The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) on Monday awarded six historic buildings and their managements for efforts to conserve them.
“For its associational value as the birthplace of Hyderabad’s very own magic potion and as memorial to the legacy of Hakeem Farooqui, the Karkhana Zinda Tilismath is acknowledged,” reads the citation of the award given to the historic structure in Amberpet. Five other structures – the St. Francis Xavier church in Yapral, Ramgopal building on M.G. Road, Heritage Artillery Collection and Ranbir Hall at Artillery Centre in Golconda, Equestrian Centre Hyderabad Mounted Police in Saifabad, and the headquarters of AIMIM in Darussalam – were given awards.
A special citation was made for Doll House, a replica of the Residency Building that is now the Koti’s Women College.
The award to Equestrian Centre was in consonance with this year’s World Heritage Day celebrations themed by UNESCO to recognise sports heritage. In this context, the INTACH’s representatives recounted the contributions of noted sports personalities S.A. Rahim, the coach of India’s football team who led the country in Melbourne Olympics in 1956, and tennis player Ghouse Mohammed Khan.
Arjuna awardee Mir Khasim Ali was the event’s chief guest.
INTACH recognised the structures for their restoration and re-use while keeping intact their historic value. Reciting couplets of legendry poet Amir Khusro and Mirza Ghalib to describe importance of history and heritage structures, Air Commodore Suresh Badyal, the guest of honor at the event, said the armed forces have contributed to conservation of heritage structures and that organisations like INTACH should continue to conserve more structures.
INTACH convenor Sajjad Shahid recounted threats perceived to heritage, including the development of Metro Rail opposite the State Assembly and through Sultan Bazaar, while decrying G.O. 183 that allegedly robbed 160 heritage structures, rock formations and other historic precincts of legal protection that was accorded to them. Mr. Shahid informed the gathering that the High Court has stayed the order.
