Three peepal trees have grown on the building and parts of its roof have fallen off. Despite its dilapidated condition, the erstwhile Registry Building, next to the Rani Ghat jetty along the banks of the Hooghly at Chandannagar still commands attention with its architectural splendour.
A few years ago, the Chandannagar Municipal Corporation declared the late 19th century Registry Building unsafe and issued orders to bring it down. While heritage lovers and activists managed to prevent its demolition, efforts to restore the structure are yet to begin.
However, an innovative proposal earlier this month from the French Consul General in Kolkata, Daimen Syed, has raised hopes not only for the crumbling Registry Building but also other heritage buildings in equally dire straits in the erstwhile French colonial trading town.
Mr. Syed announced that the restoration project would be financed through a crowdfunding model, wherein people interested in heritage could contribute to the effort.
The Consulate in Kolkata is in the process of identifying the platforms through which people can contribute to the restoration of Registry Building, he said.
The Institut De Chandernagor, a fine example of colonial architecture.
Prosperous hub
The first trading post on the eastern bank of the Hooghly, Chandannagar, or Chandernagore as it was then called, was set up by the French in 1696. It grew into a prosperous trading town under the governance of Joseph Francois Dupleix, with several buildings constructed in a unique blend of French and Indian architectural styles.
The buildings on the Strand, overlooking the picturesque Hooghly, now house government offices. The Institut De Chandernagor, the Chandernagore College, the police station and the sub-divisional court are all fine examples of colonial architecture, built by the French to serve as hotels and rest houses for the colonial traders.
Other heritage structures were built by wealthy Bengali businessmen, who traded with the French. The latter demonstrate both Indian and French architectural influences.
In 2010, conservation architect Aishwarya Tipnis compiled a list of 99 buildings in the town, both public and private, which need restoration. Since then, a number of events has been organised by the French Consulate and the State government centred around the historical town but no restoration project has commenced even for a single building. “Every time we have asked for a restoration project, nobody has had the funds,” Ms. Tipnis told The Hindu .
According to experts, the restoration of the Registry Building is challenging and likely to cost more than a couple of crores of rupees. Ms. Tipnis is hopeful that if the structure, which is the most derelict of the heritage buildings, can be renovated using crowdfunding, it can pave the way for other restoration projects.
In a boost to the heritage enthusiasts, in November 2017, the West Bengal Heritage Commission listed the Registry Building among seven heritage buildings in Chandannagar. The others are Liberty Gate, Rakshit Bhavan, Sacred Heart Church, Kanailal Vidyamandir, the French section of the same school and the Chandernagore College. These buildings were selected from the list of 99 identified by Ms. Tipnis.
The district administration, however, said it was yet to get a formal proposal for the restoration work.
“Once we get a proposal, it has to examined at an administrative level. An agreement has to be executed with the State government and the French Consulate,” District Magistrate of Hooghly Sanjay Bansal said.
Mr. Bansal added that since the matter involved a foreign country, the Centre had to be kept in the loop.
Roping in students
Earlier this month, a workshop on viable solutions for preserving heritage was conducted for students from several institutions, including Jadavpur University, the Indian Institute of Management-Nagpur, and Confluence Institute, Lyon.
“The participants focussed on different types of public spaces on ideating to develop sustainable solutions for restoration of the dilapidated Registry Building,” said Debaish Sarkar, principal of the Chandernagore College.
During the week-long workshop, part of Bonjour India — Know Your Indo-French Heritage — participants came up with ideas of having coffee shops and a modern library at the Registry Building, which could help fund its maintenance.
Published - January 27, 2018 09:30 pm IST
