AKTC Work in the world

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kmaherali
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A bit of the Cape in searing Mali

February 24 2011 at 11:07am
By Leila Samodien

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Copy of cw Bamako Park fountain

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

A number of paths converge at a fountain in the centre of Bamako Urban Park

In the dry, scorching city of Bamako, Mali, lies a green oasis inspired by Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and designed by Cape Town engineers.

Up until a few months ago – when the Parc National du Mali was officially opened – the land was made up of thickets of woods and vines which had grown out of control.

But about three-and-a-half years ago, a group of Cape Town-based engineers, who formed the core team, were commissioned to revive the area as an urban park.

The 15ha park was based on the model of Kirstenbosch, which has botanical gardens, as well as conservation land and facilities for recreational activities, such as exercising, concerts and festivals.

“We saw the same opportunity in Mali,” said Anthony Wain, director of Planning Partners International, which designed the park. He said the area had a topography and character similar to Kirstenbosch’s.

The park is set in the beautiful Niger River Valley, and beyond the perfectly maintained garden it extends into a wild escarpment of rocks and a natural wooded area.
Copy of cw Bamako park

A leaf shaped garden with a wide variety of local medicinal plants has been created in Bamako Park

INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

The site is part of a 2 000ha fragmented forest – including a patch of classic savannah trees, many of which were previously chopped down for fire wood.

The park had once been a colonial botanical garden, created by the French in the late 1800s; however, it became rundown over the years because of a lack of attention and resources.

The project was commissioned by Mali’s Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which funded the development of the parkland.

After much planning and a lot of intense labour to get the area in shape, the gates were officially opened to the public in September.

Wain said the main aim of the facility was not to attract tourists, but locals.

Bamako is situated not too far from the desert, so generally, it is a dusty, dirty, densely populated and noisy city.

The park, he believed, offers locals a safe, clean and green place to seek temporary refuge from city life.

He said it not only gives them a much-needed reprieve from the heat – the temperature soars well above 40ºC in summer – but also has a range of facilities, such as a children’s playground, a gym, five restaurants, walkways and trails. It also joins up with the National Museum of Mali on one end.

“The area is fenced all the way around and there are even entry control gates, so there’s a lot of infrastructure involved,” said Wain. “Also, most of the equipment we used, such as the irrigation system, was sourced from Cape Town because there’s very little available in Mali. So, it’s very much a Cape Town effort.”

The park has already proven a hit with locals – there are 500 visitors a day on weekdays, with 1 500 a day at weekends and well over 2 000 on festival days.

A key character of the park is that it is also completely self-sustained, which means it doesn’t have to draw valuable resources from the city.

Francois du Plessis, an irrigation engineer and director at MBB in Stellenbosch, said that besides the irrigation system, they’d also installed systems for sewage and waste water treatment.

The water – which was of an excellent drinking quality – is supplied from an existing borehole and four new ones, and is stored in a 40m³ reservoir at the top of the park.

“A dragline sprinkler irrigation system was installed to cover the park’s 9ha cultural core. The benefit of a dragline system is that it is easy to operate, versatile, can be moved and is simple and fairly inexpensive to install and maintain.”

All of the park’s sewage is treated at an on-site bio-filter plant, the parts for which were shipped to Mali from South Africa and assembled there.

“The future sustainability of these services formed the basis of the designs. It was important to implement systems in the park so that it could function independently from the water and sewer services of Bamako, therefore not putting any further strain on the already stressed systems of the city.”

Wain said that despite having to create the park at a “breakneck speed” of 18 months, there were moments that made it all worthwhile.

“Initially we were faced by an impenetrable woodland thicket covered with vines. Untangling and undressing this mass of vegetation was a slow process but eventually revealed a magnificent cluster of baobab trees.

“The canopies of other trees were raised, grass was planted and traditional parkland emerged with a combination of open glades, diverse in scale and character, and offering a variety of pleasant vistas.”

He would not, however, divulge the cost of the project.

There are plans to extend the park to a size of up to 60ha, and to protect the outlying areas of forest and wetland.

leila.samodien@inl.co.za - Sunday Argus

http://www.iol.co.za/travel/world/afric ... -1.1031657
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AKTC involved in an urban renewal program at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti in the heart of Delhi

* March 22, 2011, 9:00 AM IST

Urban Journal: Putting the ‘Public’ in Public Spaces

“This area used to be a dump yard with mounds of waste, unkempt parking and was a haven for gamblers. Today it has transformed into a ‘Parda Bagh’ [Literally, a veiled garden, or women's park], which all of us women can use while our children are in school. We now have a space where we can breathe fresh air in the open.”—Sayeeda Begum, Nizamuddin Basti

Land in a city is divided up into private and public land. But not all public land extends itself into useful public space. We understand that public spaces are meant for public use. However, as planners and architects, we often forget to define who this “public” is.

Yet public space that is designed for “anyone” or “everyone” easily converts itself into public space for “no one.”

Without a context or a purpose, public spaces—usually identified in a city with public parks, although many other kinds of space qualify too—degenerate, and end up occupied and used by people whom no one seems to know or “want” to know. Often these spaces don’t just occur in a poorly designed or a poorly kept physical neighborhood, but also reflect a surrounding society that is psychologically detached from those spaces.

Grappling with that was a particular challenge for the urban renewal program at the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti in the heart of Delhi. The project, begun in 2007, by the Aga Khan Development Network in partnership with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Archaeological Survey of India and the Central Public Works Department, aims to improve the quality of life of the local residents. The work includes efforts to improve local schools and sanitation, provide better health care and create work opportunities, in party by leveraging the area’s medieval heritage.

The biggest challenge we have faced from the beginning is engaging with the community and addressing their needs of physical open space not just by defining how a space should be used, but by identifying and collaborating with the users of that space.

Our starting point for revitalizing the parks in the basti was the people who never use them but live around them—the residents. A qualitative trend analysis of the parks with different stakeholders helped us map the changes in people’s lives over the past few years. It revealed that most of the parks, including some of the largest ones, had not been a part of their lives for perhaps a dozen years, in spite of being right there.

Over that time the spaces experienced the slow process of degeneration till there came a point where it became impossible for a small community of concerned citizens to make a difference in the area. Illegal occupancy, competing ownership claims and a complete free-for-all on use slowly discouraged the most vulnerable—women and children—from using the park.

Prerna Sodhi/The Wall Street Journal
Kesar Jahan, 50, is very excited about the veiled garden. She says it would be the perfect place to catch up with friends after finishing her daily chores.

After a series of consultations, it appeared there was a clear demand for a private and secure open space for the women and young girls, soft play areas for children, a cricket ground for other youngsters, and a multipurpose open ground for public functions. The existing spaces, for the most part, didn’t seem to be able to fulfill any of these roles.

Design ideas and options were then shared with the groups. In our first few options, the designs included “fuzzy boundaries,” where the edges of the parks could also extend themselves to activities intrinsic to the culture—local food vendors and weekly markets. Segregation of parks and streets was achieved through changes in pavement patterns and levels and in some places a low boundary wall that could also be used as seating and allow for a view of the greens as well as of all the activities of the parks. These ideas were then translated into a scale model that was placed in different parts of the basti. The models drew several reactions from residents. Out of these, the following three were the most common:

1. “Where is my house? I hope you have not included it in the park boundary?” (from those living around these parks)

2. I think you have not shown the boundary wall of the parks? What will it be made of?

3. Why have you left space between the parks and the street? We don’t need the vendors and the weekly market is just a one-day affair and can happen on the street!

The focus of the pilot planning effort had shifted completely from the design and use of the parks to their boundaries. When we clarified that that the parks were to look exactly as they were shown—mostly without boundary walls—the reactions were even stronger: “Boundary walls are a must and they have to be put in place.”

The insistence and assertiveness of the residents left little choice for the designer. For most users a sense of security and ownership is critical, and this is especially true for women, children and family groups. In the absence of a cohesive social fabric in a city where individuals and communities from across the country come in search of better livelihoods, feelings of insecurity and of ownership convert themselves into physical elements such as gates and high boundaries.

Prerna Sodhi/The Wall Street Journal
Women visited the garden that is still under construction.

This citywide phenomenon is also true for the small community of Nizamuddin Basti. A broken-down neighborhood fabric is reflected in a physical segregation of space through clearly defined boundary walls that separate public and private (ownership), individual and community and define the limit of “what is mine or my family’s.” The boundary walls also defined the extent of the control that an individual or the community had over a space.

The boundary walls were finally added to the parks as it became evident that that they would help local women develop a sense of ownership towards the parks—as a community rather than just as an individual or a family. A little over a year on from that planning process, the women’s park is nearing completion. Groups of women visit the park to check the progress of the works.

