GAURAV MATHUR

Taking up heritage conservation:

Born and bought up in Jaipur, the 300 years old pink city, with excellent urban planning encompassing large forts, palaces, havelies, lakes, community spaces, always encouraged and excited me and gave the feeling that these valuable heritage structures should be preserved somehow by government/private agencies. Over a period of time, I developed a sense of belonging to these valuable heritage spaces and structure, which has developed my interest in heritage conservation.

How challenging is it to restore a heritage structure:

Restoration of built structure(s) not only involves technical skills, but also associates with various values such as cultural, emotional, structural, craftsmanship, historical, associative, etc. Hence, when a heritage structure is restored, you do not restore structure in isolation, but all the values should also be taken into consideration. Restoring a heritage structure is a very sensitive job, and should be attempted with utmost care and respect without damaging its originality.

Projects that you have worked on:

Conservation of Badi Dharamshala in Karauli, Chittorgarh Fort, Kaila Devi, Karauli, Rajasthan, Bhadra Fort, Ahmedabad, havelis in Jaipur, and so on.