Heritage to most people is only about saving buildings of the past when it is as much about the living heritage of the people around it, says Sebastian Cortes, acclaimed photographer who has published ‘Pondicherry’, a photo essay book that is his visual interpretation of this coastal town.
“If we end up getting too stuck on buildings, we miss the whole idea that heritage is about both the living heritage which is mostly the memories and the people or even the longing for a place”, says Cortes, who is actively engaged with the Puducherry chapter of INTACH.
Heritage redevelops every day because we are “constantly building up our heritage” and heritage conservation requires a ‘sense of immediacy which is looking towards the future’, he said.
His personal approach to heritage has been shaped both by an ‘extreme sense of history’ from his mother’s Venice roots, and ‘contemporary history’ from growing up in the U.S.
Mr. Cortes has had a great deal of interactions on the concept of heritage conservation requiring a vision to ‘process an idea of what these buildings would contain’, with Francis Wacziarg, the founder of Neemrana Hotels, which has restored and turned many crumbling buildings into heritage hotels and the late Ajit Koujalgi, co-convenor of the Puducherry chapter of INTACH.
“It was clear to (us) all that something was needed to re-launch the city on an international level and that saving the buildings was only the start of a long process that looked to the future, involving all the stake holders.”
The way forward is the ‘telling of an old tale in a contemporary fashion’, and ‘making heritage relevant and contemporary’ in times when India's growth story is being celebrated, and these buildings have lost their importance in everyday life.
He suggests that the government must provide support to owners of heritage houses, perhaps through tax breaks, so that these houses are not just recognised as having value, but also serve the owners’ needs.
Mr. Cortes suggests making Puducherry a destination for the arts, while drawing in aspects of science and spirituality, which are linked to a larger vision for the future of Puducherry. For this, this town must make known its interest in seeking expertise from other cities which have reinvented themselves as centres for art and heritage, especially in Europe.
Heritage then becomes an ‘activity’ which combines a variety of elements and is part of the ‘vision’ for the city.
“Puducherry could become a place for dialogue in art. It is already a perfect place for artists,” he says.