Slowly and steadily the parks are getting their local users back—youth, men, women and children. They are actively expressing their views as a group and the individual claims on park land are fast losing out. Their boundaries of what the neighborhood residents consider “their” space, which earlier only extended to the perimeter of their own homes, are now slowly expanding to also include the open spaces.

What started as a design exercise became a lesson in social change. Two clear user groups emerged—the women and young people who are actively engaging with the renewal program in the overall management and maintenance of these parks. Although the construction works at the space planned to be a cricket ground are still under way, cricket tournaments and basti melas (neighborhood fairs) are now becoming a part and parcel of their lives.

Hopefully tomorrow the high walls will get a little lower, the grills and gates will give way to greens and the notional boundaries of the residents will extend to include the parks, the chowk and the street as well.

Shveta Mathur is an urban planner who focuses on community-driven design. She is presently working with the Aga Khan Development Network on the renewal of New Delhi’s Nizamuddin basti neighborhood. This is the fourth piece in the Urban Journal series.

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011 ... ic-spaces/
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Demolished site to be integrated with Humayun’s Tomb
Hindustan Times
New Delhi, March 31, 2011

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) on Tuesday carried out a large-scale demolition at Batashewala complex adjacent to the Humayun’s Tomb after the agency was handed over the plot following a court case. The 10-acre plot thus cleared would now be developed as a char bagh (Mughal style square lawns with water channels in between) and integrated into the World Heritage Site.

“We would rope in the Aga Khan Trust for Culture for the char bagh and conservation of the two heritage monuments inside it,” said ASI Delhi circle chief KK Muhammed.

For over three decades, the Delhi State Bharat Scout & Guides was occupying the Batashewala complex, falling within 100 metres of the Humayun’s Tomb. It had also carried out lot of unauthorised construction, using it for commercial purposes. It was later sealed by the Supreme Court’s monitoring committee. The scout organisation had challenged the allotment of the land to the ASI but the Delhi high court refused it last week.

During the operation, the ASI demolished a swimming pool and several other structures. HTC

http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed ... 79610.aspx
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Nizamuddin Baoli gets a facelift

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Nizam ... ft/772875/

The 14th Century Nizamuddin Baoli has been at the centre of feverish conservation efforts, involving extensive technical expertise and community support aimed at bringing alive the heritage site.

Built by Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the baoli is being conserved as part of the ‘Humayun’s Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal project’ by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), in partnership with the Central Public Works Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Aga Khan Foundation.

In July 2008, portions of the baoli collapsed, following which extensive repair work had to be carried out. Conservation work on the collapsed portion on the baoli continued through 2010 especially after the relocation of the 19 families who were inhabiting the roof of the baoli, which required urgent repairs.

The families, meanwhile, have been provided alternative plots and houses built by the AKTC.
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A new Nizamuddin


Rakhshanda Jalil
reports on the Aga Khan Trust's bold initiative to restore one of South Asia's most historic neighborhoods


Photos at:
http://www.thefridaytimes.com/08042011/page16.shtml

The area around Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi holds an embarrassment of riches. While the tomb itself has been declared a World Heritage Site, little is known about the centuries-old gems that litter its surroundings. The earliest Islamic palace building in India, the Lal Mahal, built by Ghiyas-ud-din Balban in the 13th century, caused this area to be known as Ghiyaspur. And it was to this Ghiyaspur that the venerable Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya came to stay and built his hospice, known to posterity as Basti Nizamuddin. It was here that he lived and preached a message of love and compassion and came, in turn, to be loved by the people of Delhi as Mehboob-e-Ilahi, the Beloved of God. It was here, too, that he found the rarest of rare disciples, Amir Khusro, and together they witnessed the passing of a turbulent era in the history of this city. The first qawwwalis were composed here and it was here that Khusro handpicked a group of singers – the qawwal bachas – and trained them to sing in a new sort of way. As a mark of syncretism and a celebration of pluralism, Basant came to be celebrated with joy and the whole area decorated with yellow flowers – a practice that continues to this day.

Sultans came and went, dynasties rose and fell but the hospice, the Basti Nizamuddin, flourished. Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya died in 1325 at the venerable age of 87 and Khusro, mad with grief, wrote ‘Gori sowe sej par much pe dare kes/ Chal Khusro ghar apne, rain bhayi pardes’. For seven centuries, the great saint’s dargah continued to be venerated, people continued to flock to his grave, and later also to that of Amir Khusro, who lies buried nearby. Soon a cluster of buildings crowded the space around the dargah. These were the baoli and Jamaat Khana Mosque, Chaunsath Khamba, the grave of Princess Jahanara, Kali Masjid, the tomb of Atgah Khan, the mausoleum of Mirza Ghalib, and a little further away, the Chilla Nizamuddin, the Nila Gumbad, Batashewala Complex, Bu Halima’s garden enclosure, Azim Bagh (now known as the Sundar Nursery), Arab ki Sarai and of course the spectacular buildings inside Humayun’s Tomb complex. With princes and sultans vying to be buried close beside the Sufi saint, soon the area acquired a dense mosaic of Islamic architecture dating from the medieval period to the present times. And with this profusion of building activities came a warren of congested human habitation built around a network of narrow lanes and higgledy-piggledy houses that flouted all building laws and regulations.

It is located in the heart of plush South Delhi and draws pious pilgrims from distant corners of the world, but the Basti Nizamuddin area is now one of the most congested, most under-developed, most poorly-served ghettos in this otherwise prosperous part of the capital. Roadside eateries jostle for space with beggars and milling crowds. Infested by drug lords, its narrow lanes have bred petty criminals and wasted youth who have had little or no options for education, recreation or employment. In this dismal scenario, the Aga Khan Trust (AKT) stepped in to forge a public-private partnership propelled on the twin engines of cultural revival and urban renewal. The AKT and a slew of government agencies have taken the Basti Nizamuddin area under their wing and initiated a remarkable series of small changes, each of which will, hopefully, in the years to come snowball into something meaningful and lasting. What is more, it will hopefully also hold out a template for similar projects in cloistered communities that wear their backwardness like an impenetrable cloak of defeat and nihilism.

In keeping with the objectives of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, which has undertaken several urban renewal projects in the Muslim world, in cities such as Cairo, Kabul, Masyaf, Mostar, Samarkand, etc., the emphasis here is on restoring and maintaining the socio-economic and cultural fabric of a designated area. The idea is to make changes sustainable, that is, historic structures are ‘re-animated’ in the context of on-going social and economic change, rather than as an isolated process. All enabling development factors – community support, innovative institutional structures, and commercial potential – are harnessed to make change durable. Individual project briefs go beyond mere technical restoration to address the questions of the social and environmental context, adaptive re-use, institutional sustainability and training. More importantly, developmental initiatives are not foisted from outside; instead, as Ratish Nanda, the Project Director, says: “Everything happens according to the people’s wishes.”

Like most communities occupying historic spaces, the people of the Basti Nizamuddin area were initially wary of any deviation from a time-honoured way of life. Despite their disenchantment with elected representatives to provide even basic amenities such as schools, dispensaries, parks, libraries, night shelters and livelihood options, the local population was initially sceptical, to say the least. But their scepticism faded when the people realised that the AKT was not in the business of throwing away money; it simply wanted to combine conservation, urban improvements and socio-economic development initiatives to achieve the UN Millennium development goals. Nanda – a highly-trained and experienced conservation architect – stresses that every component of the urban renewal project was conceived to give something back to the people of the community, that even in straightforward conservation the attempt was to involve the local population, train volunteers from the community, and provide market linkages so that the benefits would remain even after the project was completed.

Broadly speaking, the projects undertaken focused on the areas of literacy, livelihood, health, women’s empowerment and environmental sustainability. In simpler words, these took the form of customised projects keeping in mind the peculiar needs of this pocket of urban squalor and neglect in a sea of prosperity and upward mobility. For instance, 400 youths and adults were involved in a programme that included adult education, career counseling, vocational training, and skill enhancement. With a focus on women, this included embroidery and dress design and, through the Insha Crafts Centre set up in August 2010, fostering group savings and group enterprise.

Another 500 families were targeted to reach roughly 1000 children in an Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programme where an existing, poorly-run, ill-attended municipality school was ‘taken over’ and transformed into a model school with state-of-the-art classrooms, trained staff and a whole new approach to imparting education. An English access micro-scholarship programme funded by the US Embassy helps to improve English language skills among 14-16 year olds. A Career Development Centre, operating from four rooms in the School, aims to equip young people with computer skills that will help them enter the formal sector through jobs in retail or the burgeoning BPO industry. A Life Skills module covers those areas usually neglected in formal, structured education such as self-awareness, communication skills, team building, creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making and coping with stress and emotions.

