Om Prakash Agrawal (22 October 1931 – 15 August 2021) was an Indian conservationist and the founder member of several organizations related to cultural heritage and conservation such as

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with the ...

(INTACH), ''Indian Council of Conservation Institute'' (ICCI) and the ''National Research Laboratory for the Conservation of Cultural Property'' (NRLC). He was the director general of

INTACH The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is a non-profit charitable organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. In 2007, the United Nations awarded INTACH a special consultative status with the ...

Indian Conservation Institute and director general of ICCI and NRLC. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

honoured him in 2011, with the award of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his contributions to the area of conservation.

Biography

Om Prakash Agrawal, born on 22 October 1931, held a master's degree (MSc) in chemistry. He was one of the founders of the ''National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property'' (NRLC), Lucknow in 1976 where he served as its director till 1985. During his stint there, he joined a group led by

Pupul Jayakar Pupul Jayakar (née Mehta; 11 September 1915 – 29 March 1997) was an Indian cultural activist and writer, best known for her work on the revival of traditional and village arts, handlooms, and handicrafts in post-independence India. Acco ...

and founded the

(INTACH) in 1984. It is reported that Agrawal played a part in the formation of the Indian Conservation Institute as an INTACH unit under the aegis

National Mission for Manuscripts National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

in 1985 and, after retiring from NRLC, joined the institute as its director general, a post he holds to the day. He is a former director general of the ''Indian Council of Conservation Institute'' (ICCI) and the incumbent president of the International Council of Biodeterioration of Cultural Property (ICBCP). He is also a former president of ''Museum Association of India'' and ''Indian Association for the Study of Conservation of Cultural Property''. Agrawal was an honorary fellow of the ''Indian Association for the Study of Conservation of Cultural Property'' (FIASC) and the ''International Institute of Conservation'' (FIIC). He also serves as a consultant to several international bodies such as

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is an Intergovernmental organisation, intergovernmental organization dedicated to the cultural heritage management, preservation of cultural h ...

(ICCROM),

International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, ...

(ICOM), and Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA) and as a board member of the National Research Laboratory for the Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC). He is the author over 200 articles and has published 37 books, either as an author or as an editor. Agrawal, holder of the degree of DLitt (honoris Causa), was a recipient of

ICOM ICOM may refer to: * International Council of Museums * Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, a medical school in the United States * Icom Incorporated, radio equipment manufacturer * Industrial Common Ownership Movement (ICOM), a co-operative fe ...

award in 1990 and

ICCROM The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the preservation of cultural heritage worldwide through training, information, research, co ...

award in 1993. The

included him in the Republic Day honours list, in 2011, for the civilian award of

. He was married to Usha Agrawal who was a director of programmes of the INTACH Indian Conservation Institute from 1991. Om Prakash Agrawal died on 15 August 2021, at the age of 89.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Agrawal, Om Prakash 1931 births 2021 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in other fields Indian conservationists Indian social sciences writers Indian museologists Indian art curators

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links