New Delhi: For conservation architect Ratish Nanda, historic monuments are the most important and visible symbol of any ancient civilisation. But he is disappointed with the state of conservation in India.
“In our country, we often think that conservation is anti-development, but it’s a science and an art,” said Nanda, Projects Director of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in India, who was instrumental in restoring Humayun’s Tomb and the Sunder Nursery in Delhi.
Nanda was delivering a lecture titled ‘Conservation-led Development in India’ on the occasion of the 88th birth anniversary of late parliamentarian and author Shankar Dayal Singh. He was joined by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) President Ram Bahadur Rai at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi on 28 December.
“In India, there are around 10 thousand monuments that are protected either by the central government or the state government. In a smaller country such as the United Kingdom, this number is 6.5 lakh. While in New York City, there are 30 thousand protected buildings, which is three times more than in India,” said Nanda.
While Nanda spoke about 25 years of conservation effort in India by the Agha Khan and highlighted how conservation work can meet several development objectives.
Rai highlighted the legacy of Shankar Dayal Singh. He recalled that in 1987, when VP Singh was suspended from Congress, Shankar, who was also in the Congress at the time, was in a dilemma about where to go.
“Shankar Dayal Singh was the man who inspired VP Singh to go among the people,” said Rai, adding that later, when VP Singh became prime minister, he went against the wishes of his party to send Shankar to Rajya Sabha.
“He died early at the age of 57, but he will be remembered for centuries. He was a great writer, too,” said Rai.
Also Read: Italian museum brings Afghan Buddhist artefacts to India—it’s a symbol of shared history
How Humayun Tomb was restored
Nanda showed centuries-old images of Humayun Tomb and said Agha Khan Trust initially planned on only restoring the gardens of Humayun’s Tomb. The restoration began in 1997 and was finally completed in 2003. Then, in 2007, they signed a large project with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the conservation of Humayun’s Tomb.
While restoring Humayun’s Tomb, his team paid special attention to the craftsmanship, adding that the restoration created an impact and it shows in the number of tourists increased at Humayun Tomb. “We have calculated that 85-90 per cent of our costs go into craftsmen’s wages,” he said.
For Nanda, it’s a long-term investment. He said if a monument in Nalanda or Khajuraho is restored or conserved well, it will be an economic benefit in the long term. “It’s about understanding the building. Conservation is not about just fixing a building,” he said.
Nanda recalled that the roof of Humayun’s Tomb was damaged and leaking. “Hum apne aap ko purani building ka doctor mante hain (We consider ourselves doctors of the old building). Our workers fixed the joints and repaired the damage,” he said, adding that before starting the work, they tried to understand how the Tomb was built.
Nanda said that while they used scientific technology, the most important aspect was craft-based conservation. It was the first-ever privately undertaken conservation effort on any national monument in India. He emphasised the need for private partnerships to become common in the country.
In the past few years, the culture ministry initiated some policy interventions to involve corporates. “But one of our failures is that we have not been able to ensure that this is replicated one thousand one million times across India. Because all of India’s monuments need it,” said Nanda.
When Nanda’s team started working at Humayun’s Tomb, it was covered with 2 million square feet of cement plaster. “Cement is like cancer for historic buildings,” he said.
He recalled that when the plaster was removed, they found a dash of blue tiles, which was surprising. “It was an incredible work, but that type of craft has disappeared from India,” he said, adding that they had to get craftsmen from Uzbekistan to train the workers to make the tiles, which have since been restored.
After Humayun’s Tomb, the Aga Khan Trust restored the 20 monuments inside the Sunder Nursery and officially opened it as a public park in 2018. Six of the 20 are World Heritage monuments as recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
“Our model all over the world is to show how culture and heritage are a tool to improve quality of life,” said Nanda.
(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)