A community health programme addresses the most pressing needs of a local population that has long lived in abysmal conditions. To make the programme truly broad based, while there is a well-equipped dispensary and diagnostic centre there is also a focus on improving the standards of hygiene by imparting education on unhealthy living conditions, poor sanitation, and waste disposal systems. As in the school, an existing, poorly-run municipality clinic was transformed into a polyclinic with a bustling gynae OPD and increased visits by specialist doctors. An outreach programme seeks to enhance the capacity of community health workers and train health volunteers who can go into the community and speak about pressing issues such as water-borne diseases, the spread of malaria and dengue (rampant in such areas) as well as raising awareness about AIDS/HIV.

With infrastructure being the first casualty of an over-crowded and densely-populated area, the AKT identified a slew of urban improvement interventions. Beginning with a master plan for the entire area, repair and upgrading of sewage lines and hygienic access to sanitation facilities for residents and visitors to the dargah went hand in hand with beautification and landscaping plans. Signages, improved street lights, recharge pits and water harvesting systems, open spaces for cricket matches, even an Apni Basti Mela, heritage walks, community toilet complexes and a gymnasium, as well as a string of cultural events have revitalised the stagnant pool that the basti had become. Groups of trained volunteers take visitors on heritage walks, further instilling a sense of pride and ownership. The first Jashn-e-Khusro programme last year showcased the basti’s rich cultural life – film screenings, exhibitions, qawwalis, academic discussions, poetry readings, even a dastangoi performance drew the participation of the city’s chatterati.

A zenana park is about to come up in a place that had been forcibly occupied by squatters; so is a baratghar. Trees, flowers, benches, swings shall shortly replace the notorious adda of rag-pickers and drug peddlers. I come away from the basti with the image of the deaf and dumb, one-armed artist busy making a roadside mosaic from bits of coloured glass. A former drug addict, he has been ‘hired’ by the AKT. In his rehabilitation, I see the first glimmer of hope and dignity that these people have been long denied.

Rakhshanda Jalil writes on issues of culture, community and literature

http://www.thefridaytimes.com/08042011/page16.shtml
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Germany grants €150,000 for conservation of Chausath Khambha in Nizamuddin
Apr 13, 2011

http://www.new-delhi.diplo.de/Vertretun ... Grant.html

View of Chausath Khambha complex Enlarge image View of Chausath Khambha complex (© Aga Khan Trust for Culture)

To support the conservation and restoration of a 16th century Mughal-era tomb in New Delhi, Germany has signed an agreement with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) on 13 April 2011. The Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs is providing a grant of €150,000 over the next two years for the restoration and urban renewal of Chausath Khambha in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin area.

German Ambassador to India Mr. Thomas Matussek and Project Director for the AKTC Mr. Ratish Nanda, signed the agreement. Also present was Mr. Michael Siebert, Deputy Commissioner of the German Year in India.

“The German government is proud and honoured that we can give our humble contribution to the wonderful work that the Aga Khan Foundation is doing to preserve the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of this holy place,” said Ambassador Matussek during the signing ceremony.

During his visit in October 2010, German Foreign Minister Mr. Guido Westerwelle had pledged his ministry’s support to the AKTC in conserving the Chausath Khambha complex. The aim is not only to preserve an important cultural heritage site, but also to provide the local community with a space to hold large-scale events.

This year, Germany and India celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Beginning in September 2011, a Year of Germany in India titled ‘Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities’ is being organised throughout India. The focus of the Year is ‘CitySpaces’ and will deal with all aspects of urban life and development. The Chausath Khambha is an important city space and will be featured prominently. Project Director for the AKTC Mr. Ratish Nanda and German Ambassador to India Mr. Thomas Matussek Enlarge image Project Director for the AKTC Mr. Ratish Nanda and German Ambassador to India Mr. Thomas Matussek (© German Embassy)

Ambassador Matussek added, “The German contribution is not just a financial contribution, but also a very symbolic political contribution. When we start the Year of Germany in India this summer we hope some of the cultural activities can take place here to underline the importance of what we do together.”

Chausath Khambha is the tomb of Mirza Aziz Kokaltash, the great Mughal Emperor Akbar’s foster brother. The tomb was built in the year 1623-24 A.D.

Conservation of Chausath Khambha will be undertaken as part of the Humayun’s Tomb – Sunder Nursery – Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal initiative, a not-for-profit Public Private Partnership project of the Aga Khan Development Network in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Central Public Works Department. The project is the first of its kind to combine conservation with environmental and socio-economic development while working with local communities and stakeholders.

Project Director for the AKTC Mr. Ratish Nanda, Chief Priest of Dargah Nizamuddin Peer Ahmed Nizami, German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek and Deputy Commissioner of the German Year in India Mr. Michael Siebert Enlarge image Project Director for the AKTC Mr. Ratish Nanda, Chief Priest of Dargah Nizamuddin Peer Ahmed Nizami, German Ambassador to India Thomas Matussek and Deputy Commissioner of the German Year in India Mr. Michael Siebert (© German Embassy) Chausath Khambha is so called on account of the 64 columns (Sixty four = Chausath) of the tomb structure. It is a unique structure built entirely of marble and, together with the adjacent tomb of Mirza Ghalib, comprises the largest open space in Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti.

The monument has suffered severe decay due to excessive water seepage and inappropriate repairs works using modern materials, in the 20th century. The water seepage has resulted in the rusting of the clamps, which in turn have severely damaged the marble. Past repairs in nearly every one of the 25 domed cells have included cementing the broken portions, thereby causing further damage and deterioration of the marble.

Conservation works by AKTC will require partial dismantling of the tomb structure and will take 18 months to complete.

*****
Rs 96 lakh German grant for Mughal-era monument
PTI – Wed, Apr 13, 2011 1:17 PM IST


New Delhi, Apr 13 (PTI) Restoration and conservation efforts of Chausath Khamba, a 16th century Mughal-era monument in the national capital has received a boost in the form of a grant of Rs 96 lakhs by Germany.

German Ambassador to India, Thomas Matussek today signed a memorandum of understanding with Aga Khan Trust for Culture for restoration and urban renewal of Chausath Khamba.

"We are giving our own contribution for this holy place of Nizamuddin which has rich spiritual heritage. Religion has extended its peaceful message from this place and we want to conserve this heritage for future generations to see," said German Ambassador, Thomas Matussek.

Praising India''s multi-cultural society, he said,"its an example for Germany as majority of Hindus live in peace and harmony with minorities here. Our country is debating multiculturalism. There is need to interact with different communities. You can not live in islands of isolation."

"We can learn from India as different religions have co-existed here for centuries," he added.

Chausath Khamba is the tomb of Mirza Aziz Kokaltash, the great Mughal emperor Akbar''s foster brother. It was built in 1623-24 AD. The monument has suffered severe decay due to excessive water seepage and inappropriate repair work using modern material in 20th century.

"This is the only Mughal-era building fully made up of marble. Its roof has a lot of deposition of concrete and its foundation has also suffered. It needs full restoration. We expect to complete the work in two years," said Ratish Nanda, Project Director, Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Conservation of the tomb will also be coupled with facade and housing improvement of the surrounding houses. The project is the first of its kind to combine conservation with environmental and socio-economic development while working with the local communities and stakeholders.

"Our main purpose is to improve the quality of life of the people living here. We are making roads, parks and school here. Women are also being trained in handicraft work. In all, we want to revive the culture and spirit of Ghalib and Amir Khusrau," said Nanda.

The project will be undertaken as part of the Humayun''s Tomb-Sunder Nursery-Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban renewal initiative, a not-for-profit public private partnership project of the Aga Khan Development Network in association with the Archaeological Survey of India, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Central Public Works Department. PTI RKM ANS

http://in.news.yahoo.com/rs-96-lakh-ger ... 0-246.html
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Rehabilitation of historic homes in the Walled City of Lahore

The Federal Republic of Germany provided 9.3 million Pakistani rupees in 2010 and 13.5 million Pakistani rupees in 2011 for the conservation and rehabilitation of multi-storeyed residential buildings in the Walled City of Lahore which date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These houses constitute part of Lahore's historic legacy of architecture and are located in two residential lanes close to Delhi Gate, along the classical “Shahi Guzargah” which leads to the Shahi Qila (Lahore Fort).

The German project is embedded in a series of wider-ranging interventions including a loan from the World Bank as well as technical and financial assistance from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture to the Government of Punjab. These interventions entail the upgrading of basic infrastructure as well as façade improvement of buildings in select areas of the Lahore Walled City.

