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Much has been said about the Central Vista Redevelopment Program by now. Currently the project is under fire from the opposition. A part of the criticism is rightly justified. A part, pure politics. Positive or negative may be the reasons, architecture is making headlines on a regular basis, in the midst of a horrible second wave and for all the wrong reasons.
This is a rarity in India, where art and architecture are rather elite affairs. General people hardly talk about them.

Pandemic or no pandemic, to begin with, was such a project really required? I won’t get into the physical necessities of this project. The architect of the project Ar. Bimal Patel has addressed this multiple times, including a webinar on the ThePrint. Every regime leaves behind its marks. Some are known for the infrastructure they developed. Some leave behind marks through the intangibles of social upliftment or a cultural renaissance. Architecture has been a favourite for this purpose. Be it Rajaraja Chola’s Brihadeshwara Temple, or Akbar’s Fatehpur Sikri, or Nehru’s Chandigarh. Why should the current regime shy away? Projects like these are moments of rejoice in the architecture fraternity. But without the pandemic.

Opposition is clamouring for postponing or even abandoning the ‘wasteful’ activity. The funds, ₹20,000 Cr, it is argued can be diverted towards the pandemic. Allocated funds for such projects are not released at one go, but in phases. Putting an end to this redevelopment does not necessarily mean that the Rs 20000 Cr are now available and can be diverted towards our health infrastructure.

But there is much more to this than such logic.

Architecture is not just about the brick and mortar used, and how beautiful the façade is. Neither is it just about how well the building functions, or the costs involved. These factors are just the skin, flesh and bones of architecture. Deep down, and all pervading the space is its soul. This soul is an echo of the passion of the patrons, the designers and the builders. It is an accumulation of the memories of the inhabitants. It imbibes in itself the emotions of the visitors. The Red Fort at Delhi has seen all the ups and downs India has seen, ever since its inception. It saw the splendour and the loot. The neglect and the resurrection.

The Flag Hoisting every Independence Day celebrates not its brick and mortar existence, but its soul, so deeply connected to that of our Nation. The Central Vista Redevelopment will echo everything India is at the present. Including, unfortunately, the situation we are in due to the pandemic.

We do have many precedents to study from. Manish Tewari has compared the project with Hitler’s Germania. But that is too harsh a comparison. Take the case of a much smaller structure in Pune, the Mahatma Phule Mandai. The structure, was opposed by stalwarts like Lokmanya Tilak and also, ironically, by Mahatma Phule himself. They cited this project as a wastage of funds, which could be diverted to education and social upliftment. Memories fade with time. Today the structure stands tall as one of the icons of Pune. Lokmanya Tilak’s statue now stands in front of the structure. And it bears the name of Phule. But that’s another story. Different scale and context.

The Central Vista might not be so fortunate. All the opposition to the project prior to the pandemic would have drowned with time had there been no second wave of this scale. The people who opposed yesterday, would happily use the place tomorrow. The problem lies in what’s happening today.

Of course there is the health risk involved with the workers being on site. Risking the life of even one worker contributing to the new icon of the country is unjustified. It certainly is not an essential service at this point.

The story of this redevelopment will always have chapters of how we were preparing for moments of rejoice amidst horrors. These stories will cling to the soul of the project. It will be looked at with contempt by at least a generation.

Our ancient scriptures on architecture say that a Sthapati is a descendant of Vishwakarma, who in turn is a descendant of Brahma. This association has a deep significance. It puts the Sthapati, the creator of the Vaastu in the shoes of the Creator of the universe. It signifies that this act of creation is as pure as the creation of the universe. This act is pure, architecture is pure. This purity stands to be polluted.

A pause to the construction work can avoid this. Continuing the construction will ensure timely completion. But a pause will ensure something bigger. Save the soul of the project.

These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.