Lucknow :

Students of the college of arts and crafts at Lucknow University will no more have to organize cultural and literary events in their classrooms.

Lying neglected for over a decade, the 106-year-old Haldar Hall, named after legendary painter and first Indian principal of the college Asit Kumar Haldar, will get a fresh lease of life in a month.

With the capacity of around 200 students, the historical hall is being revamped and its doors will be open to students in a month. The hall was out of use for years due to its poor condition. “The Rashtriya Uchhatar Shiksha Abhiyan has granted Rs 50 lakh to restore the auditorium named after the famous Indian painter,” said director for internal quality and assurance cell Prof Rajiv Manohar.

He added that the state-of-the-art multi-purpose hall-cum-auditorium will have advanced lighting and seating facilities. Initially known as the boys’ dining and lecture hall, it was renamed Haldar Hall in 1957.

“Asit Kumar Haldar’s paintings had made a mark across the globe. His talent was not confined to India but reached all parts of the world. The British government had appointed him as the principal of the Government School of Arts and Crafts in 1925,” said record-keeper Desraj.

“The hall has been in a dilapidated condition for four years. We did not have any auditorium to showcase our artwork or organize our fest. We are happy that now, we will have an auditorium which will not only exhibit our creativity but also unfold the glorious history of arts college, which gave so many famous artists to the country,” said Prashant Tiwari, a student of fine arts.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Lucknow News> Schools & Colleges / by Mohita Tewari / TNN / March 20th, 2018