City’s rapid strides have dwarfed its heritage sites

City’s rapid strides have dwarfed its heritage sites

Sharath S. Srivatsa
Bangalore had 800 heritage buildings a decade ago; structures on Avenue Road are the latest to be threatened by expansion
— FILE Photo: K. Gopinathan

A VICTIM OF DEVELOPMENT?: Additions to the Manickavelu Mansion in Bangalore have come in for criticism.
BANGALORE: Today, the first crossroad of Bangalore, Avenue Road, is itself at a crossroads, struggling to reconcile its presence in the path of the city’s phenomenal growth, which wants it out of the way: INTACH-ESG report.

Avenue Road is the latest in the long list of heritage sites threatened by Bangalore’s mindless expansion.

The proposed road widening is not only expected to alter the road but also destroy the Rice Memorial Church (1917), Chintalapalli Venkatamuniah Setty Hostel (1911), Bombay Anand Bhavan building (1908), which earlier housed the Old Taluk Katcheri, and the ancient Komatipete Venkataramanaswamy Temple.

In the rapid strides Bangalore has made, has the city been sensitive to its history?

If the recent developments are any indicators, the answer could be no, and its heritage — tangible and intangible — continues to vanish from its topography.

For long, a proposal by the Heritage Department to bring in legislation to protect heritage buildings on the lines of those in cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi is pending before the Government.

Tough job ahead
“Bangalore had about 800 heritage buildings around a decade ago and we may have lost around 15 per cent of them. Unless there is legislation that could act as a legal tool to fight loss of heritage, it is difficult to protect the structures,” said H.R. Pratibha, Convener of Bangalore Chapter, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

A major success in Bangalore’s movement to conserve heritage was when INTACH, supported by other groups, stalled the demolition of Attara Katcheri building (High Court) building in 1984-85.

However, “The pakashala (kitchen) and ugrana (store room) in the Kote Venkataramanaswamy Temple were demolished despite opposition by experts,” she said.

Some departments that have control over heritage buildings do not consult experts in restoration, leading to undesirable additions.

Criticism
The move to add an annexe to the Manickavelu Mansion, where the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA) was inaugurated recently, came under much criticism for not involving experts.

“Though modern architecture and heritage architecture can co-exist, the process of harmonising them had not been democratic enough in case of the Manickavelu Mansion,” said Sathya Prakash Varanashi of UDBHAVA, a heritage conservation organisation. INTACH, which possesses expertise in the field, was not consulted.

Economic development
While government apathy in making a law has been one of the reasons, the real threat to heritage comes from economic development.

“The buoyancy in urban economics linked with the idea of speculation (in land) became a detrimental force to heritage.

“A large part of the young population indulged in speculation, and this section also did not have a sense of belonging as it came from other places,” Prof. Sathya pointed out.

Change
He also feels that a critical mass, which could have raised heritage conservation issues and started a movement, could not be formed in Bangalore as the work was essentially voluntary.

However, all may not have been lost. Though many departments are yet to open up, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which has a substantial number of heritage buildings under its belt, has been becoming “sensitive” to heritage. “There is a change in attitude in the BBMP and it has consulted us for works in Town Hall, Kempe Gowda Towers, Mythic Society, Mayo Hall and its own building,” says Ms. Pratibha.