By TCN News,
Aligarh: The Aligarh Historians Society (AHS), Aligarh Muslim University organized the 14thProfessor M. Athar Ali Memorial Lecture. Professor James Wescoat Jr., Aga Khan Professor, Aga Khan Programme for Islamic Architecture, Massachussetto Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA, delivered the invited lecture at the Faculty of Arts lounge on ‘Water Work in Mughal Landscape’.
In his lecture, Professor Wescoat drew on his extensive research and fieldwork on Mughal gardens and raised issues concerning water-use in the gardens, and the amount of labour and animal-power that were required for their irrigation. Professor Wescoat used statistical data to illustrate how much energy inputs would have been needed for watering the gardens and landscape in Mughal times. He successfully set a new line of enquiry for scholars of Mughal agricultural and garden history. He supported his arguments with slides containing a number of Mughal miniatures.
Prof. James wescoat delivering the Prof. M Athar Ali Memorial Lecture, AMU
Earlier, welcoming the guest, Professor Shireen Moosvi, Secretary, AHS, highlighted the achievements of the Society. Professor Irfan Habib, President, summarized the major contributions of Professor Wescoat to garden history.
A discussion was also held on two books co-published by the Aligarh Historians Society. The “Atlas of Ancient Indian History” by Irfan Habib and Faiz Habib and “Fatehpur Sikri Revisited” by S. A. Nadeem Rezavi, have been published by the Oxford University Press on behalf of AHS. The books were introduced by their authors Professor Irfan Habib and Dr S.A. Nadeem Rezavi.
Prof. Shireen Moosvi addressing the Prof. M Athar Ali Memorial Lecture, AMU.
Mr. Prasun Chatterji, Mr Shashank Sinha and Mr. Navin Srivastava of Oxford University Press, Routledge and a cartographic service from Delhi, also spoke on the occasion.