First three-day international symposium on Sikh architecture to be held in Chandigarh from September 7

“There is a lack of literature on Sikh architecture. Hardly any seminar is held on this topic ever. This symposium is aimed at bringing all experts from across the world and share their views, documentation, and knowledge on Sikh architecture,” Bahga said.

About a dozen experts from all over the globe are scheduled to deliver talks during the three-day symposium. The first session will include lectures by eminent academicians and architects — like Dr SS Bhatti, former principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture, Abraham Pathrose, conservation expert architect from Aurangabad, Dr Nadhra Shahbaz Khan, associate professor of Art History at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan, and Prof Shruti Kapur from CT Institute of Architecture and Planning, Jalandhar.

The second session, titled Historical Perspectives, will be held on September 14. It will have presentations by Dr Subhash Parihar who is a pioneer in art historical research on the Indo-Muslim Architecture of North-Western India, Pervaiz Vandal, renowned architect, and academician from Pakistan and his wife Sajida Haider Vandal, who is the former vice chancellor of the Institute for Art and Culture at Lahore in Pakistan, who will be talking about the voluminous work of Bhai Ram Singh in India, England, and Pakistan. A former professor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Dr Balvinder Singh, will be speaking on “Conservation of Sikh Architectural Heritage”.

The concluding session will be on Contemporary Sikh Architecture on September 21. It will have a talk by Dr Jyoti Pandey Sharma who is a professor at the Department of Architecture, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Haryana. World-famous architect, Moshe Safdie, will be speaking on his project Khalsa Heritage Complex, Anandpur Sahib. Dr Kirti Bhonsale and architect Kuldeep Kaur Bhatia will also deliver a lecture on “Sacred Architecture of Gurudwaras”. “Most celebrated project of Sikhs of India and Pakistan in recent times is the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor. It will be explained by its architect, Charanjit Shah,” the statement said.