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!

What has happened to our Indian-ness?

Due to situational contingencies I somehow ended up travelling in the Delhi Metro today. And to my surprise I found it as spick as it was a year ago, or well, when it started. It is hard to spot any scratches, spots, cracks, marks or the like that are hard to miss in any other form of state controlled public transport. On top of it, the security measures on the Metro are as tight as they've ever been. Physical frisking of every passenger. And this when the last major terrorist attack was more than five months back. The stations are as clean as they were back then. The only difference that is visible is on the floor of the trains which isn't as shiny thanks to the heavy passenger load. What has happened to our Indian-ness?

 

For those who haven't travelled in Delhi Metro, this is how it looked, looks and, hopefully, will continue to look.

 

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The Indian-ness that we are habitually inclined to rant about/criticize day-in day-out. All those reasons why a lot of us hate this country- Insensibility towards everything public, and taking these things for granted, tendency of spoiling them by spitting, littering, leaving marks on walls, stealing whatever can be stolen, and other issues such as general lack of hygiene, red-tapism, bureaucracy, criminal politicians, roads, climate, pollution, corrupt traffic hawaldaars and stupid bylaws and even not using Deos and many many other reasons. And, of course, the lackadaisical attitude and apathy of the authorities towards everything.

But considering today's experience I wonder what happened to the Games Indians Play? Prof Raghunathan attempted to explain the above behavioural characteristics of Indians using Game Theory. Are his postulations all useless now? Or, is there a change in the proportion of payoffs for Temptation and Punishment that has caused this behavioural shift? And, if so is the case, can this change be brought about in other places so that what Delhi Metro is today, India may become tomorrow?

And then, I found myself in front of Uphaar. Those stories - some of horror* others of bravery**. That place is almost a Bhoot-Bungalow now. In limbo the case will apparently remain till the perpetrators die their natural deaths, after which the files will be disposed off. And the same will happen with several cases pertaining to the pocketing of tax-payers' money by politicians and bureaucrats, or of the riot cases whether it be '84 or Godhra or any other.

As the oft-repeated cliche goes, "India is a diverse country." Diversity exists even in the extent of Indian-ness.

 

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*His wife, two daughters, sister, two nieces and a nephew died because they went to see Border. When smoke started filling the hall, Raman's wife, Sonika, had the presence of mind to call him and tell him exactly what happened. For several minutes she spoke to him describing the pitch blackness, the smoke, the milling, terrified crowds, the fact that they were holding on to each other.... lost. Then she began to tell him of those who were dying. Before she died herself she said, 'They're all dead.'  (From: Uphaar's Villains  by Tavleen Singh //Published in India Today and Political and Incorrect: The Real India, Warts and All)

**There were a number of people who first got their families to safety, and then helped others. Some of these brave people survived. Others didn't.

Daal diya? Daal diya :)

In case you haven't guessed already, elections is what this is about. Today is May 7th 2009 and the Delhi phase of Lok Sabha elections is on. A whopping 40 candidates from the South Delhi constituency to which one belongs. Only three major parties: Congress, BJP, BSP... the rest belong to small parties, social groups(NGOs, Women Empowerment Groups etc) or are independent.

The kind of enthusiasm that was there in the voters was amazing. Educated people from well-to-do families seem to have realised the importance of their vote as they turned out in droves at the polling booths. The kind of enthusiasm about the elections that is there amongst one's peers, most of whom are young professionals(MBAs, Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers), is also quite amazing. People are using FaceBook, Orkut and other such sites to convey to their friends that they have voted and are proud of it! One has voted too and is proud of it :)

And the new trend of casting negative votes has also begun. Though the usefulness of that option in the present day scenario is debatable, it is still good to know that people are freely voicing the fact that none of the candidates in their constituency is deserving enough to be voted for.