Srinagar: Century-old house, now an art museum

The downtown area ofKashmir Valley's Srinagar city has had a rich history of culture and art. In orderto revive and make the younger generation aware of the art, craft and heritage of Kashmir, a century-old property in Srinagar's Aali Kadal area has been converted into an art centre and a museum.

An initiative by the Help foundation 'Bait Ul Meeras' is one of the biggest art centres and museums in the Kashmir Valley. The property is a four-storey heritage house completely showcasing the rich architecture of the Valley. It has hundreds of century old artefacts on display from traditional dresses to utensils, clothing, craft, jewellery and other artefacts. It took them more than a year to put together these artefacts for the display.

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Exterior of 'Bait Ul Meeras', in Srinagar's Aali Kadal area. Photo credits: Idrees Lone

''To educate the youth about the rich heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, we started the Bait Ul Meeras artand culture centre. Under the guidance of Nighat Shafi, chairman of Help Foundation,we were able to create a space for the people to work on their creative sides. We not only display the heritage artefacts here but also showcase artisans making Kashmiri craft products like carpets, shawls and pottery. The only motive for us coming here is to make children of the valley aware about the rich heritage we have had. Our kids hardly have any idea about the history of the valley, and to show them what we were and what we had is the main focus. From our costumes to our utensils to jewellery, we have put up everything,'' said Hakim Javid, Coordinator.

Bait Ul Meeras has also opened doors to the locals to donate or showcase their valuable collections of old artefacts. Some of the heritage ornaments and utensils have been donated by the people, especially young students. The staff keeps looking for artefacts from across the valley that can be put on display.

''We are inviting school students to come and visit the centre and we have had a great response. Some children have donated stuff towards the centre that belonged to their grandparents or had it in the family. And that shows how much these youngsters are interested in saving the history and preserving it for the next generation to see as well. We are also holding workshops for the children, from writing to painting to showing them how artisans work on Kashmir crafts.,'' said Hakim Javid, Coordinator.

The rare artefacts on display in the museum are centuries old and hold a great historical value. Students come for workshops over the weekend and storytelling sessions are held in the centre too. When the foundation had approached the owner of the property to open such a space in this heritage house, he had shown keen interest too.

Century old artefacts on display at 'Bait Ul Meeras' in Srinagar, Kashmir. Photo credits: Idrees Lone

''I own the property and I took care of the infrastructure; the rest was done by the help foundation. I am very thankful to them and I am glad they took care of the heritage building and used it in the best way. They have showcased all our culture and heritage for the younger generation to see. It feels extremely nice when I see young kids visiting the place with their parents. It's a great effort and people should come forward and help them as well. The tourists should come here, and they are also inviting tourists to come and visit the place. Some tourists have started to come,'' said Farooq Ahmad Qasid, Owner Heritage Property.

Kashmir Valley has rich culture, heritage and crafts. The government along with the locals are trying not only to promote the crafts and arts of the valley but also revive it.