‘It was the Aga Khan’s vision, more than his wealth, that made him special’

His Highness was a visionary ahead of his time. He saw culture as a means of improving people’s life, not an elitist luxury. The Aga Khan Development Network works in 30 countries for social, economic and cultural development. Many agencies such as UNESCO have also worked to replicate his thinking.

My team and I have had the good fortune to work for many years implementing His Highness’s out-of-the-box ideas. He set the bar really high. My most memorable encounter with him was in 2005 when we began undertaking the restoration of Nizamuddin Basti and Sunder Nursery on the request of the Indian government.

One million people visit the nursery every day. So many people in the basti benefited from that project. But I thought that when he would come to finalise the plans, he would want to know more about the cost since he would be funding it all. But in front of three Union government officials, he said: This is an excellent project and you have my full support. I don’t know anyone else who would have been so generous with their funding.

At the same time, it was his vision more than his wealth that made him special. When we were doing major projects in Afghanistan, where I worked with AKTC from 2002 to 2007, he would come to visit multiple times a year. In India, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

He was a legend. He would remember old conversations with us despite having worked over such a long time in 30 countries. He set up awards and agencies aimed at demonstrating how our cultural heritage was an asset to communities. I don’t know any other world leader or philanthropist who would take so much interest in restoration. It’s a loss to mankind.

Ratish Nanda is CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture