their works.

The art conservation laboratories of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage - Intach - amid the lush environs of Delhi's Lodi Estate, where oil paintings and other painted works that come in often unrecognizable condition are restored houses some fascinating stories.

The process is detailed and scientific, beginning with documentation of the state of the work. This procedure includes photographing a painting by infrared or ultraviolet light, which allows otherwise invisible details to become visible. It is even possible to decipher how an artist might have changed the original sketch.

Documentation is followed by cleaning, consolidation, detailed treatment for the particular problem and photographing the work again. Time and the elements are not the only enemies of the painting. Often other restorers have been at work, trying to repair damage and in the process worsening it or straying from the original colours or lines.

Over-painting is a common example of this kind of damage. Paintings acquire cracks where the coats of paint have dried and split, or where the canvas may be torn. Simply painting over the cracks is not the solution, and sometimes even the original artists repair their work after a number of years in this way.

In such cases, the restoration team must first undo the earlier changes and then proceed to fill the cracks and paint them again. The greatest care is taken to ensure that the original intentions of the artist are respected. In some cases artists send their own paintings for repair. A contemporary artist may require the service because of the demands of exhibiting in many places, calling for packing and shipping that take their toll on the paint and canvas. In such cases, the work of the restoration team is rendered easier since any doubts can be verified with the artist.

Using `raking light' - that falls at an angle and exposes many facets otherwise not clearly visible - is another way the restorer can see where changes have been made to a painting. To find out whether the artist made the change on purpose requires chemical analysis using microscopic examination of a tiny piece of pigment taken from the painting, as well as minute observation of the brush strokes of the artist. Art historians are aware of the chemical composition of colours as well as brush strokes preferred by each artist and `interpolations' can be ruled out in this way.

The Intach team has developed some ingenious and indigenous tools to beat the prohibitive costs of art restoration that an Indian NGO cannot easily bear. The vacuum table that holds down a painting so that adhesive can be applied uniformly for attaching a strengthening lining is one such. The moveable grills on which to hang paintings out of sunshine or electric light for safest storage, and the fume extractor that protects staff from harmful gases let off by some of the chemicals used are other examples.

The restoration team at Delhi is drawn from science backgrounds as well as the fine arts, Chemistry is an important subject. Many of them have been trained in art restoration from Delhi's National Museum. An important aspect to be considered is that the changes made in restoring the painting - while they must blend with the aesthetic - should be easily discernible to observers and future generations.

No doubt future generations will have access to even better analysis and preservation techniques. It will be even more interesting then to read the tales these pictures tell.

Kerala signs pact with Intach to preserve State's heritage
The Hindu - Business Line

THE Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) and the State Government today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to protect, conserve and preserve various facets of the State's heritage. Mr S.K. Mishra, Vice-Chairman, Intach, and Mr T. Balakrishnan, Secretary (Tourism), signed the agreement at the inaugural session of a workshop on `Kerala's heritage' organised by Kerala Tourism and Intach.

The MoU envisages, among other things, the creation of a joint `Heritage Task Force' with membership from the State Government, Intach and other experts in the field of conservation. Besides, the MoU declares that Intach will serve as consultant to the State Government on matters relating to heritage. In this advisory role, the organisation will prepare project reports, provide technical assistance, and supervise and monitor Government-supported projects that possess a heritage component.

Intach will also assist in the formulation of heritage regulations for different parts of Kerala, spearhead the listing of the State's architectural heritage and help create more awareness about the need to protect Kerala's heritage. The organisation will also assist Kerala Tourism in the development of sustainable eco-tourism and heritage tourism products.

Earlier, while inaugurating the three-day workshop on `Kerala's heritage', Mr K.V. Thomas, Minister of Tourism Fisheries, pointed out that conserving the State's heritage is an important aspect of Kerala's tourism strategy. The Department of Tourism has launched a number of conservation projects across the State, he added. On the anvil are several conservation projects, including one to preserve and protect ten churches built in the Portuguese style, the Minister said.

Mr Benny Kuriakose, a Chennai-based architect and conservation expert who spoke during the inaugural session, emphasised that conservation is all about finding a new use for old buildings. Conservation and development can go together and the key is to look at construction styles that are based on "sensible" local traditions, he said. Similarly, conservation is not a drain on finances, but is actually a tool to generate revenue, he pointed out.

Echoing this sentiment, Mr Mishra said the need of the hour is to create strategies that reconcile conservation priorities with development needs. While welcoming the gathering, Mr Balakrishnan said the State Government would soon unveil legislation for protecting and preserving the State's cultural heritage.

The three-day workshop will discuss issues such as Kerala's architecture, cuisine, culture and ayurveda.

Study Tour
Agra and Delhi March 2006
- The University of York, Department of Archaeology