Unique Munn Maps unveiled in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD, January 6, 2018: MUAD Secretary Mr Navin Mittal on Saturday complimented Google for their enthusiastic support to an initiative that heralds a new dimension to artistic mapping.

He specifically praised the IT giant for putting Hyderabad Survey Munn Maps in public domain, which has the potential to reach out to millions of people, who could now understand the painstaking efforts taken by people of the calibre of Prashant Lahoti and Karen Leonard. This has the potential to mark the commencement of something exciting in public domain.

Mr Mittal was speaking after the launch of the Munn Maps at Telangana State Art Gallery of Fine Art, Kavuri Hills here Saturday morning. He said making such unique maps were projects in themselves and required utmost patience and a massive research.

One can imagine the diligence with which Mr Lahoti went about accomplishing the job. The Krishnakriti Managing Trustee has collected 638 maps of Hyderabad.

The event was held as part of 'Krishnakriti Art and Cultural Festival-2018'.

Arijit Sarker , Vice-President-Global Campaign Operations, Google India pointed out that since being set up in 2011, Google Cultural Institute was bringing art, photography and cultural artifice closer to the people by making them available online.

He contended that Munn maps highlights the rich cultural heritage of the city. Preserving them and making them open to everyone to enjoy and relish remained priority to them, he said.

In his thanksgiving, Mr Lahoti said that the Munn map-collection dates back to 15 years and the passion has helped him collect 638 maps that have now been put on Google Art and Culture app.

Earlier in the day, to commemorate the historic occasion of the Maps launch, the Organising Committee took out a Heritage Walk that began at Nayab Hotel, Charminar and traversed through Salarjung Museum , Aza Khana e Zehra, Daru Shifa, Chatta Bazar, Divan Deodi, Mir Alam Mandi before culminating at Purani Haveli.

The walk recalled the tragic floods that wreaked havoc in 1908 that crippled the city. Nizam Usam Ali Khan had conducted a survey between 1912 and 1915, under the overall supervision of Leonard Munn. A total of 848 sheets were published as part of the survey, which can be accessed by the people online.