From reaching out to students in schools, colleges and universities to organising heritage walks and interactive session with the public, a group of youngsters on Sunday suggested ways to preserve and promote the architectural legacy of Bihar.
From an IT engineer in Allahabad to an environmentalist in Noida, and from a marketing professional in Patna to a heritage activist in Delhi, they also expressed concerns over the loss of built heritage in Patna in the last several years and the old structures marked for demolition in the Bihar capital.
They made their observations during an online session held late evening by the Save Historic Patna Collectorate, a citizen-led initiative to save heritage buildings of Bihar, which completed its six years on Sunday.
Sourav Sengupta, a Noida-based environmentalist with roots in Patna, said, “A lot has changed in the past several years. Demolition of heritage buildings is still going on in the name of development. The apathy of the policymakers and the people towards heritage preservation is still there, but many youngsters care for heritage, and that is a heartening sign.”
He said more people-driven heritage movements are needed, not only in Patna but in other historic cities too like Allahabad, Kanpur, Indore, and Cuttack among others, and suggested holding heritage walks and talks to get the message across.
Patna-based marketing professional and cycling enthusiast Shailesh Kumar, who runs an initiative called ‘Pedal4Planet’ to promote cycling and heritage in Patna, lamented on the plight of heritage buildings in his hometown.
“Our team often visits the Dutch-era Patna Collectorate during morning rides, and it is always so peaceful amid these heritage buildings. The government has been trying to demolish it since 2016, but a Supreme Court stay since September 2020 has so far saved it. It is sad that to save heritage, people have to move courts,” he said.
He also suggested taking the heritage movement to college and university students, especially those studying in old institutions having heritage buildings on campus, and make them understand its value.
Delhi-based heritage activist Md Umar Ashraf, who hails from Bihar and runs a page ‘Heritage Times’ on social media, listed some of the buildings demolished in Patna in the last few years, including the over a century-old Gole Market and the 1885-built Anjuman Islamia Hall, and shared their historical significance.
Allahabad-based Vaibhav Maini, an IT professional and heritage enthusiast, suggested reaching out to children to make them partners in the endeavour to save heritage.
The Save Historic Patna Collectorate has supporters from diverse professions, students, heritage body INTACH, the UK-based Gandhi Foundation, and a large number of countries, besides people in several Indian cities.
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