By Alipta Jena
In February 2019, a team of five young, aspiring architects watched helplessly as one of their favourite buildings, one they admired every day on their way to college, was pulled down in the name of progress. As they watched its demolition, they realised they knew very little about its history. Then arose their wish to document and archive different forms of heritage through stories associated with these silent witnesses to the changing times, with tales from people who have experienced Belgaum over several decades.
Thus, this like-minded group of friends came up with an idea of Instagram and Facebook pages that rediscovered the “untouched heritage of Belgaum and the heart-warming stories that surround them”.
Through the eyes of grannies and grandpas who remember a different Belgaum, and sometimes through the eyes of the current generation, the pages showcase photo features that portray the narratives associated with these custodians of history and human life. Team ‘Heritage of Belgaum’ comprises a group of five residents. Amruta Lele, Neha Kakatkar, Prajakta Deshpande, Prasanna Mattikop, and Rajlaxmi Deshpande are practicing architects with expertise in different fields of architecture.
Amruta takes keen interest in vernacular architecture exploring the use of natural materials and traditional techniques while Neha engages in creating contemporary architectural spaces. Prajakta pursues conservation and specialises in restoring old buildings, Prasanna is passionate about various facets of landscape architecture and is currently pursuing his masters in the same. Rajlaxmi has been working around urban ecological projects for more than three years now.
Love for the city
What brings them together to work for ‘Heritage of Belgaum’, apart from being good friends, is the common love for Belgaum and the stories that run through its heritage.
They had always mulled upon the idea of showcasing the rich heritage of Belgaum. They had been for walks to core city areas like Shahpur, Vadagon and also to Camp Fort on Sunday mornings.
There were several instances during the recent years where old heritage houses and shops were dismantled to widen roads and construct flyovers. Moreover, green spaces were getting erased. Not happy with this loss, the group decided that these tales and witnesses of history must be documented,
The main objective of the page is to initiate a dialogue between the rich heritage of Belgaum with its custodians, the people of Belgaum.
Vanishing heritage
The piecemeal approach of urban planning currently seen in most cities lacks an inclusive, holistic approach and in this heritage takes a backseat in most development-based initiatives, feels the team. Owing to the lack of any laws to protect the cultural heritage of these small and medium towns and lack of incentives from the government, heritage is seen vanishing at an unprecedented rate. It is not the lack of will between people to protect it but it is the mere unawareness of what has been inherited. Thus, establishing the social value of the heritage is vital.
Also, most of the heritage of small and medium-sized towns is embedded in stories passed on from generation to generation, and the team aims at tapping these stories to create awareness on the rich plethora of heritage.
For example, they did a story on the private shrines in the Anantashayan Gali (street), one on the Houses of Tilakwadi. They also showcase varied styles of architecture. These include the Gothic elements in St Mary’s Church in Camp or a bungalow at Fort, an example of European influences in architecture with Doric column verandahs, a porch, internal rooms arranged around several large halls.
“Some of these interesting stories of our hometown were not known even to us. The objective is mainly to carry forward the heritage through stories by archiving interesting anecdotes, facts, myths, folklores which will re-establish people’s ties with this quaint little town,” said Prajakta.
Currently, the team’s focus is on collecting more and more stories.
Deeply satisfying endeavour
“It is absolutely delightful to read comments on our Facebook page from people across continents sharing their memories with different places, associating with the shared stories and reliving the moments while Instagram has GenX generations taking pride in their ancestral heritage which gives hope for the future of Belgaum’s heritage,” Prajakta added.
The team believes there are several ways in which people can restore heritage buildings, adapt them for different purposes and reuse them sensibly.
They hope to perceive heritage as an asset and not a liability.
“In the future, we would like to collaborate with heritage enthusiasts, organisations, and have people pitch in to find creative, alternative ways of preserving the rich heritage we have inherited,” Prajakta said about their plan.
“We hope to be a medium through which we continue to keep these structures alive which will preserve the essence of this town.”
“The whole journey has been kind of special. It has helped us rediscover our city from a perspective we had not seen it before,” Prajakta added.
And they have enabled the younger generation, who are a crucial part of what will happen to its narrative in the future, to feel its magic, as well.