Round table workshop held in Sopore
Sopore: A round table workshop to enhance the cultural and educational values of one and only Meeras Mahal, a heritage museum situated in north Kashmir’s Sopore town, was held on Wednesday.
The workshop was organised by the help foundation of Jammu and Kashmir and was co-ordinated by INTACH (Kashmir) and Adbi Markaz Kamraz (J&K).
The workshop was supported by the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage (ALIPH) in conflict areas.
The speakers included civil society members besides other social activists of Sopore town.
President Municipal Council Sopore Masrat Kar, Chairperson help foundation J&K Nighat Shafi Pandith, Saleem Beigh of INTACH, former director University of Kashmir north campus Delina Prof. Irshad Ahmad Wani were present at the occasion.
The Meeras Mahal Museum of Ethnography was managed and curated by a renowned lady of Kashmir- Atiqa Bano who was a phenomenal activist, educationist and public servant.
Till 2017, the museum was curated and managed by Atiqa Bano herself but things gradually declined after she left for heavenly abode in 2017.
The museum is home to more than 7000 artifacts that provide an ethnographic lens into the rich cultural heritage of the Kashmir valley.
The Meeras Mahal museum collection has been classified into Terracotta, Wood work, Wicker and Grass ware, Metal (including Jewelry), Stone, Textiles and Manuscripts.
The locals from Spore and other areas including Srinagar have actively participated and volunteered in preparing displays, events and inventories for the museum.
ALIPH Foundation, based in Switzerland, approved a small grant for rehabilitation of the Meeras Mahal Museum post COVID-19 pandemic in June 2021. The grant was sanctioned on the basis of a project proposal submitted by Help Foundation, Kashmir assisted by INTACH Kashmir as the knowledge partners and technical support agency.
Accordingly an agreement between INTACH, HELP Foundation and INTACH, Kashmir Chapter was made in October 2021. The approach was to resurrect the museum ad initiate activities that do not necessarily require physical presence of public in the museum.
Bilal Ahmad
