Ratish Nanda for Hindustan Times – At a recent Unesco Conference on Culture and Development in Hangzhou, China, His Highness the Aga Khan said that cultural heritage can be a “trampoline” for the social and economic development of an area. In many projects undertaken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) across the world, the trust has successfully demonstrated this culture-led development model.
In 2007, AKTC joined hands with Delhi’s civic agencies and the Archaeological Survey of India to begin a similar programme in the capital: the Nizamuddin Basti Urban Renewal Initiative. The project area, which comprises a World Heritage Site (Humayun’s Tomb) and also 100 monuments of the Mughal era, is famous for the dargah of 14th century Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. Since it is considered auspicious to be buried near a saint’s tomb, seven centuries of tomb building here has made this one of the densest clusters of medieval Islamic buildings.
The dargah is also at the centre of a densely populated area and many of those who live there had no access to basic facilities like education, health, water and sanitation and vocational training.
The project started with three objectives: conservation of the built heritage, environmental development of assets and improvement of the quality of life of local communities. We started the project with renovating a school building and appointing trained teachers from within the community. Parents were encouraged to get involved in the decision-making process. This increased student enrolment.
More Heritage can be a trampoline for growth – Hindustan Times.
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