‘Emotional connect isneeded to protect them’

BANGALORE, KARNATAKA, 26/11/2013: Through generations The Ballabrooie guest-house holds on to its links with the past – the sprawling bungalow, the lovely tree cover and its quietitude is the stuff of dreams in this noisy city in Bangalore on November 26, 2013. Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

With the controversy over the State government’s proposal to convert the 150-year-old Balabrooie guesthouse here into a clubhouse for legislators snowballing, conservation architects have underscored the need for legislation to conserve heritage structures.

“Legal mechanisms are necessary to see that irresponsible individuals have no say [in dealing with heritage structures],” said the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) convener, Sathya Prakash Varanashi, citing the example of England where strict laws are in place to conserve heritage monuments.

Arun Prasad, who is documenting the history and heritage of the city, said, “There is a Legislators’ Home with amenities. If that was not enough, why can’t the legislators be given memberships in posh clubs instead of concentrating on Balabrooie?”

He said, “The erstwhile rulers, including the British, were sensitive towards our monuments. It is only after the Independence that the insensitive destruction started.

“People don’t even know of a ‘Tamashe Mane’ on Museum Road where the city administration was shifted from Tipu’s Summer Palace.”

Mr. Varanashi said there was no updated list on the heritage structures in the city. An attempt to list the heritage buildings was made in the late 1980s by professor K.N. Iyengar. “Most of the buildings may no longer exist and thus, the original list is no longer a valid document,” he said.

There is a need for legislation and rules to protect and conserve heritage structures, he said, and added that apart from the will to protect such structures, there is a need for an “emotional connect”. Concurring with him, Pankaj Modi, a conservation architect, said that listing of the heritage structures would not help. “Conservation of heritage structures can be possible with a proper legislation in place. Any modification or renovation to any protected structure will then have to be approved by a special board,” he said. Mr. Varanashi added that listing was a double-edged sword. Most owners of private heritage structures were wary of getting their buildings listed.