Patna, Apr 6 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind’s ongoing visit to the Netherlands has brought back into focus the historic Indo-Dutch ties with several Patna residents and heritage experts recalling the ancient city’s link with the European country and appealing to the authorities to preserve the centuries-old district collectorate and other “shared heritage” of the two countries.
Patna Collectorate alongside Patna College’s main administration building and the remains of the old opium godown in Gulzarbagh, are among the last surviving signatures of Dutch history of Bihar’s capital.
Scholar and ex-vice chancellor of Patna University, R B P Singh, recalled the very few surviving Dutch-era buildings in Patna and emphasised on the importance of “tangible shared heritage” which “not only unify two countries but two cultures” separated far apart geographically.
“It is sad that since 2016, the Bihar government has been trying to demolish the historic collectorate, a symbol of India and Patna’s link with the Netherlands, which is currently hosting our president. Heritage buildings physically represent the ties of two nations and demolishing the landmark would mean demolishing a part of our shared past with that wonderful country,” Singh said.
The ex-VC of PU, who has also served as the principal of the Patna College, whose office is located in a beautiful 17th century Dutch building, recalled the “polite appeal” made in April 2016 by the then Dutch envoy in India Alphonsus Stoelinga to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to spare the demolition of Patna Collectorate, which he had termed it as a “shared heritage”.
“I came across reports about the possibility of this shared built heritage of India and the Netherlands being demolished anytime. I sincerely believe that this built heritage depicting the Indo-Dutch history can be restored and alternate uses can be planned,” Stoelinga had written in the letter to Kumar.
“I am writing this letter to appeal to you to list the complex of buildings as per the norms of the state archaeological department,” he had said.
Singh also highlighted that Kovind was the Governor of Bihar back in 2016 and “he surely must be thinking of this shared Indo-Dutch heritage in Patna during his visit”.
Heritage body INTACH, UK-based Gandhi Foundation, and several noted scholars, historians, conservation architects, former bureaucrats, lawyers and other citizens have been appealing regularly to the state government not to dismantle the collectorate, where parts of Oscar-winning film Gandhi was also shot, and link it to Dutch tourism and Gandhi tourism circuits.
Conservation architect Amrita Jena feels the collectorate is such a “historic and iconic site” that it can be reused for a variety of purposes after sensitive restoration.
“Both countries are fondly recalling their old cultural, economic and diplomatic links as our President is visiting the Netherlands. And, architectural legacy is a physical means by which we can literally touch that past the two countries share. If we demolish it, things will remain just in books and it will be a tragedy to lose such a beauty,” she told PTI.
Besides, this and other Dutch-era buildings and the British-era structures in the 12-acre collectorate campus can be reused as a cultural hub with a museum, library, art gallery and even as an international guest house or an innovation centre to “showcase our heritage locally and to visiting foreign dignitaries”.
Kovind arrived in Amsterdam on Monday from Turkmenistan on the final leg of his two-nation visit – the first presidential trip to the Netherlands after 34 years since the visit of President R Venkataraman in 1988.
During his visit to the Netherlands from April 4-7 at the invitation of King Alexander and Queen Maxima, Kovind is slated to hold discussions with Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
After arriving in Amsterdam, Kovind and his wife First Lady Savita Kovind had visited the Keukenhof, the garden of Europe and home to the world-famous tulips, where he had named a new breed of a yellow tulip ‘Maitri’ (friendship) to mark 75 years of official diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Patna native and heritage lover Sourav Sengupta, a core team member of Save Historic Patna Collectorate, a citizen-run initiative founded in April 2016 to save the Dutch-era landmark from demolition said people have no respect for the “extraordinary heritage wealth” that the city has.
“We have an extraordinary heritage wealth in our city but do we respect our past let alone a shared heritage? President Kovind is being given so much love and respect by the Dutch and here in Patna, our government is hell-bent on razing it (collectorate) in the name of development though a court stay has halted the wrecking ball as of now,” he said.
“I feel, if the citizens can rise to the occasion and work together with heritage agencies and government authorities, we can redeem our past. And maybe some day, a VVIP Dutch guest or someone else will visit our city to appreciate our heritage. They will not come to see the tall glass-and-concrete boxes we are building by demolishing old, beautiful buildings,” he rued.
The state government would do well to not look at heritage with a “jaundiced eye” and celebrate it as “our heritage, shared heritage”.
The Dutch came to India in early 17th century with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company which traded in various Indian cities like Surat, Patna, Chinsurah (Bengal) and Pulicat (Coromandel region of Tamil Nadu).
Patna was one of the major trading centres for opium and saltpetre and the Dutch built factories and godowns there on the banks of Ganga as the river played a major role in trade operation until the advent of railways in the 19th century. PTI KND RHL
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