Artisans give fresh lease of life to age-old Senate House

Chennai, Aug 27 (UNI) The Senate House of the University of Madras was once a building that evoked the admiration of many onlookers for its stained glass windows, intricate murals, painted panels, patterned balcony railings and walls smoothened by plaster of different hues.

Presently, the renovation work has restored to the heritage building at Madras Universiry its grandeur of yesteryears. It will once again catch the connoissieurs' eyes after President APJ Abdul Kalam inaugurates it on September 4 on the eve of the 150th year anniversary of the university's foundation day.

It took two and half years for architect K Kalpana, a member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and her team to conserve the original structure and bring back the architectural marvel.

The work was a big challenge for the team because it was hard to retain the exact texture and tint. An expert from Bangalore was called to restore the stained glass windows.

The restoration work was undertaken by availing donations from different donors, corporate groups and the public. The Ministry of Human Resource Development had sanctioned Rs one crore for the work.

Much of the materials and workers for the renovation project were sourced from southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

Though work on major part of the building was over, some work is pending on two minarets.

With the completion of the renovation work, the nation can once again boast of having artisans with immaculate talent, who can match the quality and talent of yesteryear legends, one of them being 65-year-old S Paramasivan, the head mason for the Senate House restoration project.

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