Friends in deed

Scrubbed and strengthened, the façade of the almost 150-year-old Sir J. J. School of Art has reclaimed some of its lost glory. Set up by Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, first baronet, as the pioneering art institute in the country, the venerable institution has suffered from apathy and mismanagement for decades after its takeover by the state government. The restoration was spearheaded by the Friends of J. J. School of Art Trust, with art and heritage lovers Sangita Jindal, B. G. Deshmukh, Rahul Mehrotra, Shirin Bharucha and others on the Trust committee. The project was undertaken in 2005 under the expertise of Abha Narain Lambah Associates, well-known conservation architects.

Restoring artistry: Sir J. J. School of Art before and after conservation work

The state government’s Public Works Department and Technical and Higher Education Department, Member of Parliament Pritish Nandy’s local area development fund and the Jindal South West Foundation supported the restoration, as per the press release from the conservation architects.