Tears trickled down his cheeks whenever he heard of an old heritage building being razed to pave way for modern structures to peep out in the name of development.
He spent most of his time sourcing and collecting relics from history to prevent them from getting erased in the endless stream of time. People dubbed him as “obsessed” who had embarked on a mission with no destination.
People gradually understood and adored him after realising that his work was of value, something that helped preserve culture for posterity, especially after witnessing his monumental project, Hasta Shilpa. He was Vijaynath Shenoy, a retired banker from Manipal near Mangaluru, who passed away on Thursday morning (March 9, 2017) at the age of 86.
Hasta Shilpa is a village house, built from the valuable remains of demolished old houses, collected from various places. It created a sensation, and Shenoy received national and international recognition. Although the heritage man wanted to reside there, in the house he had re-built with a zeal towards re-use and re-cycle concepts of sustainability, he could not do so because the structure had a magnetic pull with a steady stream of visitors. Finally he was happy to convert Hasta Shilpa into a walk-through museum.
Shenoy’s love for houses in which six or seven generations once lived and breathed; and designed, not by architects, but by the people themselves according to day-to-day practical needs, social requirements and the climate resulted in his founding of the Hasta Shilpa Heritage Trust Village. On a seven-acre plot, he created a wonder by restoring 26 immaculately designed houses and museums devoted to crafts and Tanjore paintings. This heritage village was thrown open to the public last May.
One of the structures he restored is over 100 years old and does not have even a single nail, screw or hinges to hold the doors together. It is in fact an example of the local wisdom in design where doors and windows hold on with swivel.
He also restored the century-old palace of Adil Shahi Kingdom to Bassel Mission, a Christian missionary society that operates around the world. Other attractions of his restoration work are the 400-year old Bunt Guthu House, and the 500-year old Kamal Mahal.
People who visit the place will be able to sense history and heritage breathing through the walls of these structures.
(See details of Shenoy’s heritage structures on Page 2)
