It must have taken them just a few hours to bring it down. And when they did, despite protests, an invaluable piece of heritage was destroyed.
The small hexagonal band shed that once stood at the north-west end of the Durbar Hall Ground had a significant place in history. Old timers believe that it must have been built sometime in the mid-19th century, along with the Durbar Hall, on a two-acre property once owned by the Maharajah of Cochin.
“The band shed was pulled down sometime in 1987, if I’m right. The late K.R. Rajan was Ernakulam Collector then. A Russian group of dancers were slated to perform in Kochi as part of an Indo-Russian cultural exchange programme. The district administration decided to construct a stage at the Durbar Hall Ground and chose the North East corner for that. They decided to demolish the band shed for this. I was President of Rotary Club of Cochin then. We sent a request letter to the Collector to refrain from pulling down this heritage structure. Many other organisations and individuals also made similar requests. But we got no reply and the band shed was pulled down,” says V.N. Venugopal, local historian.
The Durbar Hall Ground was venue for some glittering events. And the hall was where the Maharajah held his durbar, with the public gathering at the spacious ground.
Some significant proclamations, like the administrative reforms of January 4, 1938, the new constitution of the Cochin State on June 17, 1938, and the formation of the Cochin State Central War Committee on June 28, 1940, were all made at this very ground.
“In the 1930s and early 1940s, every Tuesday and Thursday, the State band used to play at the band shed. They used to usually play English songs, marching songs and all that. People used to stand outside and listen to these songs regularly. This apart, the band played during all the ceremonial events that happened here. In fact, when the durbar of the Highness was on the band used to play for nearly one-and-a-half hours,” informs Venugopal.
Sometime in 1942 the band shifted from Durbar Hall Ground. “There used to be what was called Men’s Park. This was located at where the present Children’s Park stands. An open space served as the band stand here. The State band was part of the Armed Reserve Police. Their barracks was positioned at the present Inspector General of Police office on Shanmugham Road. They used to march to the venue in their official dress of khaki trousers, a bush coat and a black belt. On certain days they were seen in their ceremonial dress of scarlet coat, blue trousers and a round hat placed with a slant. The band used to play here till 1947-48,” adds Venugopal.
The Durbar Hall Ground was also used for exhibitions, football and cricket, military parades and for the processions taken out in connection with the Shiva Temple festival. In the early days this ground and the path leading from it to the temple nearby was out of bounds to those of the lower rungs of society. A change in this law came only after the Temple Entry Declaration.
Old timers still remember some of the football matches played at this venue like the ones between the local Town Club and the British army men. For a long time this was the main venue for cricket matches too. The band shed served as a pavilion and the dwarf walls around the ground were packed with supporters of the sides. This was home to prominent cricket clubs like Ernakulam Cricket Club and Swantons and football clubs like Udaya and Santhosh.
“The band shed is where we got together when it rained. Not just us cricketers, but footballers and even some hockey players. There used to be animated discussions that went on till late evening. There was camaraderie between those who gathered here that continues even today. The band shed also served as the pavilion for all the cricket and football matches that were played here,” remembers M. Soman, former Kerala cricketer and senior member of Swantons CC.
Founder member of Swantons and former Kerala fast bowler V. Kuttykrishnan joined Ernakulam CC in 1964. The club used to have net practice at this ground. “A year later we formed Swantons and we had our nets close to ECC’s. Since then this ground was home to the club till we moved following the renovation of the ground. So many cricketers cut their teeth here, till Tinu Yohannan, Kerala’s first international.”
C.C. Jacob, international footballer, considers this ground and the band shed important signposts in his career. “By the time I rushed here from college (SH College, Thevara), flinging my books at home, cycling as fast as I could, the ground used to be crowded. And many a day I had to stand out and watch the others play. I played for Udaya and every evening, a huge crowd watched us play. After training we usually sat for a long time under the flag post that has also been removed now. The band shed was a sort of dressing room for us. Sad that the flag post and the band shed are no longer there today.”
Widening of the road near the Rama Varma Club reduced the size of the ground considerably. For a long while this ground remained neglected and served as a dump yard of sorts. The ground, now owned by the Revenue Department, was spruced up giving it a lush green look and new walkways to serve as a leisure spot. The District Tourist Promotion Council undertook the restoration and beautification work. An open-air auditorium, light towers to ensure proper lighting, pay and park facilities have all contributed to give this ground a facelift. The Durbar Hall has also been renovated giving it a fresh, new look.
A poor imitation of the original band shed now stands at the south-east corner of the ground. Nothing remains of the beautiful, historic band shed except memories of the music that wafted from there and the happy hours spent by sportsmen inside, while the city was drenched in rain.