With the historic home improvement project, Germany wishes to contribute to the betterment of living conditions and the reinvigoration of social life in the Lahore Walled City as well as to the conservation of Pakistan's rich urban cultural heritage.

http://www.pakistan.diplo.de/Vertretung ... l?offset=0
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New Delhi

Celebrating the legacy of Mirza Ghalib

Madhur Tankha

NEW DELHI: To mark World Heritage Day, Aga Khan Trust for Culture is celebrating legendary poet Mirza Ghalib's contribution to enrich the Indian culture with an interesting line-up of programmes at India International Centre here this coming Monday.

“The Poet Within: Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti” will see the screening of a special film on the cultural icon. Titled “Mirza Ghalib” (1954), it was made by yesteryears film-maker Sohrab Modi and starred Bharat Bhushan as Ghalib and Suraiya as courtesan. “The film has been procured from the National Film Archives of India, Pune,” said a spokesperson from Agha Khan Trust for Culture.

A play “Life and Works of Mirza Ghalib” by Sair-e Nizamuddin, a youth group of heritage volunteers from Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, will be staged. Interestingly, the play made under the supervision of Agha Khan Trust for Culture will showcase the skills of young performers. They have undergone a series of story-telling and theatre workshops under the guidance of Vatsala Zutshi and Sanyukta Saha.

The play was first performance at the tomb to a select audience on an experimental basis. “Subsequently, the actors were invited by the Ghalib Academy to repeat their performance on the death anniversary of Ghalib on February 15. Our programme at IIC is an effort to bring this initiative of the volunteers to larger audience,” said the spokesperson.

A recital on the legendary poet will be performed by Begum Muneer Khatoon at the Auditorium.

An exhibition on poets titled “Poets within Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti: Mirza Ghalib, Amir Khusrau and Amir Hasan Sijzi” will present six sketches of the artist Sadequain (1930-1987) visualising Ghalib's poetry. It will also display copies of illuminated manuscripts of the Diwan of Amir Hasan Sijzi and of the Khamsa of Amir Khusrau from The Walters Art Museum's Collection.

http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/18/stories ... 290400.htm
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Post by kmaherali »

ULYA MADRASA, KABUL OLD CITY

Following the completion of comprehensive
restoration works, the Ulya madrasa was
handed back in mid-March to representatives
of the Shor Bazaar community in the
Old city of Kabul. The project, part of
AKTC’s multi-year conservation programme
in the Old city of Kabul (See
Newsletter #17, “Road widening in the Old
city’), was undertaken with resources made
available by the US Embassy and included
extensive repairs to the decorated brickwork,
the metal roof, and the two distinctive
rectangular minarets at either end of the
structure. These two three-storey minarets
constitute a visual landmark in the Old City,
showing a characteristic mix of neoclassical
architectural motifs

http://www.akdn.org/publications/2011_a ... an_may.pdf
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US to Fund Mughal Monument Restoration


New Delhi, May 4 (IANS): In an initiative to support preservation of India's rich heritage, outgoing US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer Wednesday inaugurated the final stage of renovation work of a Mughal monument here and also advanced a grant of $50,000 towards the project.

Restoration work at the 16th century monument Sunderwala Burj, in the vicinity of Unesco World Heritage site Humayun's Tomb, is being undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).

"This is a beautiful 16th century Moughal era monument...and also one of our goals is to help the local residents living in the 'basti' (slum). So, with the $50,000 contribution from my fund, we hope to achieve both objectives," Roemer told reporters after laying a stone to mark the beginning of the final stage of renovation.

A total grant of $50,437 (Rs.22 lakh) was given to the Aga Khan Trust from the US Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.

According to the Aga Khan Foundation, the site is part of the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site buffer zone and highlights the contribution of Mughal architecture to Indian culture and heritage.

"The fund is for preserving, restoring and documenting culturally significant sites and traditions. This fund has given approximately $460,000 to preserve more than 10 cultural heritage sites across India," Counselor for Culture at the US embassy Michael Macy told IANS.

"It's one of the key programmes of the US to conserve cultures across the world," he said.

http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_dis ... estoration

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyn ... 686069365/
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The new buzz in Nizamuddin Basti: A gym they can call their own
Sweta Dutta Posted online: Thu May 05 2011, 01:17 hrs



New Delhi : Young college students, housewives and and some serious body-builders trooped into the MCD polyclinic in Nizamuddin Basti to try out the latest range of equipment in the area’s new gym. They checked out the cross-trainers and treadmills and looked forward to a healthy exercise routine starting Thursday, when the gym would open for public use.

The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) planned the facility to fill in the gap of missing open spaces and playgrounds in the area.

“The Basti unfortunately doesn’t have enough playgrounds and open spaces where the residents can go for walks or play. Women in the area are hesitant to go out in the open for walks. Obesity and lack of exercise is leading to various illnesses, especially among the women. They asked me a year ago for a gymnasium,” Farhad Suri, former mayor and area councillor, told Newsline.

The gym will also have a professional instructor.

Surveys showed over 150 men and 60 women in the area were keen to join the gym. “In an effort to make both men and women comfortable, the timings have been kept separate — 6 am to 9 am and 6 pm to 9 pm for men and 2 pm to 5 pm for women,” said Nabeel Khan (21) and Suhaibuddin (23), who helped conduct the survey for AKTC. They also help AKTC conduct its regular heritage walks.

More...

http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/786122/
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Planning continues for the 13-acre park at Burnaby

Mayor gives 2011 State of the City address

By Janaya Fuller-Evans, Burnaby Now April 13, 2011

Excerpt:

In concert with the dredging of Burnaby Lake, plans are proceeding in the Central Valley precinct. The City and the Aga Khan Development Network are continuing to plan and design a new family-oriented park at the 13-acre site on Sprott Street just west of Kensington Avenue. Material dredged from the Burnaby Lake Rejuvenation project is being placed on a site at Kensington and Joe Sakic Way for future recreation amenity development.

I take particular pride in the fact that we recognized that the cleaned Burnaby Lake dredgate would make perfect fill for nearby playing fields. Not only did this save us untold soil-transport trucking costs and the impact on the environment, but it will also enhance our playing field surfaces.

http://www.abbotsfordtimes.com/news/May ... id=4586451
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AKTC's work for preservation of a citadel at Herat

Excerpt:

"The Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture took over the site, which was full of land mines, in 2005 and it took several months just to remove all of them. The ministry worked very closely with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) on the citadel’s preservation. The restoration, which is nearing completion, is the biggest cultural project supported by the US government outside of the US and their contribution is $1.2 million. Qala Ikhtyaruddin will be home to a provincial archaeological museum and archive with funding and technical assistance from the German Archeological Institute and the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin."

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-246217- ... itage.html
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Pages from the diary of a mighty monarch

Babur's document in words, paintings and architecture shows the many facets that made up the life of the Mughal emperor

On a bright winter morning lines of plane trees and immaculately tended rose bushes fall away down terraces where men crash out on carpets and sheepish young couples sit as close together as they dare. The plants are fed by a central water channel, the signature feature of a Mughal garden. Below is the brown smog of Kabul; beyond, snowy mountains.

The tomb of Babur, the first Mughal emperor, blasted and pock-marked during the civil war of the 1990s, has been lovingly restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Some visitors come because it is now Kabul's most tranquil public space; some because Babur is emerging as an unlikely national hero in a country short of leaders worth admiring. People pray at the foot of his low, simple grave. One enthusiast sacrifices a buffalo to him every year and distributes the meat to the gardeners who tend the place.

More....
http://gulfnews.com/about-gulf-news/al- ... h-1.753355
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Humayun's tomb in Delhi gets makeover to former splendour

Sixteenth century Mughal mausoleum to be restored to original state


The stone plinth being re-laid at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, which sits over the graves of India’s second Mughal Emperor Humayun, his wife Hamida and five Mughal princes including Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan.

Image 1 of 2
http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/hu ... r-1.822592

New Delhi: Early in the morning, a posse of nearly 100 masons troop in with their chisels to recast the weathered stones and crumbling lime facades of the 16th century mausoleum of Mughal emperor Humayun, a family tomb, which is home to 160 graves.

The tomb, one of the country's first garden mausoleums and a Unesco World Heritage Site, is getting a makeover to resemble its original state with a unique not-for-profit private-public conservation project partnered by the Agha Khan Trust for Culture, the Dorabji Tata Trust and the Archaeological Survey of India.

"At the core of the structural renovation project is the restoration of 42 arched bays on the enclosure (outer ramparts) of the tomb which had collapsed with time, and 68 arched alcoves at a lower level," said Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and project director of the Aga Khan Trust For Culture.

