Heritage Lens/Iteration 4

The Iteration 4 of the Heritage Lens ran from 20 to 30 August, 2024, and focused on areas from Delhi NCR region. Our fellow for this iteration Luma2rk brough over 109 images which have been categorised here on Wikimedia Commons.

Some images!

Mosque of Ala Vardi Khan in Gurugram
Kalan Masjid in Chandni Chowk
Mubarak Begum Mosque in Chandni Chowk
Jamia Islamia Sanabil in Shaheen Bagh

Learning report

This section includes questions that have been answered by the fellow for learning and evaluation purposes. These reports are used by DCW for improving the subsequent iterations of the initiative.

What do you think about the Heritage Lens initiative?

The documentation of architecture is very important for transparency and as proof of historical facts. Heritage Lens took a good initiative to ensure that all historical sites are equally documented on Wikimedia and also assures that the data uploaded is correct. By prioritizing the undocumented structures, it opens new doors of learning.

What new things did you learn during the execution of the project? What do you think about their impact?

From the photography part of learning, this was my first architectural photography project. I found, according to the change of angles, the total perspective of architecture can change, so I tried capturing from every angle. Also, what I found is, in Delhi, the Masjids are more welcoming towards women when compared to Kerala. And they also seem very happy about documenting the Masjids. In old Delhi, the people were more familiar with photography. In a few places they told me where to stand to get a better view. In the first days, I didn't know how to approach people for permission for photography, because due to current communal problems against Muslims and the muslim architecture, the people were very afraid of outsiders taking photos of Masjids. Then I started taking time to explain to them about the purpose, then started my work. So it was very helpful in the later days.

Did you face any challenges during the project? If yes, please tell about your experience and any possible ideas that you think could be helpful in mitigating those issues.

The main difficulty I faced was the unfamiliarity with the place and language for me. There was no given data of the architectures I had to cover, so I had to depend on the Google addresses, which for most of the time led the wrong way. For example, Sarai Ala Vardi Khan Masjid's address was somewhere else on Google, then a local person helped us. It would be good if you could provide the datas including the addresses of the sites that are to cover, or you could include a research submission before the photography campaign.

Also, as a muslim and a woman, I felt unsafe to go alone in some areas of Delhi NCR, like gurgaon. So my friend accompanied me to Gurgaon and Old Delhi also. Even then, I also had to face some bad approaches from a person in Gurgaon.So, even if the fellow is a boy, it would be good if there is a team of two fellows together, one could be for research work and assisting and one could be the photographer. I also felt little problem with the 10-day campaign for this, because the photography is also physical work, so the continuous work will be a little tiring. So, it's better to start the work atleast fifteen days before and 10 days for the uploading.

Do you have any additional remarks for the future iterations of the Heritage Lens? What should be improved?

It would be helpful for the next fellow if you consider the suggestions in the previous part of the report.