The City's vanishing glory

The City's vanishing glory
Nina C George
With Kannan building being next in the line of heritage buildings on M G Road that have gone under the bulldozer, Metrolife spoke to a cross-section of Bangaloreans who came up with varied responses, reflecting the mosaic that the City is.


Another heritage landmark is all set to be obliterated off the City's face. Kannan Building of vintage 1910, on M G Road that houses The Lakeview, G K Vale, S P Surya, Lawrence and Mayo and Jamals will soon be history with a monstrous, swanky, modern multi-storey shopping complex set to take its place.

The modern look

The erstwhile South Parade, or Mahatma Gandhi Road as it is known today, till recently showcased the melting pot that the City's history has been.

Traditional buildings rubbed eaves with ritzy, modern structures with an unheard of ease. However, the balance has clearly tilted towards the modern. What was once a shopping promenade haunted by shoppers has categorically taken an upmarket turn.

With Kannan building being next in the line of heritage buildings on M G Road that have gone under the bulldozer, Metrolife spoke to a cross-section of Bangaloreans who came up with varied responses, reflecting the mosaic that the City is.

Some feel that new structures must not altogether displace old colonial structures in the City. One can recreate, modify or reinforce the existing structures. Heritage buildings must not be pulled down. But there are several who believe that change is what life is all about. It's high time to move on without being encumbered by baggages of any kind.

Justice M F Saldanha, who moved into the City from Mumbai in 1994, feels that the City should go all out to retain its heritage structures. If need be, he says, the existing heritage structures could be renovated, recreated and modified and put to greater use. This would give it a modern look and yet retain its old charm.

Why shouldn't shopping complexes underground, asks Koshy Mathew, a communications consultant. If rails can go underground so can shopping malls, he reasons. He thinks tall glass structures are an eye sore and aren't environment friendly. “Unlike in England, we neither have a sense of heritage nor do we have academic centres dedicated to preserving the heritage of the City,” he points out.

Whatever comes up in the place of Kannan building, the facade appearance would be the same as the existing structure, assures V K Surendra, owner of the 30,000-odd sq ft plot on which the vintage building tands. The front will not be a glass structure and the colonial charm would be retained.

“The existing commercial establishments will come back to occupy new space at highly discounted rents. The new tructure will have ground plus two floors. It will also have an underground car park. An automobile showroom is also likely to come up here," Surendra discloses. There are those who argue that change is inexorable.

Clinging to the past does not aid progress. “Bangalore is one among the fastest growing cities in the world in terms of services, cuisine and fashion. We have to change with time and keep pace with development," says Prem Koshy, owner of the Koshys Restaurant on St Marks’s Road.

Freelance press photographer T L Ramaswamy who has chronicled M G Road in all its sepia hues, says since the builder has promised that the frontage of the Kannan building will not be changed it might not make much of a difference.

Shops located in Kannan building have all packed up and are ready to leave. Although they will be coming back in two years' time, they know nothing will be the same again.

The Lakeview is not only a landmark also a regular hangout for people like Rachana Vasudev who runs a boutique in Ganjam. She says the City doesn't need another shopping mall. The old charm of this City must be retained. "Combining heritage buildings with glass structures is ridiculous. We will neither be here not there," she says.

Legislation a must

There have been consistent efforts from several heritage centres in the City to protect heritage structures. The Bangalore Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has been trying to get the government to pass a legislation to preserve the heritage of the City.

“There’s no legislation or a legal tool which we can use to preserve heritage. We have submitted a report in this regard to the government but they seem callous about it,” says Prathibha H R, convener of INTACH, Bangalore Chapter. She says that unless a legislation is in place, heritage buildings, located in prime locations in the City will disappear, leaving nothing for posterity.