"The stonework of the terrace and the elevated plinth in the forecourt have been relaid," he said.

Resting place for royals

The tomb was known to be have been commissioned by Humayun's wife Hamida or Haji Begum, who is also entombed in the mausoleum along with five Mughal princes, including Dara Sikoh. It was built by Persian architect Mirat Mirza Ghiyath.

The three-year renovation project of the tomb began with a memorandum of understanding in 2007. The flowing water channels were rebuilt in the original slope gradient and a large rain water harvesting system, coupled with desilting of Mughal wells, brought the garden back to original, Nanda said.

"We planted 2,500 trees and plants like mango, lemon, Neem, hibiscus and pomegranate, which were favoured by the Mughals," Nanda said.

The red-and-white tomb cast in sandstone and marble, built during 1565-72 AD on the bank of the Yamuna, is typical of the symmetrical Timurid architecture. It is enclosed by high walls on the northern, southern and western sides.
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For Humayun’s sake, Samarkand comes to Delhi with a secret
Sweta Dutta,Sweta Dutta Posted: Jun 26, 2011 at 0124 hrs

New Delhi In sultry Delhi, 61-year-old Namandjon Mavlyanov finds the weather unbearable and the food strange. But nothing distracts him when he is at work, running his fingers through soil and shaking chemicals to get that “exact” shade, one that befits the tomb of Emperor Humayun whose ancestors came from Namandjon’s homeland.

After weeks of experiments with clay, quartz, types of soil and chemicals, a team of three artisans and an architect from Uzbekistan, have finally been able to recreate the five shades of tiles that the Mughals originally used on Humayun’s Tomb.

But why call in the Uzbeks? Because the tomb of Humayun, commissioned by his wife Hamida Banu Begum a few years after he fell to death in 1556, was modelled on Gur-e Amir, the mausoleum of his ancestor Timur in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The tilework is a complex, traditional art form in Uzbekistan, passed down generations.

So from the time they arrived in Delhi this February, architect Farkhod Bagirov and craftsmen Namandjon Mavlyanov, Kurbon Melikov and Bakhodurkhuja Rakhmatov have been working with the local conservation team to get those exact shades of green, lapis blue, turquoise blue, yellow and white on the tiles.

“The artisans have picked up the skill from their forefathers and have over 40 years of experience in traditional tile-making. We have worked at the historic sites of Registan Square in Samarkand, Gur-e-Amir,

Bibi Khanum Mosque. But working here is a new challenge altogether. It is an overwhelming experience to recreate what the great rulers had originally made,” Farkhod told The Sunday Express.

As part of a larger urban renewal project in the greater Nizamuddin area, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is undertaking conservation works on the World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and co-funding from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

Though craft traditions survive in India, AKTC discovered that the tile-making tradition of the Mughals had long been abandoned. A persistent research programme saw craftsmen being called from Uzbekistan and experimenting for six months.

Having found the exact composition, the team is now passing on the knowledge to craftsmen from the local Nizamuddin community to produce tiles that match the original tiles in every respect.

The Uzbek craftsmen will head home once the process for mass production is in place. Officials estimate it could take up to two years to produce all the hand-made tiles in the two kilns, set up in a remote corner of the site.

Local youths being trained in tile production will be engaged in the conservation works and provided micro-finance to set up establishments. “The considerable effort will not only result in restoring the grandeur of this most significant of Mughal buildings but also resurrect a craft tradition that has been sadly lost in the last generation. Local youths being trained in the craft receive much economic benefit,” said Ratish Nanda, Project Director, AKTC.

Though the production cost will be less than Rs 2 lakh, over Rs 30 lakh has been spent on research, documentation, consultation and peer review in an effort to find the best conservation solution.

The process began with physical and chemical analysis at different laboratories worldwide including Oxford University, Barcelona, IIT Roorkee, Iran and Uzbekistan. The technique in Uzbekistan was found to be the closest to the original process.

In April 2009, a joint workshop with UNESCO had seen 40 experts from nine tile-producing Asian countries debating the best solution.

“In keeping with best conservation practices, it was agreed at the outset that no tile will be removed, even where the glaze has been lost. New tiles, matching the original, needed to be prepared only for portions of the domed canopies covered with cement,” said Sangeeta Bais, AKTC conservation architect.

B R Mani, ASI Additional Director General, said: “Ceramic tiles were both decorative and protective. The long research and discussion on tile-restoration at Humayun’s Tomb will not only feed the National Conservation Policy being prepared at the ASI but will hopefully be used as a basis for conservation work elsewhere in the Islamic world.”

http://www.expressindia.com/story_print ... yId=808750
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Aga Khan Trust helps restore 16th century tomb
Submitted by admin4 on 19 July 2011 - 6:26pm


Indian Muslim

By IANS,

New Delhi : The Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century mausoleum adjacent to Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb, has been given a major facelift by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the US embassy funding and support of the Archaeological Survey of India.

The mausoleum, part of the Humayun's tomb complex, was restored at a cost of $50,000 from the American Ambassador's Fund for Culture Preservation and a matching grant of the Aga Khan Trust, said conservation architect Ratish Nanda, who head the trust's projects in India.

The trust is also spending in excess of $10 million to landscape the Sunder nursery surrounding the tomb as part of its Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative.

"Though protected, the Sunderwala Burj had lost its original architectural and historic character due to inappropriate repairs using modern materials such as cement," nanda told IANS.

"The actual conservation was preceded by an exhaustive documentation, including a 3D laser scan, that revealed the striking patterns on the ceiling, original polychromy layers and the original extent of the building plinth," Nanda said.

The white and red contrast, one of the favourite colour palettes of the Mughal builders, has been restored with "white lime mortar mixed with marble dust and egg white ground by hand for months," he said.

The tomb is unique for its ornamental ceiling inscribed with floral motifs and scripts seen in Kashmiri and Persian wooden ceilings, he said.

"The ceiling had suffered extensive damage because of water seepage," Nanda said.

A band of Quranic inscription circling the inner wall surfaces of the mausoleum just over the doorway has been carefully recorded and is being restored by calligraphers from the adjoining Nizamuddin 'basti', the architect said.

More than 100 master craftsmen were engaged for nine months to restore missing portions of the ornamentation and replace cement plaster layers with lime mortar, he said.

"Local youth from the adjoining community at Nizamuddin were trained in building craft traditions to help restore the tomb," Nanda said.

Conservation work should aim to restore the intention of the original builders by engaging master craftsmen, and thus create employment and help keep craft skills alive, he added.

http://twocircles.net/2011jul19/aga_kha ... _tomb.html
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Sunderwala Burj

The Conservation of Sunderwala Burj is part of the larger Humayun’s Tomb – Sunder Nursery – Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal project, a not-for – profit Public Private Partnership between the Archaeological Survey of India, Central Public Works Department, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Aga Khan Development Network.

HISTORY With exquisitely ornamented plasterwork on the ceilings, unique in Delhi, this early 16th century building is amongst the earliest building built during the Mughal reign and stands within the World Heritage Site Buffer Zone.

CONDITION
The Sunderwala Burj suffered severe decay to the decorative plasterwork due to water seepage from the terrace. 20th century and later repair works using modern materials such as cement had adversely affected the original architectural integrity and caused further deterioration.

STUDIES Conservation works undertaken with AFCP grant, were preceded with a year long programme of scientific investigation, material and architectural documentation by the ASI- AKTC team. The architectural study was coupled with a focused archival research programme, Structural analysis by a UK based consultant, High definition survey using 3D laser scanning equipment, detailed condition mapping and GPRS (Ground Penetrating Radar Survey) of the site– all aimed at making this a model conservation project in the Indian context.


Conservation Works

As part of the ongoing project the U.S. Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation is funding the conservation of Sunderwala Burj. On 4-May 2011, the U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer laid the first sandstone slab on the floor that will mark the beginning of the final phase of works.
The conservation works followed a systematic and scientific approach. All works carried out using traditional materials, craft techniques and tools my master craftsmen who have inherited craft skills. Works have been supervised by a multi-disciplinary team comprising Conservation architects, engineers, material scientists and archaeologists.
CEILING
The most significant of the building element, approximately 15% of the ceiling that was lost has been carefully restored. The remaining portion was carefully stabilised and cleaned to reveal its original glory.
WALLS
Large portion of cement plaster t the internal and external walls and even the dome surface was carefully removed to retard further deterioration. This was replaced with lime plaster prepared with traditional additives such as gur, belgriri, sand and brick dust. Red polychromy was visible even prior to conservation works but greater portionhs were revealed during the cleaning process. Matching the interior surfaces and the external contrast of the Humayun’s Tomb, the final white and red surfaces have been restored with several ‘protective coats’ of lime plaster with the natural geru added for the red polychromy. No paint has been used – significant since with the use of traditional materials the patina will return within a few monsoons.
STONE LATTICE SCREEN
The four arched openings over the doorways originally had sandstone lattice screens which seem to have been removed in the 20th century for the antique market. To respect the original design intention and secure the interiors from birds, sandstone screens carved with traditional tools and master craftsmen have been restored to the arched openings.
PLINTH
Archival photographs, Ground Penetrating Radar survey revealed the extent of the plinth which will be clad with sandstone and afford great views to the surrounding areas and even to Humayun’s Tomb.
LANDSCAPE WORKS
Together with the conservation works, in order to enhance the historical character AKTC is undertaking landscaping in partnership with the CPWD. The plinth is surrounded by an almost equally deep enclosed garden.

