The home of Subramanya Bharathi, where the celebrated poet penned some of his most revolutionary poems, is undergoing an ambitious renovation.
If everything goes by plan, the landmark memorial will have a completely refurbished avatar within six months.
The heritage structure that accommodated Bharathi during his 10-year stint here was being maintained by the Department of Art and Culture.
In March this year, the building was earmarked for renovation at an estimated cost of Rs. 99 lakh.
The restoration mainly includes construction of the adjacent building and roof repair, removal of cement plaster on the walls and replacing with lime mortar and rehabilitating the existing doors and windows of the main heritage building.
The house located on Eswaran Kovil Street in the heart of the town had been the centre of literary activities of the poet during his stay in Puducherry.
During his political asylum in Puducherry from 1908 to 1918, he was given full liberty by the French regime and Bharathi penned a number of patriotic songs and also published the weekly India.
He had also penned his “ Paanjali Sabatham , Kuyil Paatu and Kannan Paatu ” here.
The Puducherry government in 1973 acquired the house where the celebrated poet stayed on Eswaran Kovil Street and converted it into a memorial and research centre.
Ashok Panda, co-convener, INTACH told The Hindu that a new building was being constructed using traditional materials like Madras Terrace roofing with rafter and beams.
The proposed facade will be in vernacular architectural style with Thinnai and Thazhvaram using Mangalore tiles roofing.
The existing building which served as Bharathi’s residence would be renovated while the adjoining building which the government acquired in 2005 would contain rare memorabilia including photographs and literary works of the poet during the freedom struggle and would be a museum cum research centre of the national poet. The building would be completely built in a traditional manner and has been conceptualised to attract researchers and tourist footfall, he said.
Though the house was closed to tourists in November 2009, the renovation work was delayed due to procedural delays and a tug of war between the Department of Art and Culture and the Public Works Department.
While the Department of Art and Culture and INTACH wanted the conservation of the heritage building, the PWD insisted that the building was in a dilapidated condition and needed to be demolished and rebuilt from scratch.
Ultimately the territorial government recommended the restoration of the existing structure by INTACH and the demolition and construction anew of the building adjacent to it.
After the restoration, the two buildings sprawling over 3,700 sq.ft. will house a comprehensive museum-cum-research centre and also serve as a sale outlet for the literary works of the poet. “We want to ensure that the house equipped with furniture used by the bard retains the early 20 century appearance,” Mr. Panda added.
