Follow Us
Pervin Malhotra
Q.I’m currently doing my BSc from Panjab University. I love art and craft although I have not done any specific course in the subject. Due to very poor mobility in my left leg, I’m very worried about my career options.— Reema Mehrotra
A.Besides opting for a Master’s in Design (even if you don’t have a BDes under your belt), there’s yet another field you can look at. Given your interest in art and mobility issues, Art Restoration may be a great option. Your work would involve restoring damaged pieces of art to their original glory. The damage could be in the form of torn, scratched or peeling masterpieces — due to ravages of time or mishandling. Thanks to expert restoration techniques, many priceless oil paintings on canvas, paper and silk, maps and rare manuscripts have found a new lease of life.
The work can be divided into three stages:
Examining the artwork to identify the extent and cause of damage, conservation to stop deterioration and ensure future stability and Restoration of the artwork to retain or revive its original characteristics.
Prevention is another important aspect. This involves monitoring and controlling light, humidity, temperature and air pollution.
Restoration is extremely painstaking and challenging work. A great deal of responsibility, ingenuity, skill and dexterity are needed to harmonise the damaged portion with the rest of the art work while subtly concealing the flaws. A single painting may take a team of expert restorers as long as 4-6 months of continuous work!
Scientific techniques are used to analyse the artist’s brush strokes, and the composition of the paint before beginning the work. This also helps authenticate the originality of several other such works.
Infrared light is used to examine the original drawing under the paint, followed by Ultraviolet rays to detect any subsequent alterations.
Utmost care is taken to ensure that the original is not altered in any way. The work is photographically documented at each stage.
A degree in Art or science is the bare essential for this field. Art restorers work in museums, art galleries and conservation bodies such as the National Museum, National Gallery of modern Art, INTACH or NGMA, etc.
With some experience, you can work as a consultant as most institutions and private collectors have little or no access to professional advice.
2 specific courses you could look at in India
Course: Master in Conservation, Preservation & Heritage Mgt (2-yr)
Eligibility: Bachelor’s deg (Humanities/Sc)
Course: MA (Conservation)
Eligibility: BSc (Chem/ Phys as main subj) / BFA or related Science subjects in 10+2
Course: MA (Fine) Museology (2-yr).
Elig: Bachelor’s degree (any)
(Autonomous Trust under M/o Culture, GoI
PG Diploma in Preventive Conservation (1-yr)
(IGNCA’s Cultural informatics Lab undertakes documentation and digitization of our cultural resources, developing interactive multimedia based learning resources etc
Integrated route for BTech students
Q.I am a Class XII student planning to pursue a BTech degree. However, unlike my brother who did his engineering and worked for 3 years before pursuing an MBA and joining our family business, could you suggest some integrated courses that could help me get into the business at the earliest without compromising on my academics of course?— Tavleen singh
A.Integrated Engineering and Management courses are offered by several universities in India. The idea is exactly what you’re talking about — to create technologists and engineers from all branches who are ‘industry ready’ with relevant managerial skills. Also called Twinning programmes, these courses save you time and effort in terms of preparing for tough MBA Entrance Tests like the CAT, GMAT etc. and mandate no prior work-experience. Armed with relevant business skills and knowledge, the graduating students can hit the road running by starting or joining their own tech-based ventures right away. Even manufacturing and tech companies would welcome these value-added engineers.
Then there are integrated BTech-MTech programmes as well which save you the bother of preparing for and clearing the GATE exam for admission to PG courses.
Here are some of the leading ones…
Options in construction management
Q.I am working with a builder after doing my BBA. Can you please suggest some good online courses in construction management to upgrade my skills? — Suketu Bhatia
A.Apart from professional courses such as engineering, medicine, architecture and physiotherapy, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has now prohibited courses in open and distance learning (ODL) mode in agriculture, hotel management, culinary studies and real estate which require practical exposure and hands-on training.
Property dealing and construction require more of on-job training than theoretical knowledge. Introducing students to the theory, instruments and concepts of real estate in the traditional on-site setting is a faster and effective way of learning.
Distance courses in these disciplines will no longer be recognized by the statutory body.
The UGC (Online Course) Regulations 2019 says that only information-based courses can be offered in ODL mode.
It is also mandatory that Professional courses are approved by the respective councils, without which they stand unrecognized by the statutory body. AICTE and ICAR are the governing councils for hotel management and agriculture courses, respectively. Without their approval, no course can be recognized by the UGC in distance mode.
email your queries to careers@tribunemail.com
Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.
1
2
6
8