Heritage News, Gujarat

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1 INTACH GUJARAT CHAPTER Heritage News, Gujarat Date: December 19, 2011; Volume: 1/1 (year/issue number) Compiled by: Urban Management Centre and INTACH Dear Readers, We will be bringing to you every fortnight, a compilation of heritage related news that appeared in newspapers in Gujarat. This is to intensify the dialogue among city managers, professionals and interested individuals on improving heritage management Manvita Baradi (Director UMC and State Convener, Gujarat Chapter, INTACH) Vande Mataram stirs up United Bengal Home again- With freedom song, drive to save city s heritage launched When Vande Mataram was first sung at the United Bengal Home in Dhobi ni Pol in 1906, it was meant to act as a catalyst for India s freedom struggle. More than 100 years on, it was sung once again at the pol on Sunday to kickstart another movement to save Ahmedabad s heritage. More than 500 residents gathered at the pol and sang Vande Mataram with the tricolours in their hands to protest against attempts to pull down the home, which is both an intricately carved haveli and a memorial of the freedom struggle. Times of India, December 19, 2011 &Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/19&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00101&ViewMode AMC apathy delaying Rani ka Hajira s renovation The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) blames the easy going attitude of the officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for the sorry state of many of the city's monuments. ASI officials cite the dilapidated condition of the over 500-year-old heritage monument, Rani ka Hazira, as an example of the civic body's indifference. DNA, December 19, Survey to discern problems of pol houses A unique community survey of kitchens and bathrooms in old pol houses and havelis around Sankhedi Sheri near Manek Chowk is underway to understand the problems that residents face

2 while adapting their lives to these old-style utilities that are incongruous with modern day needs. Times of India, December 18, Amdavadis chip in to save heritage homes When residents come forward to adopt heritage homes, chances of Ahmedabad's 600-year-old history standing tall for at least another 600 years get a boost. In a first, a business house and an architect have come forward to adopt and restore a heritage building in Doshiwada ni Pol. Times of India, December 18, Historic haveli resurrects spirit of Kranti, Ahmedabad The battle to save United Bengal Home in Dhobi ni Pol is all set to snowball into a major movement to save heritage structures across the walled city. Residents of nearly 50 pols of Khadia have put up a united front to oppose commercial activity in heritage buildings. Times of India, December 16, 2011 &Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/16&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00102&ViewMode US study dips into walled city tanks for green wisdom Keya Majmundar who grew up in a pol and is currently based in the US has had her research paper on the walled city s underground water conservation systems accepted by an American university. The paper documents how farsighted residents of the walled city collected rain water from terraces on their houses and directed it to underground cisterns. This conservation practice was followed in an era in which going green was not a buzz phrase. Times of India, December 16, 2011 &Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/16&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00200&ViewMode Historical structures of Manavadar face negligence of civic authorities Once considered the pride of Manavadar, many historical structures like darbar gadh, makabaro etc. are on the verge of extinction today. While Manavadar civic authorities are not paying attention to this, public demand has aroused for preservation of these heritage structures. Divya Bhaskar, December 15, html?OF12

3 Soon, an inventory of city s heritage homes, Ahmedabad For years, the city s grand havelis have been mercilessly pulled down by unscrupulous real estate mafia in the walled city, giving way to illegal apartments. But pulling down a heritage building will become increasingly difficult in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation s heritage cell has started work on preparing a detailed inventory of heritage buildings within the 5.4 sq km of the walled city. Times of India, December 14, 2011 &Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/14&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00102&ViewMode 20% of India s manuscripts are in Gujarati Thanks to the Jain reverence for knowledge and the tradition set by its universities of yore, one in every five ancient Indian manuscripts comes from Gujarat, say experts. Dipti Tripathi, director of the National Mission for Manuscripts, told TOI there are around one crore ancient manuscripts with various institutions and individuals in the country, of which 20 lakh are in Gujarat alone. Times of India, December 14, 2011 &Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/12/14&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00200&ViewMode Civic authorities will be made aware to preserve historical and heritage structures in Jamnagar by INTACH The INTACH organization has decided to intensify its efforts to make related civic authorities aware for the preservation of historical and heritage structures in Jamnagar. It was decided in a meeting by the organization to motivate JADA and JAMUCO to sustain importance of the heritage structures in its master plan. Divya Bhaskar, December 12, Residents escalate fight for United Bengal Home Apathy towards the crumbling United Bengal Home in Dhobi ni Pol has now raised the eyebrows of the high-powered heritage conservation committee appointed by the state government. The committee headed by former municipal commissioner P K Ghosh, is responsible for implementation of heritage regulations in the walled city. A member of the Ahmedabad heritage cell visited Dhobi ni Pol to assess the damage caused to the building. Times of India, December 10, Home/articleshow/ cms