PERSIAN PATTERNS emerge in Burj revival
Aga Khan Trust helps restore the Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century tomb

http://www.nizamuddinrenewal.org/index. ... Itemid=218
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Post by kmaherali »

Community approach to rehabilitation of historic district
Hugo Massa
Thu, 11/08/2011 - 19:07

For nearly 12 years, the Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has been leading an exemplary development initiative in the historic neighborhood of Al-Darb Al-Ahmar (ADAA) in Cairo.

An overview of this unprecedented experience in Egypt highlights issues of sustainable development practices in general, with a special focus on historical districts.

Al-Darb Al-Ahmar is a popular neighborhood part of historic Cairo. It surrounds Al-Azhar Park on its western edge, an area where a 1.5 kilometer long portion of an Ayyubid wall was revealed by the removal of accumulated rubble.

Home to roughly 100,000 residents, the area is considered one of the poorest parts of Islamic Cairo. A 2003 baseline survey of ADAA revealed that the average monthly income per household was LE500 and that 70 per cent of the population was living under the poverty threshold.

More...

http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/485515
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Post by kmaherali »

16th century mausoleum gets a facelift

The Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century mausoleum in New Delhi, has been given a makeover by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture with financial support from the US ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation.

It was restored at a cost of $50,000 and a matching grant by the Aga Khan Trust, conservation architect Ratish Nanda, who heads the trust's projects in India, said on Friday.

The mausoleum is located in the midst of the lush Sunder nursery adjacent to Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb. It is a part of the Humayun's tomb complex.

Nanda visited the restored tomb on Friday with United States charge d'affaires Peter Burleigh to assess the restoration work.

The trust is also spending more than $10mn to landscape the Sunder nursery as part of its Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative, which aims to benefit communities living in and around the complex, Nanda said.

"The actual conservation was preceded by an exhaustive documentation, including a 3D laser scan that revealed the striking patterns on the ceiling, original polychromy (colours) layers and the original extent of the building plinth," Nanda said.

The tomb is unique for its ornamental ceiling inscribed with floral motifs and scripts seen in Kashmiri and Persian wooden ceilings, he said.

A band of Quranic inscription circling the inner wall surfaces of the mausoleum just over the doorway has been carefully recorded and is being restored by calligraphers from the adjoining Nizamuddin 'basti' or slums, the architect said.

More than 100 master craftsmen were engaged for nine months to restore missing portions of the ornamentation and replace cement plaster layers with lime mortar, he said.

"Local youth from the adjoining community at Nizamuddin were trained in building craft traditions to help restore the tomb," Nanda said.

http://www.cityjournal.in/Newspaper/201 ... yle_2.html
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Come, Khusro, let us go home August 2011
By Rakhshanda Jalil
New life in Basti Nizamuddin.


Can culture become a catalyst for development? Can a living culture – that spans seven centuries – be transformed into an engine of growth and regeneration? Can a blend of music, ritual, food, crafts and local traditions be harnessed to improve the quality of life? Can a local community that has, despite occupying the beating heart of a much-venerated spiritual space, be made to shed some of its isolation? Can the effects of long years of disempowerment and disenfranchisement be remedied through confidence-building and inclusive growth plans? Going by preservation and resuscitation work currently taking place in the Basti Nizamuddin area of New Delhi, such goals seem to be entirely possible. A slew of recent initiatives in the vicinity of the Nizamuddin dargah has shown that cultural revival and urban renewal can become two sides of the same coin of development.

More....
http://www.himalmag.com/component/conte ... -home.html
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AKTC Receives 2011 UNESCO Award for Culture Heritage Conservation

Please also see: Photographs
http://www.akdn.org/Content/1068/AKTC-R ... nservation

The 900-year-old fort, which received a 2011 UNESCO Culture heritage award, is an important cultural monument and tourist attraction.Bangkok, 1 September 2011 - The restoration of Altit Fort in Pakistan, an Aga Khan Trust for Culture project undertaken by the Aga Khan Cultural Service, has received an Award of Distinction at the 2011 UNESCO Asian-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

Conservation works for the 900-year-old Altit Fort focused on mending structural defects, stabilising and repairing existing walls, replacing some roofs, treating wood decay and providing appropriate lighting.

“The Award of Distinction winner Altit Fort in Hunza, Pakistan represents yet another step forward in the model of community-based conservation practice that has been evolving in the body of work of the Aga Khan Cultural Service of Pakistan,” says the UNESCO Citation. “Meticulous historical research and scientific investigation informed the conservation work, which successfully tackled a complex array of problems. Today the building has regained its iconic place in the Hunza Valley and now serves as a beacon to inspire future generations.”

A unique aspect of the work was that the village at the base of the fort was restored before the fort. The village had been in danger of becoming deserted in favour of new construction; a third of its residents had already moved away. Because the new construction was using up valuable arable land, conservation efforts at Altit proceeded in reverse order: the village rehabilitation before the Fort. The introduction of water and sanitation facilities proved vital to the revitalisation of the traditional settlement.

The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation present the awards in the belief that “recognising private efforts to restore and adapt historic properties will encourage other property owners to undertake conservation projects within the community, either independently or by seeking public-private partnerships”.

Since 2002, AKTC has received a number of conservation awards, including several previous UNESCO Culture Heritage Conservation awards. Please see Awards for more information.

For more information about the UNESCO award, please see the UNESCO website.

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The Aga Khan Music Initiative and Al Mawred Al Thaqafy Bring Together Arab and Central Asian Musicians at Sixth Remix Music Workshop in Aswan

http://www.akdn.org/Content/1073

Abdallah Abo Zekry from Egypt and Sirojiddin Juraev from Tajikistan, two of the musicians collaborating in the sixth Remix Music Workshop in Aswan, Egypt.Abdallah Abo Zekry from Egypt and Sirojiddin Juraev from Tajikistan, two of the musicians collaborating in the sixth Remix Music Workshop in Aswan, Egypt.Aswan, 18 September 2011 - The Aga Khan Music Initiative and Al Mawred Al Thaqafy (Culture Resource) launched the Sixth Remix music workshop and tour under the leadership of Egyptian music director Fathy Salama and Lebanese composer and oud player Charbel Rouhana.

Daily workshop and creative exchange sessions will take place in Aswan until 28 September. Two concerts featuring the Remix 2011 musicians will be performed, the first in Aswan on Friday, 30 September at the Open Air Theatre at Cornish El Nil, and the second, on 1 October at the El Genaina Theatre in Cairo’s Al-Azhar Park.

Remix 2011 offers a crucible for creative encounters among young musicians and composers from the Arab world and Central Asia—regions whose cultural links go back more than a millennium. During the workshop sessions, participants seek to reassemble diverse expressions of a shared musical heritage in contemporary forms. This artistic aim complements the broader goals of both Al Mawred and the Aga Khan Music Initiative, whose mission is to strengthen cultural pluralism in Central Asia and the Arab world.

Remix 2011 involves 17 participants from eight countries: Abdallah Abo Zekry, Ahmed Nazmi, Mohamed Sawah, Nada Ahmed and Wael Elfashny from Egypt; Firas Hassan, Kinan Idnawi, Bassel Rajoub, Rebal Alkhodri, and Salah Nameq from Syria; Badiaa Bou Hreizi from Tunisia; Ali Shaker from Iraq; Homayun Sakhi and Salar Nader from Afghanistan; Raouf Islamov from Azerbaijan; Sirojiddin Juraev from Tajikistan; and Abbos Kosimov from Uzbekistan.

