Preserving the Heritage of Rohtas: One coin at a coin
The Inspiration
Taha always had a keen interest in history and inherited his artistic skills/guidance from his mother and grandfather. As a 3 year old baby, his mother introduced him to making images of the coins and later his grandfather showed him how to make 3 dimensional plasticine replicas.
The Journey
Approximately 18 months ago, Taha Wasiq gained recognition for his remarkable talent in creating replicas of coins through his Facebook posts. His talent caught the attention of Mr. Aftab-ur-Rehman Rana, the president of STFP (Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan), who provided validation, support, and fully funded initiatives to educate, train, and produce coin replicas for sale to tourists visiting Rohtas Fort. Despite facing numerous hurdles and challenges such as limited resources, finding suitable individuals, motivating and training them to create aesthetically pleasing pieces, and working exclusively with female students, Taha Wasiq successfully showcased the work of his newly trained local students in an exhibition organized at PNCA (Pakistan National Council of Arts) on World Tourism Day. The exhibition and other projects coordinated by STFP in collaboration with UNESCO and AICS received extensive coverage on Facebook. The local students from the area earned income from the sale of their pieces, and Taha Wasiq was also interviewed by PTV (Pakistan Television).
Key Learnings
Recognizing a lack of awareness among the locals of Rohtas regarding the historical value of their heritage, Taha took the initiative to address this issue. He discovered that medieval coins were being sold at low prices due to the lack of awareness. To bring greater economic benefits to the local community, Taha embarked on reproducing replicas of these coins and provided training to students in the local school....
With the support of his family and the school, Taha collaborated with various organizations to launch his project. He successfully organized an exhibition to showcase the work of his students and introduce new souvenirs of Rohtas to tourists. This initiative not only generated financial gains for the students but also contributed to the preservation of the national heritage.
Throughout the project, Taha faced several challenges. As he lived at a distance from his hometown, he made periodic trips to train the students and relied on social media platforms for collaboration. Due to limited resources, he could only enroll four students in the first batch of trainees. Furthermore, some of the trainees graduated from school before the production phase, so Taha enrolled them as trainers to ensure continuity. In order to prevent damage to the original coins and produce aesthetically pleasing replicas, he utilized silicone molds instead of plasticine, which proved to be more successful and increased the productivity of the project.
The Impact
This project served as a source of motivation and inspiration for the locals of Rohtas, encouraging them to engage in similar initiatives to generate income for their community. Local students' active participation in this project, demonstrated the potential for positive change through small, dedicated steps. By witnessing the success and earnings of the participating students, others in the community were inspired to follow suit and explore similar opportunities. This project exemplified the empowerment of youth, highlighting the transformative impact that can be achieved through their active involvement and dedication.
Way Forward
Taha has set his sights on establishing a sustainable cycle of production for the project. To achieve this, his next objective is to establish a souvenir shop within Rohtas Fort, where the talented students can showcase and sell their crafted coins, enabling them to earn from their efforts. Additionally, Taha intends to document these unique coins in government records, following the guidance provided by Ms Emanuela Benini, the Director of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation). This documentation will further validate the significance and authenticity of the coins, enhancing their value and recognition.
The Inspiration
Taha always had a keen interest in history and inherited his artistic skills/guidance from his mother and grandfather. As a 3 year old baby, his mother introduced him to making images of the coins and later his grandfather showed him how to make 3 dimensional plasticine replicas.
The Journey
Approximately 18 months ago, Taha Wasiq gained recognition for his remarkable talent in creating replicas of coins through his Facebook posts. His talent caught the attention of Mr. Aftab-ur-Rehman Rana, the president of STFP (Sustainable Tourism Foundation Pakistan), who provided validation, support, and fully funded initiatives to educate, train, and produce coin replicas for sale to tourists visiting Rohtas Fort. Despite facing numerous hurdles and challenges such as limited resources, finding suitable individuals, motivating and training them to create aesthetically pleasing pieces, and working exclusively with female students, Taha Wasiq successfully showcased the work of his newly trained local students in an exhibition organized at PNCA (Pakistan National Council of Arts) on World Tourism Day. The exhibition and other projects coordinated by STFP in collaboration with UNESCO and AICS received extensive coverage on Facebook. The local students from the area earned income from the sale of their pieces, and Taha Wasiq was also interviewed by PTV (Pakistan Television).
Key Learnings
Recognizing a lack of awareness among the locals of Rohtas regarding the historical value of their heritage, Taha took the initiative to address this issue. He discovered that medieval coins were being sold at low prices due to the lack of awareness. To bring greater economic benefits to the local community, Taha embarked on reproducing replicas of these coins and provided training to students in the local school....
With the support of his family and the school, Taha collaborated with various organizations to launch his project. He successfully organized an exhibition to showcase the work of his students and introduce new souvenirs of Rohtas to tourists. This initiative not only generated financial gains for the students but also contributed to the preservation of the national heritage.
Throughout the project, Taha faced several challenges. As he lived at a distance from his hometown, he made periodic trips to train the students and relied on social media platforms for collaboration. Due to limited resources, he could only enroll four students in the first batch of trainees. Furthermore, some of the trainees graduated from school before the production phase, so Taha enrolled them as trainers to ensure continuity. In order to prevent damage to the original coins and produce aesthetically pleasing replicas, he utilized silicone molds instead of plasticine, which proved to be more successful and increased the productivity of the project.
The Impact
This project served as a source of motivation and inspiration for the locals of Rohtas, encouraging them to engage in similar initiatives to generate income for their community. Local students' active participation in this project, demonstrated the potential for positive change through small, dedicated steps. By witnessing the success and earnings of the participating students, others in the community were inspired to follow suit and explore similar opportunities. This project exemplified the empowerment of youth, highlighting the transformative impact that can be achieved through their active involvement and dedication.
Way Forward
Taha has set his sights on establishing a sustainable cycle of production for the project. To achieve this, his next objective is to establish a souvenir shop within Rohtas Fort, where the talented students can showcase and sell their crafted coins, enabling them to earn from their efforts. Additionally, Taha intends to document these unique coins in government records, following the guidance provided by Ms Emanuela Benini, the Director of AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation). This documentation will further validate the significance and authenticity of the coins, enhancing their value and recognition.
