The Tamil Nadu government's inexplicable delay in extending legal protective measures to heritage structures has cost the State yet another landmark building. A substantial portion of the century old P. Orr and Sons building in Chennai, home to the earliest watch ‘manufacturing' firm in South India, will be demolished to make way for an ancillary structure of a Metro railway station. A petition to prevent this demolition — filed by the Chennai chapter of INTACH — was dismissed by the Madras High Court on Wednesday. Of the issues raised by this case and the judgment, one with a larger import is the absence of legal protection for heritage structures. While the rest of the world recognises the value historic buildings bring to a city's culture and even economy, policymakers in India simply don't get it. Often, only monuments such as palaces and religious structures are officially recognised as legacy structures and conserved, leaving out a host of other buildings which are no less significant in historical and architectural terms. No amount of public protest can prevent the bulldozer since, at the end of the day, when the agitation to save these vulnerable and venerable buildings reaches the courts, it is only the point of law that prevails. Though legislation is not the only way to protect heritage, without it, our valuable structures cannot effectively be conserved.
Not all State governments move on leaden feet. States such as Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh quickly realised the importance of heritage and adopted a variety of legal measures to safeguard them. West Bengal enacted a comprehensive Heritage Commission Act, which covers the entire State, and creates an institutional arrangement to identify heritage buildings and recommend measures to protect them. In addition, individual local bodies, such as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation have amended their respective Acts to constitute a Heritage Conservation Committee with the Municipal Commissioner as its head. Mumbai was the first city in India to legally notify heritage buildings as early as 1995. Such measures have made a vast difference to conservation efforts. The objective of these measures is not to prohibit the use of old buildings, but creatively to manage changes without losing the heritage value. This is not impossible to achieve. London, which is one of the largest modern cities in the world with more than 18,000 heritage buildings and 155 monuments, is a case in point. The Tamil Nadu government, without any further delay, should put in place a comprehensive legal framework that will be effective State wide, and also empower local bodies to protect all extant, precious old structures.
I did my masters in IIT Madras and now I am doing Ph.D in Germany. The city, where
I live, Darmstadt was once very prominent and was bombed to almost total
destruction during the world war II. After the world war, no attempts were made to
repair/protect the old structures except for the most prominent castles and churches
and efforts concentrated only on building structures that met the needs. As a result,
the city lost its soul and vitality and is now just another city. Chennai holds a rich
heritage and its our duty to preserve the soul of the city. Considering the
advancements in technology it is not an impossible task to keep the structure intact
and build the metro. What is required is only the right mindset.
We are moving into a modern world, at a skyrocket pace, fueled by unprecedented scientific and technological progress; a future where a new skyscraper shoots up everyday, where man travels at faster speeds by the day, where every creation that was sanctified by our forefathers can be created/replicated in a science laboratory. In such a world, our only hope of preserving the human within us is to keep in touch with our roots. One cannot reach great places unless one is aware of where one comes from. These heritage structures: not only the monuments and temples and forts built by great kings, but also the libraries and bridges and other structures built by ordinary people for their fellow citizens, are highly reflective of a long-prevalent culture, of a long-lost era, of an enduring human race. Protecting this heritage is our moral obligation. We owe it, not only to a generation gone, but also to a generation to come.
We lived in our present home for 26 yrs.We have to vacate the grand old flat since we decided to demolish and build modern flats with lifts,car parks etc.In the process of vacation we had to sell,give free of cost or destroy many of the valuable items collected during these yrs.it consisted of vessels and furniture used by us.it consisted of small tables and chairs,play items used by our two beloved sons.it contained family photos with my family members who had lived with us . It included used by my father yrs ago. For us these all had heritage value.But we cannot carry them due to space constraints.With heavy heart we disposed, one by one,however keeping things that brought memories of our sweetest kids.We do not expect outsiders to appreciate our attachment these things.Perhaps some other precious items,like the play things of our grand children would in future occupy the void.This approach should apply to National heritage also.
There is no denying that monuments and architectural complexes add not just to the cultural vibrancy of a city but also attract tourists from places far and wide thereby contributing to the economy of the state.Also such heritage structures add to the cultural pride and prolong the historical importance of days gone by.It is highly pertinent that the respective state govts take all possible measures to ,not only protect but also refurbish broken and damaged heritage structures which stand tall and remind us of our incredible existence since ages ,against all odds in this world .
effective initiative towards heritage......
If the government is interested law can be made in no time. In the
capital all kind of monuments are protected. Why not this building?
Government wants to demolish even 1000 year old temples. If Indian
Governments, consisting of Indians, have to be moved often only by huge
peoples' movement, periodically and persistently, in order to prevent a
wrong doing, why do we need freedom from foreign rule. It appears that
the christian British had more respect for Hindu temples than our own
Indian ministers.
Your exhortation is sure to spur uninhibited support for the noble cause of conservation of our venerable heritages and heritage sites. Recently Germany has reportedly innovated a venerable building duly preserving its antique architecture and mural sculpture. It is now a world trend. Then the fact that we give scant respect to such beacon structures passes over our head. Particularly, Tamil Nadu has carved for itself a niche of infamy in this respect. Old structures and buildings constitute useful signboards on the labyrithine corridors of history. Their mindless destruction is, to say the least, a cruel deprival to our posterity. The abominable action erases the noble remnants of our legacy. This is really condemnable.
While it is true that P.Orr and Sons's case represents a situation of
utter disregard to heritage, there are hundreds of other structures
all across the state that have stood the test of time not merely for
hundreds of years but for thousands of years yet have been
disregarded and are in a dilapidated condition for want of attention.
Many thousand-year-old temples, mandapams and other structures built
not only by Great kings that were better known by their names, but by many
simpletons who had erected structures to commemorate some occasion or
the other also lie in ruins and neglect.
The successive governments, either by misplaced ideological design or
by default, have chosen to ignore the still standing edifices that
have portrayed our hoary historical past.
It is unfortunate that we don't have enough either legal provisions as
of today nor political will to protect the heritage buildings which
stand tall as a mark of our cultural and social pride for generations.
This is an example of scanty regard that we have for the cultural
sensitivities of the ordinary people and how in the process of the so-
called transformation we lose our own identity.How many more are we to
sacrifice in the days' to come? God only knows....
It is indeed unfortunate that we don't give importance to Heritage Buildings. Earlier , there was an attempt to demolish the Queen Mary's College and now it is the turn of the P.Orr & Sons building. We only give importance to Statues and memorials of departed political leaders and not to our own History and Heritage.
Please Email the Editor