EU Project – International Master Classes
On the eve of and on the occasion of the UNESCO World Heritage Day, the Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University organized three master class programs for two days on April 17th & 18th 2015. These programs were launched as part of a series of 9 International Master Class training programs in Innovation and practices applied to Cultural Heritage and Management to be held during 2015.
The master classes were held under the auspices of the prestigious European Union funded project, ‘CULTURAL HERITAGE & MANAGEMENT VENTURE LAB, in AHMEDABAD’.
The first master classes, conducted at Asmita Bhavan, the new campus of the Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University were inaugurated in the presence of Shri C K Koshy, Chief Executive, Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University, Shri Debashish Nayak, Director, Centre for Heritage Management, Guillermo Rodriguez of Casa de la India, Spain and Juan- Manuel Guimerans, Director, Culture, Commerce & Tourism, City Council of Valladolid, Spain, two eminent architects and professors of Valladolid University, Professor Alberto Grijilba and Professor Julio Grijilba on April 17th 2015.
53 participants took part in the first two classes on “Architectural Heritage Conservation: Concepts, Policies and Techniques Relevant to Ahmedabad on this day” and on “Urban Planning and Heritage Preservation”. Centre for Heritage Management Director, Debashish Nayak, Professor at CEPT University, Ms Manvita Baradi, PKV Nair from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, Rajiv Patel from City Heritage Centre and faculty member at Centre for Heritage Management Dr Neel Kamal Chapagain were among the Indian experts sensitizing the participants about the heritage movement and its ecology in the old city of Ahmedabad.
On the second day, i.e. April 18th, the participants took part in the iconic Heritage walk of Ahmedabad and then attended sessions at the City Heritage Centre at Diwanji ni Haveli in old Ahmedabad. Rajiv Patel, Director of the Centre spoke about legal and procedural frameworks of heritage restoration in the Old City. Thereafter, an interactive session was jointly conducted by Debashish Nayak, Director, Professor Neel Chapagain, and Ms Santana Pathak, of Centre for Heritage Management and PKV Nair of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
At the concluding session, Mr Dilip Gor, Dy. Municipal Commissioner, AMC addressed the participants and gave away the Certificates of Participation.
On April 18th, 2015, World Heritage Day, another master class was conducted at the Asmita Bhavan on ‘Cultural Heritage Related Events Management’. Over 30 people participated. Two Spanish experts, Guillermo Rodriguez, Director, Casa de la India, Spain and Juan- Manuel Guimerans, Director, Culture, Commerce & Tourism City Council of Valladolid shared Spanish examples and processes of such events in the sector. Later in the day, Ms Sharupa Dutta from Teamwork Arts Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi talked about the nuances of cultural heritage management events in India.
The sessions ended with the distribution of Certificate of Participation to participants and a concluding address by Ms Bhargavi Dave IAS, the District Development Officer of Ahmedabad.
The three master class programs in which more than 80 participants took part altogether were planned and organised by Mr Gilbert Nazareth, Project Coordinator and Mr Vijay Ramchandani of Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University.
