18 Apr 2021 | 04:05am IST
Heritage: Goa’s lost treasure
Its World Heritage day yet again but celebrating it will not hide the fact the situation on the ground in Goa is an absolute mess. People involved in trying to right the wrongs had a lot to say
Ajit John
It’s World Heritage Day and
some people are organizing webinars to discuss the state of the
heritage of the state. Depending whether they work for the government or a
private organisation comments will be made either supporting or criticizing the
efforts to protect the heritage of the state. One however does not need to dig
really deep to realise that things are just not fine. Efforts to protect the
heritage are either mired in court or in politics. This state of affairs had
its critics.
Heta Pandit
Chairperson, Goa Heritage Action Society was very blunt when she said “We’re
like some people who are throwing out the parts of a plane in mid-air simply
because we don’t know what the parts are for! We are grossly neglecting Goa’s
treasures simply because we don’t know their true value. Our heritage is not
just for the tourists, it is also for our future generations. Besides, what is
unique about Goa if everything starts looking like any other city in India? We
are destroying Goa’s unique architecture, culture, intangible cultural wealth and
the uniquely Goan social fabric. Nobody else has this fantastic way of looking
at life! If we’re not careful we’ll lose it.” She went onto say the situation
was absolutely dismal. There were no inventories done, or proper listing or
regulations or guidelines for property owners to follow. There were no lists of
do’s and don’ts that could be followed. She felt all this would have to be done
to ensure everything fell into place. She ended by asking a rather pertinent
question “Surely our heritage deserves more than that?
Another person who has been crying himself hoarse over the
rather poor state of affairs is Prajal Sakhardande Associate Professor, Dhempe
College of Art and Science felt it was very good April 18th was being
celebrated as World Heritage Day. He felt it was important to celebrate the
natural, historical or built ,cultural , linguistic tangible and intangible
heritage and preserve it for posterity. Prajal said “ As compared to all other
countries, our country is rich in classical temples , the Himalayas , festivals
, food , culture , monuments, palaces forts etc that no other country can boast
of this variety and diversity. This view is borne by the act that I have
travelled to 20 countries”. He said aboard they cared for their heritage unlike
in India where people scribbled graffiti on fort walls. There was scant respect
for our own heritage he bemoaned. Indians he said learned through fines. He
questioned why those defiling monuments were not fined. He said the e Goa
Heritage Action Group have been in this field for the last 20 years preserving
and fighting to save Goan heritage. He said “We need to have our heritage
policy in place. It’s the need of the hour. Such valuable pieces of our history
are lying unattended to. Many forts are littered with garbage. The Goa state
archaeology has not updated its list and brought more monuments and sites under
their control. Yes we appreciate the conservation of the Historic Halarn fort,
Saptakoteshwar temple that was carried out. But the dept needs to be more
proactive in bringing more monuments under their control by engaging increased
manpower”.
Poonam Verma Mascarenhas conservation architect did not dance
around the bush while talking about the state of affairs. She said the
constitution of India mandated that everyone had to look after the heritage but
the people had everyone else to look after it and importantly find fault in
those efforts. She said “If we really cared to participate then we can really
celebrate. Instead we have allowed heritage politics to come onto it, party
politics and all kinds of nonsense. The idea of taking forward the past and now
with the climate crisis none of it matters. It matters we do what we can today
so that the next generation does not pay for our mistakes”. She pointed out
that it was not just about the monuments but every building that was existing
had a value because it was carbon neutral. She asked whether we could start
after what we all had instead of not thinking of them as a way to make money.
The tragedy of this age was that everyone had acquired the use and throw away
attitude. This she said was about being responsible for the next generation and
that encompassed the meaning of heritage for her.
Another architect who is focused on conservation Ketak
Nachinolkar felt it was a problem with the mindset of the people. He said
“People believe that heritage means looking at the past not forward looking, I
am ofcourse talking about a certain section. The idea that heritage is an asset
is missing. We are yet to settle down in our minds. Of course the situation is
better in Goa as compared to the rest of the country. We should have awareness
programs year around and not be on one day. It should also be part of the
curriculum and they lean in greater detail about their own heritage. This will
bring about a change in attitude.”
Fernando Velho is an architect who has been a keen observer of
the dismal state of affairs and felt a start could be made by having a heritage
policy. That he said would help. He said “People look at it as a white elephant
that eats a lot of money instead of something that could add to the experience
in Goa. Once the policy comes in place then things will slowly move.” Speaking
about the Basilica he said it was very important that it be plastered because
if it stayed in its present condition, it would be beyond repair after a couple
of monsoons. He said the stakeholders needed to get their act together.
Perhaps that is what is needed, everyone getting their act in
order. An inability to do so would be tragic.