Sajida Haider Vandal is one of those unforgettable principals of the National College of Arts (NCA) who went all out to make the institute what it is today. She has to her credit introduction of new departments, initiation of diplomas in traditional arts, establishment of film, television, musicology and archives departments, the first NCA Endowment Fund and an art gallery at the college.

In this conversation with Dawn, Prof Vandal traces the milestones in her life to becoming one of the best art educationists of the country.

Born in Lahore in 1947, she completed her matriculation from Sacred Heart School in 1963, FSc from Kinnaird College in 1965, bachelors from the University of Engineering and Technology in 1970 and then MPhil from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Now, as the vice chancellor of Institute of Arts and Culture (IAC), Prof Vandal said they had introduced the first four-year degree programme in a new discipline -- game design and animation design. The institute was deeply committed to enriching the academic experience of students as well as teachers through its diverse collection of printed and digital resources.

“Like I did in NCA, the IAC maintains a dedicated archival section with a range of collections, including master artists such as Khalid Iqbal, Anna Molka Ahmed, Colin David, architects such as Shaukat Nawaz Raja, designers and creative artists as well as important collections such as the Masud Khaddarposh Trust.”

Among other initiatives, the IAC also houses a botanical garden to promote passive environmental control, safeguard endangered species and educative aspects regarding regional flora. A herbal and fruit garden is also part of this plantation.

Prof Vandal said the idea of establishing such an institute was discussed during one of the sessions at the Thaap conference. “People wanted that an institute should be established that has both traditional and contemporary education streams. The idea behind the institute was that the education system should reflect that it is rooted in one’s culture and traditions. The IAC has special focus on mother languages along with traditional arts.”

About the initiatives she took at the NCA, she said she had joined the college in 1977 as a faculty member in the architecture department and left in 2007 after serving three terms as a principal. During her tenure, she introduced a five-year diploma in 1968. “I also took the initiative to establish the first NCA Endowment Fund that took a lot of effort to overcome the financial instability the institute was going through at that time,” she added, mentioning that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had contributed Rs10 million to the fund when he was the chief guest at the convocation, which was held after 16 years.

Among her other achievements at the NCA, she established the film and television as well as the musicology departments, introduced diplomas in traditional arts, set up the Zahoorul Akhlaq Art Gallery and established the archives department in connection with the NCA’s 125thanniversary.

Prof Vandal said: “We need to write down the correct history of NCA, which is not available owing to lack of record, especially that pertaining to the transition period from Mayo School of Arts to National College of Arts.”

During her tenure as the NCA principal, she also upgraded the library and established a Centre for Restoration and Conservation Studies at Matti Chowk in the Walled City. The veteran educationist also established the Rawalpindi campus of NCA and developed major linkages with different countries for art activities and student programmes, including workshops and seminars.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2021