Heritage Matters
Preserving the past for the future
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.
~ UNESCO
![Heritage Matters Heritage Matters](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/bg-doodle-line-title.png)
![The 1,100 year old Bengaluru inscription at Panchalingeshwara temple in Begur, installed on pedestal by INTACH](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Begur-inscriptions-scaled-800x600.jpg)
In 1982, it was truly an Indian Summer in England with an eight-month long Festival of India held between March and November. As the festival was winding up, noted Indian cultural activist Pupul Jaykar met members of the National Trust in London, with the objective of starting a similar organisation in India. Thus, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was born and registered on January 27, 1984 with Indira Gandhi as patron and Rajiv Gandhi as its chairman.1
While Archaeological Society of India was founded by General Alexander Cunningham in 1861, INTACH also has a British connection as it was partly funded by a British industrialist, Charles Wallace (see below).
Over the last four decades, INTACH has grown to become one of the largest volunteer-driven non-governmental bodies with over 210 chapters in India and funds exceeding ₹176 crores on its balance sheet.2 Today, INTACH is also supported by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs and funds from international donors such as The Helen Hamlyn Trust, London and National Museum, Denmark. 3
In Bengaluru, heritage has been in the news ever since an attempt was made to demolish the Attara Kacheri in 1982 and INTACH has been at the forefront of the conservation battle. Ironically, the Bengaluru Development Authority Act was passed much earlier in 1976 and the Urban Art Commission was set up according to Section 51 of the act. The commission identified 140 historic buildings and 55 of these were marked as important. However, there was no law to prevent demolition of a historic building if the owner decided to do so and effective enforcement of any restrictions depended on political will.
Fast forward to 2022 and we are still fighting to preserve our heritage. In a belated but welcome step, a heritage survey was conducted as part of the overall 2031 Bengaluru Master plan in 2015, three decades after the previous attempt by the Bengaluru Urban Art Commission. The Master Plan acknowledges that heritage and preservation play an important role in the growth of the city and is therefore an integral part of urban development. It strongly recommends a separate Heritage Master Plan that covers natural, cultural and built heritage. Interestingly, the survey classified 97% under the built category comprising sites, buildings and monuments. 4,5 It is another matter that there is a big gap between words and action. For example, the 2015 Revised Master Plan had proposed to renovate 300 heritage buildings in the city by spending ₹15 lakhs each 6 and it is safe to conclude this was never achieved.
Bengaluru.com spoke to Meera Iyer, convenor of INTACH Bengaluru chapter to understand more about issues impacting heritage conservation and the chapter’s goals and projects.
![When was INTACH Bengaluru chapter started? Meera Iyer: The Bengaluru chapter was also started around the same time as the parent organisation in 1984. There were two main initiatives. The first was a survey of iconic heritage buildings in Bengaluru for the now defunct Bengaluru Urban Arts Commission. The idea was that at some point of time, these would be protected. Also, at that time there was a move to demolish the Attara Kacheri and there was a lot of resistance to this idea. Naomi Meadows, who was the Convener at the time, got Sir Bernard Fielden, a world-renowned and well-respected conservation architect from England, to inspect the building. He conducted a press conference where he affirmed that the building was perfectly safe and the building would last for another hundred years. All this had an impact and a Public Interest Litigation was filed by M Bhaktavatsala and others to stop the demolition.](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Simple-Mic-icon-60x60.png)
When was INTACH Bengaluru chapter started?
![What are some of the chapter’s main activities? Meera Iyer: We do a lot of Outreach programs to spread the word about heritage because we believe our heritage is really important for the people and for the city. When you know and understand the city’s deep history and rich heritage, you appreciate it so much more, and when you appreciate and understand the city, you end up becoming a better citizen! Building awareness is a big part of what we do. Our books such as Discovering Bengaluru or Eleven Stops To The Present are also part of this initiative. Our Heritage Walks were started about 14 years ago. These walks are targeted towards people who live in the city and not just for tourists. Many people tell us that they had been living in the city all their lives but they were unaware of historical or heritage facts. We’ve also tried to reach different audiences by conducting these walks in Kannada and introducing walks for school children. We also conduct exhibitions and conferences. Recently we had exhibitions about the history, architecture, culture and cuisine of Richards Town, Fraser Town and Cooke Town as well as Ulsoor. Other initiatives include workshops on archaeology, medieval temples in the city, textiles, the making and use of lime mortar, and so on. Of course, the most visible are the restoration of buildings and in many of these projects we were fortunate to get private funding to support us.](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Simple-Mic-icon-60x60.png)
What are some of the chapter’s main activities?
