High-fives for Bombay’s heritage

Our sutradhaars have always stood by the belief that despite the perils of redevelopment, infrastructure projects and other civic headaches, the city still cares for its heritage. In the spirit of celebrating World Heritage Day, we present exclusive coverage from a secret awards ceremony that took place over the weekend

Sir PM and Lady Flora were moments away from stepping on to the stage for their biggest night of the year – The annual World Heritage Day Awards: Bombay Chapter. The venue was the central hall inside the historic Asiatic Society. It was a midnight, hush-hush affair known to only a select, privileged few, and safe from the prying eyes of the fourth estate and other inquisitive folk. The two hosts, dressed in their Sunday best [Sir PM had ordered his Bond Street three-piece a year in advance while Lady Flora’s white gown was gifted by a secret admirer] glanced at each other, smiled, exchanged good luck wishes and went live in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1….

Seated in the audience were the who’s-who from another era, the real bosses who had contributed to the growth, and its heritage movement in the city in some way or the other -- Sir David Sassoon, Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy, Sir Cowasjee Jehangir, Sir Jagannath Shunkersett, Dr Bhau Daji Lad, Seth Manockjee Cursetjee [Sir PM had an eye on him; after all his statue was quite the showstopper of Byculla], Sir Bartle Frere [Lady Flora was checking him out for reasons, which if revealed, could distract our readers from the intent of this column]; other luminaries included architects and father-son duo, Frederick and Charles Stevens, John Adams, George Wittet and George Gilbert Scott. It was quite a star-studded gathering.

“Good evening, my dear custodians and visionaries of Bombay,” announced Sir PM, as his co-host took over proceedings. The night rolled on, and one by one, they introduced categories and its winners. For the sake of brevity and due to space limitations in a newspaper, we share below the highlights from the glittering, memorable night.

Vibrant heritage neighbourhood award: Khotachiwadi—For consistent investment in preserving local urban heritage by introducing refreshing people-friendly ideas and encouraging resident participation without disrupting its original landscape and character.

New venue award: IF.BE. art and architecture space in Ballard Estate—For reviving a forgotten part of a heritage sub-precinct with a new-age idea; retaining its old world charm while organically introducing all kinds of cultural activities, from performances to art and architecture related events.

Heritage is cool award: The ongoing map display and related conservation organised by the Asiatic Society—For throwing open priceless original gems from its collection to the general public, and reintroducing the thrills of cartography, as well as showcasing India’s history using a visual medium.

Statue of the year award: Khada Parsi, Byculla

For successfully ridding the area of squatters and other ‘unspeakable’ activities, especially after hours and restoring it to its original glory

We must add here that after the winner in this category was announced, there were a few walkouts by nominees from Dadar, Girgaum and Churchgate. Thankfully, no untoward incident occurred, of the Will Smith-Chris Rock nature.

Fountain of the year award: Wellington Fountain—For maintaining its position of importance and preservation standards; offering a pleasing, heritage-inspired panoramic sight at a busy traffic junction.

(We must add here that Lady Flora was most gracious while announcing the winner).

Favourite heritage site award: Victorian Gothic ensemble and Art Deco buildings overlooking Oval Maidan—For retaining its original facades and character, despite consistent pressures of commercial interests and new developmental threats, and also for ensuring that the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site tag was honoured.

(This award received a standing ovation for being an out-and-out citizen’s movement).

Urban green spot award: Rani Baug; special mention: Mahim Nature Park - MNP—For ensuring public interest is high about the historicity and relevance of this vital green lung in the city. Likewise, with MNP, for their interesting itinerary, especially targetted at children.

Cool comeback award: BEST buses—For being our hero and saviour during the many lockdowns; for proving that a reliable means of public transport can and will always be a lifeline for the city and its suburbs with infusion of practical solutions

Red Alert mentions—Note: This was not an award but was meant to be a platform to raise awareness about the looming, critical threats that have already made deep inroads into spaces and sites at a rapid pace.

lBandra’s vernacular streetscape across Chapel and Bazaar Roads, bylanes off Turner Road and in the Mount Carmel neighbourhood that are under threat from builders promising luxe living in the hottest suburb.

lCharai neighbourhood near Talao Pali in Thane has lost most of its original character and facades, thanks to rampant redevelopment in quick time.

lHaji Ali’s depleting shoreline affected by Coastal Road project work.

On a cheery note, there were hurrahs and applause for guardians who upheld the city’s heritage from more current developments and earned global recognition for the same.

All in all, it was a night to remember. Sir PM and Lady Flora had a lot to smile about; after all, the show they had envisioned and organised, was a success. Of course, the gossip from the event would be saved for their many midnight walks in the near future. After all, it was during these walks that the germ of this awards ceremony had emerged.

mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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