4 Vande Mataram's cradle in Gujarat crumbles Vande Mataram, the signature tune of India's freedom struggle, was first sung in Gujarat in 1906 at an intricately carved haveli in Dhobi ni Pol. The haveli, called the United Bengal Home, is crumbling to dust today, raising cries of protest among local residents. Times of India, December 09, Representation made to tourism minister for restoration of historic Radhakrishna temple of Dharampur Dharampur municipality president has made representation to tourism minister for restoration of historic Radhakrishna temple. He has also demanded that as archeology department has failed to restore the temple, its possession should be handed over directly to mamalatdaar. Divya Bhaskar, December 09, BJP MPs raised question in Rajyasabha for preservation of the historic monuments in Gujarat BJP MPs from Gujarat, Mr. Purushottam Rupala and Mr. Bharatsinh Parmar have raised questions in Rajyasabha on what activities has been done by archeology department in past three years for the renovation of ancient monuments in Gujarat and how much grant has been allocated for its restoration. Divya Bhaskar, December 08, html?OF6 Students went for heritage walk of Sarkhej Roza Students of F.D. highschool organized a heritage walk in Sarkhej Roza of Ahmedabad as a part of heritage week celebrations in the state. Divya Bhaskar, November 30,

5 Taking pol position- Citizens forum actively seeking out heritage structures for restoration You walk from Desai ni pol in Khadia and realize the entire locality has been refurbished. Plaques on the road lead you to landmarks and describe the place and its history in brief. The state government appointed built-heritage committee and heritage cell of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) recently conducted a meeting to discuss the heritage conservation model at pols in walled city areas of Ahmedabad. Times of India, November 28, 2011 &Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/11/28&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00201&ViewMo de and &Skin=pa stissues2&basehref=toia/2011/11/28&pagelabel=2&entityid=pc00210&viewmode Historical buildings of Jamnagar on the verge of extinction due to lack of restoration activity Experts are worried that if the current indifferent attitude from civic authorities and public will persist, it will be difficult to save these heritage structures in the time to come. Divya Bhaskar, November 28, Ambapur- Uvarsad stepwells, heritage structures near Adalaj stepwells, get cleaned Located on a distance of only one km from famous tourist spot of Adalaj stepwells, the stepwells at Ambapur and Uvarsad are also unique masterpiece of carvings and art. Earlier these structures were neglected and waste was dumped in them. But recently it was observed that these stepwells were also cleaned. Divya Bhaskar, November 26, Photographical tour of culture city Vadodara Here enjoy a photographical tour to ancient Vadodara, also known as culture city because of its grand past. Divya Bhaskar, November 26, html?OF8 Heritage Gets Crafty Craft is woven into the walled city s cultural fabric. The craft walk, to be launched soon, will help people explore the peerless legacy of city s exquisite traditions. Times of India, November 25, 2011

6 &Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/11/25&PageLabel=2&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ar0 0200&ViewMode Pearls of past- Need some elbow room Some of the most elegant structures across the city which survived history s ravages have been damaged by modern urban perils: encroachment and indifference. However, all hope is not lost. Times of India, November 25, 2011 &Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/11/25&PageLabel=2&EntityId=Ar00202&ViewMo de Heritage walk to spread awareness about Bhavnagar s heritage monuments A heritage walk of Bhavnagar city was organized by the black buck nature club to spread awareness among general public and civic authorities for heritage monuments in Bhavnagar. Divya Bhaskar, November 25, Clubbing Culture Clubbing is not new to Amdavadis. Since the late 19th century, the commoner, the nouveau riche and even women had exclusive clubs. People met over piping hot bhajiyas, played bridge, tennis and organized social functions. The clubs provided entertainment, recreation and most important a platform to catch up with friends. Times of India, November 24, 2011 &Skin=pa stissues2&basehref=toia/2011/11/24&pagelabel=2&entityid=ar00204&viewmode Heritage gates of Vadodara neglected during heritage week Pani gate, Champaner darwaja, laheripura gate and gandi gate, these four gates are identity of Vadodara. But the city has forgotten to celebrate completion of 500 years of these heritage structures. Even the Vadodara Municipal Corporation authorities haven t taken any initiative for its celebration during the heritage week. Divya Bhaskar, November 24, html?OF6 Heritage monuments in Bhavnagar in dilapidated condition due to negligence of civic authorities On one side heritage week is being celebrated all over the country, while on the other hand many heritage monuments in Bhavnagar district have fallen prey to the negligence of state officials

