ASI: Destroying in the name of restoration

Went to the Old Fort today to attend a 'Heritage Walk' organised by ASI with support from an NGO (INTACH, if I remember correctly). The idea of the walk was wonderful. And even though the person because of whom I went somehow didn't turn up, I decided to stick with the group.

I wasn't interested in the historical stuff too much... having visited the place a number of times I already know enough about it. The intention was just to refresh the memories.

The experience as such was good, and the initiative is also appreciable.

But, there is one issue. A major one. Not related to the walk but to the restoration of monuments. The ASI is not restoring but reconstructing monuments. And that too using cheap material. The issue has been raised in the press but not enough has been written. And, because this is not an issue of much importance to anyone (though it should be) the matter dies down.

Every morning that I go for a walk to Deer Park and from there to the District Park of SJE I see monuments being destroyed by the 'restoration' work being carried out by the ASI. The material is not only low quality but is also totally different, even in colour and texture, from the material which the original monuments are made of.

And the 'restoration' work or should I use 'reconstruction' work is being done using plans which have been prepared by the incompetent ASI officials. So I wouldn't be surprised to find the mosque at Old Fort with bells some time from now. The idea is that under the influence of RSS this is probably going to be the next thing that they are going to do - turning a mosque into a temple. Even today a serious chunk of the discussion was dedicated to Indraprastha and Hastinapur, instead of Humayun and Akbar. The ASI officials were particularly gung-ho about an excavation that is going on, and speculations are rife that they have found the remains of what was once Hastinapur.

Unfortunately, there are two major problems with what ASI is doing. And these problems are even bigger than the issue of ASI's incompetent methods.

First, is the restoration work which is a step towards destroying the monuments, rather than preservation. Thanks mostly to the way in which it is being carried out. And this because there is a lot of money involved in the contracts being doled out. To give you an idea of the scale of 'restoration' work that is on. There is construction on in my neighbourhood. The construction material that they are using is one-third of the construction material that I saw at the Old Fort today. And that was only for a small section of the boundary wall of the fort.

Second, is the mutilation of the Indian culture and history that is on due to undue influences on the ASI. Pakistan is an example of a country where the majority of the population has been brainwashed when it comes to history. I hope and pray that, that is not repeated in India.

About the walk. These walks often have celebrated personalities as guides. So if you are lucky you might just bump into a celebrity!