Cyclone unleashed fury on ageing Garden House

byA. V. Ragunathan

Source: The Hindu  

RAVAGED: The heritage building where British General Robert Clive lived and which serves as the camp office of the Cuddalore Collector, was partially damaged in the cyclone. Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy

INTACH team called to assess damage

A team from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has been called to inspect the damage caused by cyclone ‘Thane' to the 18th Century edifice here that was once the home of British General Robert Clive.

Known as the Garden House in colonial parlance, it has been declared a heritage structure and serves as the camp of the District Collector.

Situated in the heart of Cuddalore town, it had famed sylvan surroundings and thick woods. Tucked away from public view, the magnificent building had come up in the midst of gigantic trees.

The mansion, which hosted many a banquet during the heydays of the British, was constructed using bricks and slake lime. Built in 1702 at a cost of Rs.27,500, the building fell into disrepair after the departure of the British.

It is learnt that the roof collapsed in 1984, forcing subsequent Collectors to move to a modest building on the same campus.

It prominently displays a circular plaque stating “This house was occupied by Robert Clive, afterwards created Lord Clive, circa 1756.”

The ground floor of the colonial legacy now serves as the camp office and conference hall where the review meetings, including in-camera ones, are held.

When the cyclone struck Cuddalore, as many as 60 trees on the campus were uprooted, blocking the approach road. The Collector could come out of the building only after removing the trees obstructing the way.

The falling trees damaged the tiles on the roofs and chipped away a portion of the balcony. The ferocious winds broke glass panes and wooden frames of windows.

The once well maintained garden in front of the building is now in tatters.

When contacted, District Collector Rajendra Ratnoo told The Hindu that preliminary estimates showed that the building had suffered damages to the tune of Rs.30 lakh. Since it was a heritage structure renovation work could be entrusted only to experts.

He said that the Superintendent of Police's bungalow, near Silver Beach, was another heritage building that was extensively damaged.

He had asked the INTACH to send a team to assess the damage and prepare an estimate, in coordination with the Public Works Department and the Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation, to restore these heritage structures to their pristine glory.

Victoria Town Hall stands tall after restoration

by M. Soundariya Preetha

source: Hindu  

The Hindu The Victoria Town Hall in Coimbatore city, listed by INTACH as a heritage structure. It was restored in 1992. Photo; M. Periasamy

 

This landmark building in Coimbatore, which has stood the test of time, faced threat of demolition in the early 1990s

This landmark building in Coimbatore has stood the test of time. It is rich in history and was once the venue for public meetings, council meetings, civic receptions and banquets in honour of celebrities visiting the city, including Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji.

The Victoria Town Hall, constructed in 1892 in honour of Queen Victoria, faced the threat of demolition in the early 1990s but has now been restored and hosts Corporation council meetings.

Municipal council meetings were held in the hall till 1953. From 1952 to 1986, a library and reading room existed on the mezzanine floor of the hall. The hall was then used as a godown to store electrical goods.

INTACH role

In 1992, a government order was passed for its demolition, says Shashi Ghulati, who was convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) - Coimbatore then.

The INTACH took up the matter with the Corporation Commissioner. With the support of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, the INTACH launched a campaign to save the structure. An official of the corporation says the structure was restored in 1992 at a cost of Rs.15 lakh.

According to Ms. Ghulati, the municipality granted the land and Rs.3,000 for the construction of the hall in 1892 and the rest of the money was donated by members of the Town Hall Committee (comprising prominent citizens of the city). The Town Hall was the committee's property till 1953. That year, its administration, management and maintenance were handed over to Coimbatore Municipality.

The 6,000 sq.ft structure, which includes the 3,000 sq.ft. council hall, stands on a 48-cent plot.

