“Cultural heritage fosters understanding that is important in these insecure times. Heritage helps reinforce self-worth and identity,” said Sajjad Shahid of Intach, while announcing the winners of this year’s Intach Hyderabad Heritage Awards on Tuesday at Salar Jung Museum in the city. This is the 22nd year of the awards event that recognises the efforts to preserve heritage in the city.
“The United Nations has declared this year as ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development’ and we have chosen the awards keeping this in mind,” said Anuradha Reddy of Intach. The diversity of the awards can be gauged from the nominations that included the Khanqah of Hazrat Shah Khamosh near Mecca Masjid to the EME War Memorial in Secunderabad. While the award for the Shah Khamosh Khanqah was received by Akbar Nizamuddin Hussaini, the award for Cottage Industries Sales Depot in Gunfoundry was received by P. Ravi Shankar and that for the Ravindra Bharathi by Mamidi Harikrishna, Director (Culture), Telangana. The well-maintained Central Library, Osmania University, has also been named a winner of the award which coincidentally is the centenary year of the varsity. The rock formations of Maulana Azad National Urdu University have also been named for the award for ‘intrinsic beauty and grandeur’.
The jury for this year’s awards comprised architect Nasir Qureshi and former chairman of The Nizams Trust Shahid Husain.
