Pioneer of modern art: The last train from Amritsar runs again after 16 years

50-foot-long mural by artist Bashir Mirza restored at IVS.

KARACHI:

A 16-year-old masterpiece by Bashir Mirza, 'The Last Train from Amritsar - and I was on it', has been given a new life by Ustad Muhammad Rustom Khan.

The restored mural, which is 50 feet long, was launched on Tuesday evening at the Indus Valley School (IVS) of Art and Architecture.

The man behind the restoration, Khan, is delighted to have revived the art piece. "The painting was in a very bad shape," he admitted. "By the blessings of God, I managed to restore the mural to its original shine."

With Rs200,000 received from IVS, Khan has been working on the piece for two and a half months at his studio in Sharifabad. "I am quite honoured that I was selected by the school to do the restoration work and I hope I have done justice to it," said Khan. The artist had faith in the higher powers as he worked on the project. "Sab hojata hai [Everything is possible]. God is very helpful."

The idea to restore this masterpiece came a year ago, explained Ambreen Naz, the manager at IVS Gallery. The restoration was nothing short of a historical moment for the school, she added. "It [the exhibit] is open for the public on Saturdays from 11am to 4pm, while researchers and students are encouraged to come see it as well," said Naz.



"We all thought we should celebrate owning such a masterpiece so we arranged the launch," said Manizhe Ali, a faculty member.

Mirza, the original maestro behind the mural, painted it on the premises of IVS between the years 1997 and 1999, pointed out architect Akeel Bilgrami, who is also a founding member of IVS. Bilgrami was the executive director at the school when Mirza was painting the mural.

"He would come to the school at odd hours to paint the mural," he recalled. "I categorically told the security guards and the school management to make sure he is shown hospitality whenever he shows up to do his work."

Bilgrami felt it was unfortunate that Mirza died only a year after he completed the painting. "Over the years, the mural was kept packed in our store. The paint started to peel off since the back of the mural did not have a solid base."

Bilgrami's wife, Noorjehan Bilgrami, who is another founding member of IVS, also praised Mirza's works. She remembered him as her teacher who later became her friend. "We called him BM," she said. "He had so much energy in him. He lived right across the school and would drop in at any time to do his work."

IVS dean Shahnaz Ismail felt it was a privilege for them to be housing the masterpiece. "I am quite happy that my old friend, Bashir, chose this school for the mural."

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.