via thehindu.com – Ratish Nanda, who will be at The Hindu Lit For Life in Delhi, talks about the Urban Renewal Initiative
Ratish Nanda’s interest in conservation goes back nearly 25 years, to the first year of architecture school. For an urban history assignment, requiring the study of a historic settlement in Delhi, Nanda chose Kotla Mubarakpur. There he discovered centuries-old buildings which he had no idea existed. It brought home the importance of heritage, which Nanda has since worked towards conserving.
As the project director of Aga Khan Trust For Culture, he has been instrumental in the Urban Renewal Initiative — in partnership with CPWD and ASI — which seeks to restore the glory of Nizamuddin.
“What we are doing here is basically aimed at making conservation relevant today. It’s not conservation for the sake of conservation, but leads to improved quality of life for the local communities,” says Nanda. “Wherever we work, our essential intention is to leverage culture as an economic asset. What we are doing is looking at a large urban area to start with. We are not only monument oriented.”
Ismailimail 