The DJ Science College building is like a Keatsian ode - majestic, well-constructed and soulful. If you have a penchant for studying aesthetics, and if you happen to live in Karachi, you can't miss it.

Even in its current state - with paint coming off its walls, shattered windowpanes, grilles with interesting metalwork lying messily on the floor - the structure is a picture of art. Yes, there's a bookstore on the right side of the entrance which doesn't exactly gel with the archi

tectural integrity of the institution, but at how many places in Karachi can you see an impressive portico supported by giant columns, and an iron staircase rising from the vestibule welcoming people into its (class)rooms? As for the dilapidated condition, worry not, at least for now. Repair work is on.

DJ Science College Principal H.B. Chughtai says “Six years ago, renowned scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is a former student of this institution, came here. He made a plan for the restoration and renovation of the building, and asked architect Shahid Khan (also a former student of the college) to come up with a feasibility report. He said funds could be generated privately as well as through the government. The latter did release some amount and things were about to happen, but then Dr Qadeer no more remained active because of reasons known to all, and the work nearly halted.

“The restoration process resumed subsequently when Dr Ravi Shankar was principal of the college and Hameeda Khuhro was minister of education. The works department got involved, and in May 2008, with permission from the KBCA, renovation of the DJ Science College got under way. Pretty soon sandblasting will take place, and I think by the end of this year work on the first floor will be completed. We are also going to restore the auditorium which has become a victim of disuse for long,” says H.B. Chughtai.

This awesome sight was inaugurated in a bungalow on January 17, 1887 by the then governor of Bombay, Lord Reay, as the Sind Arts College with, a research paper suggests, 20 students on the roll. Diwan Dayaram Jethmal, a distinguished philanthropist, was its chief promoter and benefactor. He passed away in the same year, which is why it was renamed after him. Hence Mr Dayaram Jethmal's initials DJ.

Viceroy of India Lord Dufferin laid the DJ college's foundation stone on Nov 19, 1887, and it took five more years (1892) for the place to be formally occupied.The necessity of constructing an educational institution was felt because at the time Karachi and Hyderabad were far away from any town where you could go and study. For example, Bombay had a university and a medical college, but the people of Sindh didn't have easy access to them because of the physical distance from the famous city. Also, not many students had the wherewithal to travel all the way to Bombay or any other part of the subcontinent to acquire a decent education.

Thought to be one of designer James Stratchen's greatest architectural accomplishments, the main façade of the building is 431 feet in length, and the front has a five-foot high plinth, with an open arcade of dressed stone. It's made in the neoclassical style that was at the time considered befitting for the purpose, and vindicates how the arts were deemed important for society in those days. Good old days, you might add.

It is saddening that the youth these days doesn't have the faintest notion as to how it's indissolubly linked to a part of our socio-cultural history. One Mohammad Hasan, a first-year student, says he's never looked at his institution as more than a century-old work of art. Perhaps the ongoing repair work will instil some useful ideas in pupils.

But how can the restoration process be made effective?

Architect Yasmeen Lari says “The façade must always be kept clean. I think they did clean it some time back. But when they try and clean the sandstone, they must do it carefully and make sure that the patina on the stone is not taken off. The façade should not be sandblasted, because it will make the structure vulnerable.

“They should use a mild detergent while cleaning. It takes the dust off without damaging the surface. It does consume some time, but it's a safer bet. The other thing is that in order to remove political slogans, wall-chalking or other posters from the building's walls, abrasive material mustn't be used. What happens is that even while dealing with heritage buildings normal constructional methodologies are employed which is not always the right approach to adopt,” says Ms Lari.

“Old buildings are footsteps of history. The DJ Science College is one very good example. There's a reason why Stratchen decided it to be neoclassical; he wanted it to have a unique character,” she

says.

That's the key unique character. As you move away from the DJ Science College, the idea of moving away from a certain 'unique' phase in the subcontinent's history sinks in.