The entrance porch has Gothic arches and a balcony. The foyer leads to the assembly hall. The mezzanine floor is now used as a visitors' gallery for council meetings. The historical structure has walls made of stone and lime and mortar, panelled shutters for windows, and timber trusses with Mangalore tiles for roofing. A low-roofed corridor, with Tuscan type stumpy columns, runs along three sides of the hall.

According to architect Philip Fowler, who was involved along with INTACH in preparing the report and recommendations for the restoration of the Town Hall, the walls of the hall were strong and the main restoration works were taken up for the roofing and the rafters.

“When the building was used as a godown and was to be demolished, it was in a dilapidated condition. The stone slabs in the corridor were coming out, window panes were broken, and posters pasted on the walls. This was a heritage structure that was more than 100 years old and worthy of being saved for posterity.

So, why should it be ruined? And, we launched a protest to save the structure,” says Ms. Ghulati. The backing of the citizens made a difference and the support of the chamber of commerce came as a boost.

The Trust members collected details of the Town Hall and prepared blueprints for restoration of the Hall and even suggested creating a museum on the lines of New York's Empire State Building. The Victoria Town Hall was listed by INTACH in 1995, she says.

Heritage lovers blame weak security for museum theft

Paul FernandesPaul Fernandes, TNN | Jan 29, 2012, 06.39AM IST


PANAJI: The daring robbery at the Christian art museum in Old Goa and the loss of priceless antiques has triggered shock among heritage lovers, who blamed it on the "weak security system".

Unidentified persons strangled a 55-year-old lone guard at the museum in St Monica convent at around 6.30pm on Wednesday and committed the theft after grabbing the keys from him, police sources said. Five gold antiques from the museum, once projected by its management as a unique showcase of Indo-Portuguese art, were taken away from a monument of the church complex at the world heritage site.

Heritage lovers and conservationists have raised several queries about the management of the museum, alleging that the lack of strict security may have exposed the artefacts to pilferage.

"The issues of safety and security are of prime importance in the management of a museum as they are prime targets for the heists," says Savia Viegas, a Fullbright scholar who was attached to Smithsonian museum, USA, for almost a year.

The nuns from St Monica convent called the police after they heard the guard's cries as he was apparently being strangled. "Actually, there should have been a device with the watchman, which should have triggered a public scare or woken the whole neighbourhood, especially when museums are located in isolated places like this," Viegas said.

The daring robbery also raises questions about providing security to security personnel. "The best option was to install a CCTV with a recording facility to keep track of persons entering the premises round-the-clock," Damodar Mauzo, a member of the curatorial committee of a new museum at the old Secretariat, said.

Raising another aspect, Victor Hugo Gomes, a former founder curator of the Christian art museum, said it is risky to entrust the keys to security guards in the present set-up. "Should our priceless heritage be left to the mercy of security guards with unknown credentials?" he asked.

Gomes alleged that the thieves knew how the museum's locking systems operated. "Retaining the security personnel for more than seven years, as in the present case, is not a done thing," he said. Agreed Perry Goes, a Bangalore-based Goan collector of vintage items, "The fact that it didn't take much for the thieves to walk away with the antiques shows that the security was weak."

However, a source attached to the museum management explained that the keys were given to the security guard due to frequent short circuits at the museum. "The keys were given in the eventuality of some electrical problem occurring," the source said.

The management has installed CCTVs in the museum, but admitted that it has no recording facility. Regarding the annual allocation of 3 lakh towards the maintenance of security, the source added, "It is utilized to defray the expenditure of the security guard's monthly wages."

The prestigious project aimed at conserving rich Indo-Portuguese art was initiated by the Goa archdiocese around 1988. Supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, (INTACH), New Delhi, and others in terms of funds, technical guidance and other contributions, the effort finally culminated in setting up of the museum at Rachol in 1994. It was shifted to St Monica convent, Old Goa, a decade ago.

The priceless antiques sourced from churches from various parts of Goa and also loaned from some families' private collections were largely liturgical objects and a collection of paintings and other artefacts.

