Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 16: Historic Cities Series 2025 – Jammu edition continued its week-long celebration of urban heritage with a day-long academic symposium at Udyog Bhawan, Rail Head Complex, Jammu.
The event featured three insightful panel discussions bringing together scholars, cultural practitioners and Government representatives to deliberate on Jammu’s evolving urban identity.
The proceedings began with opening remarks by Dr Mrinalini Atrey, City Coordinator, who set the tone by emphasizing the need for inclusive memory practices and heritage-led planning. She urged participants to view Jammu as “a city at a threshold-modernizing not by forgetting, but by remembering more deeply,” and spoke on how plural heritage can strengthen civic resilience.
Session I, chaired by renowned art historian Dr Lalit Gupta, focused on ‘Modernizing Jammu Without Erasure: Reclaiming Heritage, Reimagining Future’. Representatives from Cluster University, Central University, and departments such as Centre for Museology, The Law School, and SHTM presented academic insights on heritage education and urban transformation. Prof Anil Gupta (SHTM) and Dr Pallavi Sharma (Cluster University) also shared their perspectives.
Session II, ‘Voices from the Ground – Civil Society & Community Heritage Initiatives’, was chaired by Shakti Pathak, Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau and founder, Vishwasthali. The session featured cultural practitioners including Rahul Bhola (Shashvat Art Gallery), Vaibhav Sharma, Nidhi Verma, Suresh Sharma, O P Sharma, Maansi Rattan and Arvind Kotwal.
Session III, chaired by Dr Rakesh Minhas, Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, explored ‘Building the Modern City on Historic Foundations’. Dr Minhas stressed that the Smart City concept must integrate heritage meaningfully within modern planning. Advocate Nitin Parihar and Kushagra Anand shared perspectives on legal frameworks and participatory approaches, while Dr Javad Rahi (Kala Kendra), Shruti Awasthi (IGNCA) and Apoorva Bhargav (Mubarak Mandi Heritage Society) contributed institutional insights.
The day concluded with Photography Awards presented to Krish Goswami (student category) and Shivang Anand (amateur category), followed by a vote of thanks from Kushagra Anand, co-coordinator of the Jammu edition.
The sessions were anchored by Aatika Fareed, representative of ICOMOS India.
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