BNCA hosts Historic Series on ‘Future with Culture’
PUNE — A regional training workshop titled “Future with Culture: Revitalising Historic Core,” organized under the ‘Historic City Series 2026’ initiative, was recently held at Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Architecture for Women (BNCA). The initiative brought together key organizations, including the Directorate of Archaeology (Government of Maharashtra, Pune Division), Pune Municipal Corporation, National Institute of Urban Affairs, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Artsm DRONAH Foundation, ICOMOS India, Heritopolis, BNCA, Altrim Publishers, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Pune), Deccan College, and BRICK School of Architecture. The event was commemorated through heritage walks, seminars, expert lectures, and project development proposals.
The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Debolina Kundu, Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs, in presence of Parul Munjal of the DRONAH Foundation, Dr. Shubhada Kamalapurkar, Principal in charge of BNCA and Dr Sharveya Dhongade, Vice Principal, BNCA .
The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Vilas Wahane, Assistant Director of the State Archaeology Department, and Dr. Vaishali Latkar, Vice President of the International Scientific Committee on Training and Head of the Centre for Cultural Studies at BNCA, with Prof. Saurabh Marathe serving as co-coordinator, supported by Ar. Pratiksha Dalvi and Ar. Shivraj Dangat.
Addressing the audience, Dr. Kundu highlighted that the pressure of changing urban development directly impacts heritage conservation, emphasizing that historical preservation must be recognized as a vital component of urban planning.
Dr. Shubhada Kamalapurkar, Principal Incharge of BNCA, emphasized that revitalizing historical structures serves as a vital medium for cultural landscape development across every city and district.
Dr. Vaishali Latkar added that conservation efforts must integrate traditional craftsmanship, local experts, and community participation alongside structural elements.
Furthermore, Dr. Vilas Wahane reviewed the on-going restoration of temples in Kolhapur and Pandharpur, stressing that citizens and passionate heritage groups must actively recognize and integrate historical assets into modern sustainable development.
As a major outcome of the workshop, 35 heritage enthusiasts from across India collaborated to draft a new proposal for a ‘Heritage Corridor’ connecting Shaniwar Wada to Mahatma Phule Mandai in the historic core of Pune. The initiative benefited from expert guidance provided by Mandar Dhaygude, Shaileshkumar Wagholikar, and Sunil Mohite from the Pune Municipal Corporation Heritage Department, along with Deepak Thorat of the historic Lakadi Pul Vitthal Temple, Prof. Saurabh Marathe, and Dr. Ajit Apte. Prominent national and international experts also guided the workshop, including Divay Gupta (Delhi), Dr. Shikha Jain (DRONAH), Kirtida Unwalla (Mumbai), Dr. Rachna Khare (expert in universal design), Ashish Trambadia (former Director, Ahmedabad World Heritage City Corporation), Jordi Pascual (Chair of the UCLG Committee on Culture), and Bikramjit Chakraborty (Bangalore).