Remix 2011 Music Director Fathy Salama is a Grammy Award-winning composer, arranger, producer, and pianist who has performed on prestigious concert and festival stages throughout the world with Sharkiat, the group that he founded and presently leads. Salama shares the artistic direction of Remix 2011 with acclaimed Lebanese composer and oud player Charbel Rouhana, whose eight CDs showcase his multifaceted career as a composer, arranger, musician and singer. Rouhana has toured and performed with many notable musicians, among them the legendary Marcel Khalife.

Remix 2011 is organized by Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy) in collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initative (www.akdn.org/music), a nine-country music and arts education programme with worldwide performance, outreach, mentoring and production activities. Launched to support talented musicians and music educators working to preserve, transmit, and further develop their musical heritage in contemporary forms, the Music Initiative began its work in Central Asia and subsequently expanded to include musicians and artistic communities from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

For more information or press interviews please contact:

Sam Pickens
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
Tel. +41 22 909 7200
Email: info@akdn.org
Website: www.akdn.org/music

******
Sixth Remix Music Workshop

http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=98226
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Lunch with BS: Ratish Nanda
Building on heritage
Rajiv Rao / New Delhi October 4, 2011, 0:09 IST

One of India’s most important architects on how inclusive conservation can be both an important developmental tool and mean cash for the government.

http://business-standard.com/india/news ... da/451308/

Ratish Nanda, project director at the Aga Khan Foundation and arguably India’s most important architect, beats me by reaching Blanco – a Khan Market restaurant in south Delhi – a few minutes ahead of me and has picked a nice window table for us. He’s dressed in his trademark kurta, with an equally trademark ink-pen sticking out of his front pocket, the hallmark of someone who writes or sketches for a living, says Rajiv Rao.

We exchange pleasantries and order fresh-lime sodas. Nanda looks around apprehensively as if he’s being stalked. Once he finds out that this is a feature on him, he becomes even more nervous about the lunch. When I mention that I need a photograph from him for the sketch-artist, he’s about to bolt out of the door.

Somehow, we settle down and almost immediately start chatting about his project: revitalising three of Delhi’s most-treasured sites, Humayun’s Tomb, Nizamuddin basti and Sunder Nursery into one unique heritage precinct. I tell Nanda that my wife and I, just a few weekends ago, took our kids to Humayun’s tomb and it was a fabulous experience, with its lush Mughal gardens and waterworks, liberating our trapped urban souls with its sheer size, greenness and grandeur.

I’ve said the right thing apparently since Nanda sheds his inhibitions, whips out a pen and notebook and elegantly begins sketching the inner sanctum of the tomb with firm, concise strokes. The project is the first privately-funded restoration of a World Heritage Site in India, he tells me, spearheaded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and in collaboration with several state agencies, including the Archaeological Survey of India, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Central Public Works Department. This kind of public-private partnership is the future of conservation, he says.

We decide to order. Nanda says he eats anything, having spent four years in Afghanistan working on Babur’s tomb. Since the menu doesn’t feature roast goat, we stick to prawn and fish: I go for the Spanish prawn skillet with a hint of basil, Nanda suggests a Goan fish-curry and we both hone in on a crispy red snapper in thai chilli-sauce.

Nanda sketches out the basic issues that confront his field today. “Our heritage is disappearing bit by bit, but this is somehow not a scandal,” he says. In Britain, Nanda points out, there are 600,000 protected buildings versus a paltry 7,000 in India. However, the British had a mummified approach to conservation in India, he says, which failed. “It completely ignored the local population,” he adds.

Nanda’s – or should I say the Aga Khan Foundation’s – work in the Nizamuddin basti is an example of the rewards of an alternative approach. The landscaping of the Chaunsath Khamba complex, for instance, the largest open space in the basti, has been re-configured as an open-air theatre, attracting both local residents and citizens from all over Delhi. “Until local communities can enjoy it and benefit from our heritage, it is of no use,” says Nanda.

Then there’s the issue of local craftsmanship — age-old traditions and material that we have totally abandoned. “Why are we building with glass and steel?” asks Nanda. I mention Jeb Brugmann, author of Welcome to the Urban Revolution, whom I met a few years ago and who talks about the Indian infatuation with aping Western structures that has sidelined traditional design concepts, like the “chowk”, which are far more suited to the Indian way of life. Nanda couldn’t agree more.

“Why aren’t we using sandstone?” asks Nanda. “Our craftsmen need to get work but our architects don’t know how to use tile work. The consequence is that the ceramic tile trade has died out and the same applies to stone craftsmen and even certain kinds of masons.” This is something Nanda says the foundation is trying to revive, especially when renovating structures like Humayun’s tomb.

The food arrives. The Spanish shrimp is surprisingly good – though small – the basil, a subtle touch and the red and green peppers nice and crunchy. The Goan fish-curry is decent, but nothing more. Nanda and I are hungry so we stop talking and attack with single-minded purpose.

After some spirited gorging, we lean back, wipe the sweat of our brow, and get back to the business at hand. Nanda, a Delhi boy who went to Modern and was a gold medallist at the School of Habitat Studies where he did his BA, once again emphasises that conservation needs to step out of its isolation and become sustainable. “Heritage is actually the only asset that locals have,” he says. The Aga Khan’s projects in basti Nizamuddin bear this out. Hundreds of youth and adults have been involved in a programme that included adult education, career counselling, vocational training and skill enhancement. The project has also improved streetlights, rebuilt water-harvesting systems, built open spaces for cricket games and community toilet complexes.

Clearly, culture can be a tool for development. But heritage also makes good business sense. “There has been a 1,000 per cent increase in ticket sales in just four months of Humayun’s Tomb being opened,” says Nanda. Meanwhile, we’ve dug into the Red Snapper and something seems rotten in the state of Delhi. I have a chat with one of the servers. Oh, that’s how Snapper is, he tells me confidently, with a broad grin. Both Nanda and I inform him gently that we both cook, buy fish regularly at the INA market and that it would be a good idea to remove the offending plate and tell the chef to check his batch before someone keels over, never to wake up again. The plate vanishes.

Wrapping up, I ask Nanda for what he thinks we need in India for conservation to succeed. Understand that conservation is cash, especially when it comes to the linkages between tourism and our economy, he says. “Instead we look at it as a burden rather than an economic asset,” he adds. I pay and we both leave, but not before I’ve secured a private tour of Nizamuddin from the man who brought it to life.
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A Celebration of the Poetry and Music of Pakistan in Paris

Co-presented by Théatre de la Ville and the Aga Khan Music Initiative

Paris, 7 October 2011 -- The Aga Khan Music Initiative and Théatre de la Ville team continue their three-year partnership with a two-day celebration of Pakistani music and poetry at the Théatre de la Ville in Paris on the 8th and 9th of October 2011.

The weekend, featuring 20 Baluchi, Sindhi and Pashtun musicians and poets, will begin with readings of the folk stories and popular poetry of the nomads of Baluchistan. Sindhi master of the double flute Akbar Khamisu Khan will be accompanied on dholak by Mohamed Khan. Baluchi musicians include Mohammad Bashir and the singer Nawab Khan. Zarsanga, the queen of Pushtun music, will recite love poems called landays and other nomadic kuchi songs accompanied by her son Shahzad on tabla and Muhabat Khan on rubab. On 9 October, the vibrant Sufi poetry tradition will be explored. Through music and stories, the programme will highlight Sufi poetry’s function as a means of invoking and connecting with the transcendent. A special focus will be on the Qawwali tradition inspired by Hazrat Amir Khusraw and made famous by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at a Théatre de la Ville concert in 1985.

A full programme is available at: http://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/

The Aga Khan Music Initiative (www.akdn.org/music) is a nine-country music and arts education programme, with a worldwide performance and production activities. Launched in 2000 by His Highness the Aga Khan to support talented musicians and music educators who are striving to preserve, transmit, and further develop their musical heritage in contemporary forms, the Music Initiative began its work in Central Asia, eventually expanding to include musicians and artistic communities from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Since its inception, the Initiative has helped musicians, music educators and grassroots cultural strategists to recast musical traditions of the Silk Route in contemporary forms and contexts rooted in local cultural heritage.

For more information, please contact:

Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI)
Fairouz R. Nishanova Director, AKMICA
Aga Khan Trust for Culture
P.O. Box 2049 1211
Geneva 2 Switzerland
E-mail: akmi@akdn.org

or

Theatre de la Ville
Jacqueline Magnier
Presse & Documentation
Tél: 01.48.87.84.61
Fax:01.48.87.81.15
16,Quai de Gesvres
75180 Paris Cedex04
Email: jmagnier@theatredelaville.com

http://www.akdn.org/Content/1082/A-Cele ... n-in-Paris
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Dust lifts from medieval grandeur
Richi Verma, TNN Oct 24, 2011, 06.45AM IST

It's a crumbling edifice of serenity at the entrance of the majestic Humayun's Tomb. But despite its intrinsic splendour, Isa Khan's tomb has always remained in the blind spot of visitors to this 16th century world heritage site.

