About the theme
The Trusts have actively engaged in conserving India’s rich heritage by supporting the conservation of built heritage, art and films. Apart from strengthening conservation and preservation practices, the initiative has also focused on encouraging the training of conservators. Another key element has been the enhancement of public use and access to both tangible and intangible heritage.
Some of the projects undertaken under this vertical are:
- Tata Trusts Art Conservation Initiative proposes to establish, develop and strengthen art conservation centres in five zonal locations across India, and create a cohort of trained conservators. It also aims at establishing a Master’s degree in Art Conservation at an Indian University.
- Establishing best practices in built heritage conservation with Aga Khan Trust for Culture, a two-pronged project: to support a part of the upcoming permanent exhibition at the Humayun’s Tomb Site Museum in Delhi, which focusses on the conservation efforts of Humayun’s Tomb (a project that was supported by the Trusts from 2008-12); and to prepare a specifications manual and schedule of rates for built heritage conservation works that will aid not only architects, engineers and contractors, but also funding and governmental bodies in assessing conservation proposal and benchmarking rates.
- Supporting the conservation of nine major monuments at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park with Aga Khan Trust for Culture. From 2013 to 2020, an inter-disciplinary team consisting of master craftsmen, engineers, architects, archaeologists and historians undertook the conservation works including the removal of 20th century cement plaster layers, consolidation and restoration of ornamental stucco work on the monuments, plasters repairs using traditional lime mortar, installation of rain spouts, stone flooring and pathways.
- Supporting three annual workshops on film preservation and restoration in partnership with the Film Heritage Foundation. Held across 2017-2019 at Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, these workshops trained over 180 participants and 81 of them received scholarships from Tata Trusts to enable them chart their future roles as film conservators and archivists.
- Partnering with the Mumbai Police Foundation in training 30 police volunteers in the best practices of paper conservation and archiving, to safeguard and catalog their voluminous records collection dating to early 1900s
