Celebrate city’s architecture, open spaces, says expert

Abha Narain Lambah bats for protecting heritage buildings

Abha Narain Lambah

Architect Abha Narain Lambah on Friday gave expression to what many Mumbaikars know to be true, about the historical and cultural heritage of the city, expressed through its architecture. “If we look around today, we don’t even have a handful of buildings in the city that we can be proud of. We have to conserve what we have,” she said.

With only the Archaeological Survey of India protecting these buildings till 1995, Ms. Lambah emphasised the need to bring in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to protect Mumbai’s 19th and 20th-century heritage.

Ms. Lambah has been instrumental in changing the face of several iconic locations of Mumbai, including Horniman Circle, D.N. Road, among others. She was speaking at the third annual Sharda Dwivedi lecture held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya.

The lecture, organised by The Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), invited a host of art enthusiasts to pay tribute to the late Ms. Dwivedi, who is recognised for her research on Mumbai’s history and culture.

The lecture covered the late Ms. Dwivedi’s contribution with her close friend, Ms. Lambah, in restoring the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai. Ms. Lambah began the lecture by remembering the light-hearted moments she shared with Ms. Dwivedi and went on to talk about the city’s heritage buildings’ journey to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2004.

Instrumental in forming the Kala Ghoda (KGA) Committee, both Ms. Lambah and the late Ms. Dwivedi believed in making art accessible to the people of Mumbai. “By bringing forth various heritage walks, bicycle tours and festivals, the KGA committee has brought about a remarkable awareness of the city. It celebrates the city for the citizen,” Ms. Lambah said.

The hour-long lecture began with a presentation by Ms. Lambah and was followed by a short film on the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai.

Ms. Lambah believes in celebrating the city’s architecture and open spaces. “We have to come up with our own idea of managing to carry the old into new,” she said.