Conservation efforts must keep heritage value in mind

The Bandra Fort Fort walls covered with plaster. Pic/Ashish Raje

A controversy has been simmering over the conservation work currently going on at the Bandra Fort. Residents and activists alleged that the conservation process has completely ruined the fort, while the appointed conservation architects say the procedure is in keeping with the tenets of archaeology.

While the different points of view are acceptable, it is time both sides sit together and be on somewhat the same page. While the appointed experts are responsible for the work it is always good when local experts and those appointed can exchange some ideas or opinions.

We want to see conservation done with an eye on preserving historical facets, rather than obliterating them. The whole point of a revamp and a restoration is to repair and ensure longevity but at the same time remain true to the character of the original. Given that so many years may have passed and challenges which were present then may be very different from what they are now, this is a delicate balancing act. Yet, that is what the expertise has to ensure.

We do not need a complete overhaul. We need to make sure essence, the classiness is still evident and is a lure. There should be an understanding that naturally enough, the earlier purpose for which the infra was made, in this case, a fort, is naturally not present now. Now, it is for visitors and tourists, a landmark in the metropolis. We need an amalgamation of the practical with the aesthetic, and at the core, the history which is both a lesson from the past and its most defining feature.

Let us see that the Bandra Fort continues to be a lure for people, a reminder of the city's past, an iconic infra/tourist spot in the present respectful of the heritage of Mumbai.