![What about working with the government as they are key to any heritage conservation? Meera Iyer: We are always pursuing the Government to get some heritage regulations in place. It may be hard to believe but the Attara Kacheri is not a protected monument nor is Mayo Hall. We do have some heritage regulations in place now (passed in April 2020) after several years of discussions. We were thrilled but there were some issues. These regulations are meant for the entire state of Karnataka and they specify that for Bengaluru, they are to be enforced by Bengaluru Urban Art Commission which as I mentioned does not exist (it was disbanded in 2002). So unless it is revived, the regulations can be implemented.](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Simple-Mic-icon-60x60.png)
What about working with the government as they are key to any heritage conservation?
![One independent study reported that about 65% of heritage buildings in the world don't have maintenance or funding. What about Bengaluru? Meera Iyer: Think of the most modern city in the world - perhaps New York. How many buildings do you think are protected in the city, those that cannot be demolished? It is about 37,600. London has about 19,000 in its protected list. How many do we have in Bengaluru? Hard to believe but it is 9. Anyone will know that we definitely have more than 9 buildings that need to be protected. Yes, we have such a long way to go in heritage conservation. In 2017, there was a Revised Master Plan (RMP) developed by BDA. This had a list of heritage buildings in the city but even that was not exhaustive. There are so many others that were not recognised even in that list. Are all of them worth protecting? What do we mean by protecting? Does it mean we cannot do anything with the building, cannot touch them? Not really. For many buildings, especially residential structures, do what you need to do on the inside but preserve its facade. The character of the city partly depends on these buildings, so it would be good if more buildings were protected. Even government buildings are not safe as seen in the example of Janatha Bazaar on KG Road where a 14-storey building is supposed to replace it. The government is supposed to protect our heritage so let’s at least start there, with the public buildings.](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Simple-Mic-icon-60x60.png)
One independent study reported that about 65% of heritage buildings in the world don't have maintenance or funding. What about Bengaluru?
INTACH Restoration Project – Fort High School
![INTACH had proposed that buildings over 100 years old must be designated as heritage buildings but it was not accepted. Your comments? Meera Iyer: Actually, INTACH had proposed that government buildings over 100 years old should be declared as heritage buildings but we were told that such a law is not required right now. I realise that there are many issues with private buildings being classified but at least we should be able to start with government buildings. I should add that the age of the building is not the only criterion for a building to be considered heritage. For example, Vidhana Soudha is not 100 years old but everyone would agree it is a heritage building.](https://bengaluru.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Simple-Mic-icon-60x60.png)
INTACH had proposed that buildings over 100 years old must be designated as heritage buildings but it was not accepted. Your comments?
Most heritage buildings disappeared in the last 20 or 30 years before the regulations came out in 2020. What should be done about this?
How do you identify a project for restoration?
What are the challenges that you face in restoration projects?
Do you feel that there is an increased awareness about history and heritage in our society?
What triggered the idea of writing Discovering Bengaluru? How long did it take?
INTACH Restoration Project – Octroi Post
What are some of the future projects of INTACH Bengaluru?
Credits
Main Image: Fort High School before and after restoration
Images © INTACH, Bengaluru
Video of Octroi Post restoration © MINDIA Films
The images may not be copied or used without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.
References
- Indira Gandhi, A biography by Pupul Jaykar
- INTACH Annual Report 2021, page 198
- http://www.intach.org/partners-fcra-2018-19.php accessed on November 11, 2022
- Revised Master Plan for Bengaluru-2031 Volume 3 – Master Plan Document, page 19
- Final Report Revised of Structure Plan-2031 Bengaluru Metropolitan Region
- https://bdabangalore.org/uploads/files/TPM_Documents/BangaloreMasterPlan2015_VisionDocument.pdf page 62, accessed on November 24, 2022