Conservationist Kamalika Bose – Balancing Urbanisation With Heritage Conservation

November 1, 2017

Kolkata Chinatown_Toong On Temple — Toong On Church, Chinatown, Kolkata

Kamalika Bose is an urban conservationist whose work has a specific focus on the Chinese and Jain communities of Bengal. She is also a consultant with The Cha Project, an urban revival initiative for iconic neighbourhoods in Kolkata including Chinatown.

Bose, who is scheduled to deliver a talk on her research, on November 4 at The Loft Forum, Camp, speaks to us on the challenges of heritage conservation in India, the impact of rapid urbanisation and more.

Cities are struggling to keep a balancing act between rapid urbanisation and heritage conservation. Do you observe any particular city failing or succeeding at this ?

I think currently, we are in a transition, in a situation of flux. Indian cities are rapidly urbanising with global aspirations but heavily compromising on the rich urban heritage which today is crumbling. I don’t think we will go the Dubai or Shanghai route to entirely erase our built heritage but it doesn’t seem to be a priority either. While we talk of cultural preservation, one needs to understand that our built environments strongly represent that culture. At the moment we’re neither preserving heritage nor completely obliterating it, but just letting it die a natural death. And sometimes deliberately. What happened to Bombay in the mid 1990’s was a pioneering move for heritage regulation in a city that safeguarded the Fort precinct. But despite having an early edge, the city is struggling with its real estate ‘greed’ and hasn’t been able implement a similar vision in other historic quarters. Cities that are somewhat succeeding at this, are the Tier-2 or Tier-3 like Jaipur, Udaipur and Pondicherry, have shown greater resolve in balancing development needs with its historic past.

How big an impact does the prevalent ideology of the country have on heritage conservation in India?

I think it has an immense impact. These ideologies, whether propagated by elected bodies or cultural organisations today have a high dissemination capacity. New broadcasting channels and now social media strongly impact people’s minds and shape public discourse. It cuts across domains, be it politics, faith and even cultural heritage. It’s like how the Hall of Nations at Pragati Maidan was demolished despite strong protest from the architectural community. One is rendered helpless in a David vs. Goliath situation. It must also be noted that the central narrative isn’t the only one influencing heritage conservation. You have to look at it from the state, local and even panchayat level. Today if suddenly even the Taj Mahal is at the centre of a controversy then what hope do other sites have? An alternative and balanced thought needs to be presented to people.

Do you think the Smart City initiative is heritage friendly?

Conservation and development are not at loggerheads. Development will and should happen but not at the cost of disrupting an existing fabric. If you’re investing in developing smart or even new cities, we also need to focus on the existing inner cities. Inner cities define the character of the place. It’s what makes us distinguish between different cities. They are the heart of informal economies, small businesses and local communities who may or may not use the facilities in a smart city. Hence both can co-exist, as they don’t necessarily overlap and would also cater to very different social and economic groups.

Are there still several parts of India that are architecturally under studied?

Yes, absolutely! Large parts of the eastern region have not been studied. This includes regions like Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, including Bangladesh which together was once undivided Bengal, and have a shared heritage, and also the North East. This is all one big grey area. North, west and central India have dominated the architectural narrative of the country, both historically and even today, and are well documented and discussed. Southern India is relatively untapped, apart from their great temple and royal architecture. This part doesn’t get the national focus that other regions get.

What are the challenges in terms of funding, that come in the way of conservation?

One has to assess what kind of heritage one wants to save. Is it a building? A set of buildings? Or a neighbourhood? Today, it is much more easier than even a few decades ago as a range of national and international sources are available. But it depends upon what you’re saving and how is that positioned vis-a-vis the funder’s interests. Conservation is a long systemic process without quick deliverables and instant gratification. The restoration of Humayun’s Tomb and Nizamuddin basti was done by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and is a good example of a urban conservation as a public-private partnership. Such patron-led initiatives are helpful for nationally significant monuments and their surrounding historic fabric. But urban conservation in inner cities neighbourhoods is different and challenging. It involves the government, the legal aspects and the community where fewer funding opportunities. It is here that a healthy marriage between developers and conservationists is essential.