Questions are being raised by some about the role of a management committee, which comprises prominent citizens, overseeing the affairs of the museum. But a couple of members when contacted said they are only peripherally connected to its running. "The day-to-day administration is looked after by the management through a "12-member trust," a member said. The managing committee is likely to meet early next week to take stock of the situation. "This incident is an eye-opener for all of us," a member said.

Terming the antiques in the museum as world heritage, Viegas said the management should be wary about international buyers of antiques. "There is huge movement of antiques from the third world to the western world," she said.

Mauzo said the Old Goa heist throws up lessons for museum managers. Agreed Prajal Sakhardande, executive member of the Goa Heritage Action Group, "Now museums have become targets of antique robbers as the government failed to nab the culprits who stole antiques and idols from our churches and temples," he said.

The government should launch a massive search for the culprits, said heritage lovers. Gomes added, "The government should not entrust the solving of Goa's biggest heritage robbery to just one police inspector."

Coronation Park: Monument to capital's civic neglect


NEW DELHI: It was to have been ready in time to commemorate the centenary of Delhi becoming the capital, but the historic coronation park, which once held the lavish durbar of King George V and houses stately statues and columns that are testimony to a bygone era, cries for a long-awaited makeover - thanks to bureaucratic lethargy and the incompetence of civic bodies.

The park, called Coronation Memorial, is situated in north Delhi, spread across 49 acres near Burari village. It is here that King George V announced the shifting of the British Indian capital from Calcutta to Delhi Dec 12, 1911.

"The whole expanse is filled with pits and puddles. It is just a dusty open space with some donkeys braying, plants growing on plinths of century-old statues of British nobility. The ground is used for cricket matches by some youngsters in the neighbourhood," lamented Nanditha Gururaj, a heritage walk coordinator.

According to Gururaj, the park has huge tourism potential. "Braving the thorns, rubbish heaps and overgrown grass, tourists still visit the place as they want to see where the durbar was held and where New Delhi was proclaimed capital of British India," Gururaj told IANS.

"It is unfortunate that after several years, the park is yet to be ready and a tourism potential site has been in a state of neglect for decades," says a city-based historian.

The renovation of the park has missed several deadlines. "The park's conservation was first conceived in 2005. With six years left for the capital's 100th birthday, the government was confident about developing 'the junkyard of history' into a cultural centre for north Delhi," said an official at the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach).

"After several hiccups and initial feet dragging by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the ownership of the park was shifted to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in 2007. Intach and an NGO were asked to prepare a concept proposal," the official said.

Nearly two years after the initial talks, DDA and Intach's Delhi chapter joined together and a contract was signed at the end of 2009 for developing the park costing Rs.16 crore.

DDA set a deadline for the renovation work on Dec 12, 2011. But till date, the park is in shambles. According to DDA authorities, the renovation work will now be completed only until June 2012.

"We submitted a detailed facelift plan in April 2010. But DDA gave contracts for civil work only in July 2011 and they signed us for the conservation work only recently," the Intach official said.

The facelift work was divided in three major components - landscaping, interpretation centre and conservation of the coronation pillar and statues.

"Only 30 percent of the work has been completed. We started the work only in September last year, as the tender process for the project had taken several months. After three months, we were not able to work because of the rains. Since the soil was wet and loose during the rainy season, we had to extend our deadline from April to June 2012," a senior DDA official told media.

"Around 150 labourers are working daily on the park," the official said.

The official also informed that the conservation of statues and pillars takes time as they have to be cleaned with certain chemicals.

"The statues and the pillars have to be chemically cleaned. The renovation programme will take time. Cleaning, repairing and restoring the park which was left untouched for nearly a century is not easy. It takes time," said a DDA official.

The Convener of Intach's Delhi chapter, A.G.K. Menon, said, "It is disappointing that the park was not ready for the centenary, but we all know how the government system works. We cannot blame only the authorities, the whole system is slow."