Poor maintenance and lack of awareness about the tomb's significance in the city's architectural legacy contribute to the general lack of interest. But all of this will change after the launch of an intensive conservation programme.

In about six months from now, the tomb will don a new look with new pathways, lush green lawns and original ornamental patterns. Already, several layers of earth in the garden that surrounds the tomb have been removed and interiors scraped clean of dust and soot.

The project began on January this year as part of the Humayun's Tomb-Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture ( AKTC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) teamed up to implement it. The World Monuments Fund is also chipping in with funds.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes ... han-s-tomb
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Kronos opens doors to brave new worlds

Ensemble performing with Afghan trio at Chan Centre

By John Goodman, North Shore News October 28, 2011


- Kronos Quartet with Homayun Sakhi Trio, Chan Shun Concert Hall at UBC's Chan Centre, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. Concert presented in collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

More....

http://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/Kro ... story.html

http://www.chancentre.com/whats-on/kron ... sakhi-trio

*****
Quartet in talks to do more with Aga Khan foundation


North Shore News October 28, 2011


North Shore News: When did you meet Alim Qasimov?

David Harrington: I think it was about 1995 or '96 in London. His singing just blew me away. I've known of his work for a long time and it wasn't until several years ago that we were actually able to finally work together.

North Shore News: When you work with Qasimov is his daughter and ensemble part of the package?

David Harrington: Initially when we were working out the pieces he had two musicians with him. Fargana was not there. We did a performance in San Francisco and he sang all the parts - pretty amazing - but then when we did the world premiere in London his full ensemble and Fargana were there and in all of the concerts it's been them together. I think she's totally amazing as well. She's just a great artist.

North Shore News: Do you have any further projects planned with the Aga Khan foundation?

David Harrington: We've been talking about something but it's a little too early to announce it. If it happens the way I think it will happen it's going to be really cool and very exciting. Don't forget to mention that in Vancouver we're playing one of Canada's most wonderful composers Nicole Lizée. Her piece "Death to Komische" - in fact we're playing it tonight here in Melbourne. It's a fantastic piece it's really fun and uses vintage technology better than any piece I've ever heard. We're anxious for Nicole to continue writing for us.
© Copyright (c) North Shore News

http://www.nsnews.com/Quartet+talks+mor ... story.html
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His Highness the Aga Khan Tours Delhi Urban Renewal Project

http://www.akdn.org/photos_show.asp?Sid=185

Please also see Related Material:
Delhi Urban Renewal Project
Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme

New Delhi, India, 30 October 2011 - His Highness the Aga Khan toured the Humayun’s Tomb - Sunder Nursery - Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project, in the heart of Delhi, India, to review progress on the project. Following the successfully restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb gardens in 2004, the Urban Renewal Project has expanded to encompass restoration and socioeconomic projects in Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti and the transformation of Sunder Nursery into a park for the people of Delhi.

His Highness the Aga Khan reviews plans for the Humayun’s Tomb - Sunder Nursery - Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project. - Photo: AKDN

His Highness the Aga Khan tours works on fountains and water channels in the Sunder Nursery. - Photo: AKDN

His Highness the Aga Khan reviews restoration work in the garden pavilion in Sunder Nursery. - Photo: AKDN
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AKTC Launches Guidebook of Humayun’s Tomb for Children

Let's Explore Humayun’s TombDelhi, 22 November 20011 -- Humayun’s Tomb, one of India’s 26 World Heritage Sites, is visited by over 300,000 school children every year. But until recently, they did not have a child-friendly guide book to the site.

With the launch of “Let’s Explore Humayun’s Tomb”, that is set to change. The guidebook, authored by Dr Narayani Gupta and illustrated by Ms Anitha Balachandran on behalf of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, was printed with support by the Ford Foundation. Over 60,000 copies – 30,000 each in Hindi and English – have been published by the Archaeological Survey of India.

On the occasion of the book’s launch, India’s Minister of Culture, Kumari Selja, said, “I hope the guidebook will help involve children in the preservation effort from an early age and inspire many of them to become archaeologist, architects, and historians as we need many more people to become involved in protecting and presenting India’s built heritage or at least to be concerned about protecting what our ancestors built before us.”

AKTC has been working at the Humayun’s Tomb site for over a decade. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Indian independence, AKTC decided to sponsor the restoration of Humayun’s Tomb Gardens - a four-part paradise garden (chahâr-bâgh) – in what was the first privately funded restoration of a World Heritage Site in India. Completed in March 2004 through the joint efforts of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), under the aegis of the National Culture Fund, the project restored the gardens, pathways, fountains and water channels surrounding Humayun’s Tomb according to the original plans of the builders.

Following the successfully restoration of the Humayun’s Tomb gardens, AKTC began work on a more ambitious project to improve the quality of life in surrounding areas. The Humayun’s Tomb - Sunder Nursery - Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project, which began in 2007, integrates conservation, socioeconomic development and urban and environmental development objectives in consultation with local communities and relevant stakeholders. The non-profit partnership includes the Archaeological Survey of India, the Central Public Works Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Since its inception, the project has attracted additional partners and received co-funding from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, Ford Foundation, World Monuments Fund, Sir Ratan Tata Trust, the Embassy of the United States, J.M. Kaplan Fund, amongst others.

For more information, please see the Historic Cities page and the independent Nizamuddin Renewal site.

http://www.akdn.org/Content/1099/AKTC-L ... r-Children

*******

Bringing children closer to heritage
Staff Reporter


On the occasion of Children's Day, the Archaeological Survey of India along with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture released a children's guidebook to the world heritage site Humayun's Tomb here on Monday. The book is intended to encourage children to take interest in the city's heritage.

The book was prepared by the Trust and published by ASI and is part of the Humayun's Tomb – Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Project, a not-for-profit public-private partnership initiative. Written in a story format along with illustrations, the book explains how the 450-year-old monument was built.

Authored by eminent historian Narayani Gupta and illustrated by Anitha Balachandran, it is the first site-specific guidebook in India.

“Humayun's Tomb is one of India's 26 World Heritage Sites and is visited by over 300,000 school children every year,” said Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja releasing the book at Humayun's Tomb at a ceremony attended by 500 children from nearly 15 schools of the Capital.

The book includes interesting facts about the World Heritage Site.

Priced at an affordable Rs.50, the book will be available at the tomb and other ASI centres in Hindi and English. Over 30,000 copies have been published so far. Said ASI Director-General Dr. Gautam Sengupta: “This book is the first in a series planned as part of celebration of ASI's 150 years of existence. The next one will be about a heritage site near Chennai.”

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Del ... 629441.ece
Last edited by kmaherali on Thu Nov 24, 2011 5:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Nizamuddin Basti women got what they wanted, a gym

Shah Jehan is mostly occupied with household work and even though she looked forward for some personal time, she couldn’t. Besides, in the absence of a dedicated place for women in her area, the housewife from Nizamuddin Basti had no choice.

Most of the burqa-clad women like Shah Jehan who are shy to speak to others, their homes packed with people, and living in the narrow congested lanes of the Basti, the ambience hardly offered them any freedom.

However, six months ago, things changed when a women’s meeting was held in the Basti. Every single attendee demanded a ‘gymnasium’. And as a result, Avaam Fitness Centre came up, with exclusive timings for women. “I wouldn’t have gone far away. But with the gym nearby, I come regularly,” said Yasmin Qureshi, a crochet pattern artist. Like most other women, she comes covered in burqa, removes it while exercising and gets back into her conventional clothes again while stepping out.

Trainer Vimalesh (she goes by single name) starts the regime with stretching exercises. Then the women are guided according to their individual requirements, from aerobic or yoga exercises to cardio exercises on the machines. “I have to consider their background, their age and also their fitness before I chart-out exercise routine for them,” Vimalesh said.

The gym is run from a community centre and area councillor Farhad Suri was instrumental in setting up the gym and liaisoning with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The civic body has signed a MoU with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) under the urban renewal project. Shveta Mathur, programme officer for AKTC’s urban implementation programme, said, “During the need assessment meetings with parents, children, women and all such stakeholders, this (gym) was one demand that had come up persistently from the women themselves. We are happy with the result today.”

Each woman’s record is kept properly and attendance marked even when the facility is free of charge.

Sualeha Farheen Siddiqui, manager of the gym, said: “Women here are very happy and the demand has been increasing. We cannot accommodate them all.” The gym has about 30-40 members each in three batches between 9.30am to 12.30 pm.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage ... 71504.aspx
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