Special issue with the Sunday Magazine
From the publishers of THE HINDU

URBAN SPACES : August 1, 1999

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Doing away with the warts

Architect Rahul Mehrotra talks to Piali Banerjee

Prince Charles worded it well. When told of a planned extension to the ancient National Gallery at London, he scoffed, "What is proposed is like a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much loved and elegant friend."

It is exactly this deformity that threatens to grip Mumbai today. "Extensions", "renovations", "redecorations" provide all the carbuncles and warts that this historic city surely does not need. For instance, it does not need the majestic verandahs of the famous Victoria Terminus partitioned into a dozen makeshift offices for clerks.

Yet that is how the city has been developing over the years . . . .

So what is the solution? "We have to find gentler ways of evolving our cities," says Rahul Mehrotra, an architect who speaks for the zealous members of the "Bombay Conservation Group." Members who love their city, warts and all. And are ready to work for the conservation of its architectural heritage.

"Conservation is a new issue in India," he explains. "Even legislation regarding conservation is only three years old. Our aim is to make conservation a part of planning. To increase awareness and help people look at it emotionally. Right now, we are up against a stone wall, for the general belief is that conservation works against planning. We want to prove that that's a myth."

Right now, there are about 630 buildings which have been marked out for conservation in Mumbai. They come in three grades. In the first grade, buildings like the Victoria Terminus, the High Court and the Bombay University debar both inside and outside changes. In the second grade, as in the case of the Jehangir Art Gallery, the outside is held sacred, but changes are allowed inside. The third grade consists of buildings which are listed for group rather than individual value. Like the buildings - residential or otherwise - along Marine Drive. These have to follow some dos and don'ts during repair and restoration.

Christine Pemberton/ Fotomedia
Flora Fountain, Mumbai.

Apart from the usual environmental pollution, traffic vibrations and acid rain, Rahul puts down the lack of simple routine maintenance as a major cause for the degeneration of these buildings. "The general belief is that they don't need maintenance since they are made of stone," he says. "Which is wrong."

Sometimes the damage is done simply because repairs are carried out without doing research into the architecture of the building. "For instance, some time back, they wanted to install air conditioners at the High Court," says Rahul. "And couldn't figure out how to do it. But they went ahead and fitted them, damaging the stone walls. Only after that, did they come to us with the problem."

He says that restoration work needs exhaustive research - right down to the lab testing of the composition of materials which can be used.

Right now, Rahul is working on the restoration of the Sassoon Library and some old city clubs, apart from making a complete report about the High Court. Funds for restoration work are always difficult to come by. "Yes," he agrees. "We work at cost price for the public sector and that too is a problem sometimes. For conservation, in a poor economy, throws up a whole lot of other issues."

That is why he feels awareness forms a major part in any city's final bid for conservation. To increase this awareness, the group organises walking tours through various parts of the city, every Saturday. "There are various routes," he explains. "We divide the people into groups of 20 or 30 and have one architect accompany them for giving information. The groups are taken from building to building and each one's history and important features are discussed. We have had good response from both, the people as well as interested young architects who want to register for the "Walking Tour Society." In fact, all the tours are fully booked till September."

Does this help in the scheme of things? "Oh yes, if nothing else, when 50 people go and stare at a building every Saturday, the authorities concerned feel responsible enough to remove all posters and do some washing up in preparation!" he laughs.

After all, it is this sense of pride that has to be aroused.