7 engaged in preparations for Sadbhavna Fast. As a result, these structures have become dilapidated. Divya Bhaskar, November 24, html?OF3 Wisdom boundary expanded within the walls- Schools flourished in old Ahmedabad more than 150 years ago It is common for parents, living in the western part of Ahmedabad, to send their children to school eight to 10 km away just so that they get a good education. But had they been living in the walled city, there was every chance of the school being right at their door step. Consider these facts: Within a span of 5.4 square kilometres, the walled city in the early 20th century had 14 High schools and 25 balmandirs or primary schools. This makes three high schools and five primary schools per square kilometre. The population of the walled city then was barely 2.3 lakh people. This average was never achieved after independence, giving an indication of the value that visionary Amdavadis attached to education and the written word. Times of India, November 23, 2011 &Skin=pa stissues2&basehref=toia/2011/11/23&pagelabel=2&entityid=ar00200&viewmode Amdavad s heart is strong enough to withstand temblors Study shows how ancient vernacular construction techniques in pols made houses quake resistant. Times of India, November 22, 2011 &Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIA/2011/11/22&PageLabel=2&ForceGif=true&EntityId=Ar0 0200&ViewMode Surat s high sea heritage While Tapi town s pioneer Heritage policy gathers dust in a discreet corner at the town hall and even as its ancient monuments stand in a sad state of neglect, a 312 year old outstanding example of Surti construction is holding its chin up under water in the Caribbean Sea. Readers may remember having read in an afore written article about the discovery of the Quedagh Merchant. Built in Surat in 1699, this now submerged shipwreck in the Dominican Republic is the one which was looted and abandoned by the scandalous legendary pirate Captain Kidd which he captured off the west coast of India. Surtis will be glad to know that since May 2011, this globally renowned Surti ship has now been converted into a Living Museum of the Sea and is protected as a precious, unique and popular aquatic environment under the marine law. Times of India, November 21, 2011 &Skin=pa stissues2&basehref=toia/2011/11/21&pagelabel=7&entityid=ar00700&viewmode

8 Small in numbers big in heritage Parsis, Jews, Chinese and Siddis have only added more value to the city s rich 600-year history Siddis are the walled city s African connection Quietly nestled in the heart of the bustling walled city is little Africa families of African origin who had once been the guardians and noblemen of the city. The Siddis, who have come from Africa around the 1500s, have remained in the city to add to the city s rich culture and history. Some historical accounts say that the famous Siddi Saiyed s mosque at Lal Darwaza, known for its stone filigree work, was also built during his time. Though historians differ on this, it is certain that a Siddi got the mosque built a n d g ave Ahmedabad its famous symbol the Siddi Syed Jaali. Times of India, November 20, 2011 &Skin=pa stissues2&basehref=toia/2011/11/20&pagelabel=4&entityid=ar00400&viewmode Carvings on ancient properties of Surat are witness of overseas business activities It was observed in a survey of historic properties conducted in Surat city that about 2900 historic properties of city depicts ancient times and prosperity of Surat. Divya Bhaskar, November 21, html Chok heritage plan for Surat Planning for Chok heritage precinct has been initiated to make Surat complete with entertainment options, in which city s Chok area will get a facelift. Divya Bhaskar, November 20, Your feedback is invaluable, so please do write back to us with your comments and suggestions. If you wish to unsubscribe to Heritage News, let us know at umc intachguj@umcasia.org Disclaimer: UMC provides the information contained in this newsletter and links to its web site solely as a resource for city governments and interested individuals. While the aim is solely to provide high-quality content, it does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or timeliness of this information. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Urban Management Centre nor of The Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).

DISCOVER GUJARAT & KUTCH 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS

DISCOVER GUJARAT & KUTCH 6 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS PLACES COVERED: AHMEDABAD MODHERA PATAN LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH BHUJ BANNNI - MANDAVI - BHUJODI - AHMEDABAD. DAY 01: AHMEDABAD-MODHERA-PATAN-LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH