[Reader-list] “Delhi: A World Heritage City” an illustrated talk by A.G. Krishna Menon

[rohitrellan at aol.in]

THE ATTIC 36 REGAL BUILDINGS, NEW DELHI  TEL: 23746050
 
 
  wednesday 20th june
6.30 pm “Delhi: A World Heritage City” an illustrated talk by A.G. Krishna Menon


Prima facie, the case for nominating Delhi as a UNESCO World Heritage City is obvious. The area between the Ridge and the river Yamuna for example, has been settled since the stone age. Since medieval times, however, this area has been the site for what historians refer to as the seven cities of Delhi, with colonial New Delhi, constituting the eighth. The remains of this fecund past number over 1200 modest and monumental buildings, including three World Heritage Sites: the Qutab Minar, Humayun’s Tomb and the Red Fort. This extraordinary cornucopia is comparable to any ancient city in the world. The Master Plan of Delhi has identified six heritage precincts and three archaeological parks for special protection.
 
However, only two heritage precincts are being nominated: Shahjahanabad and Imperial New Delhi. Together and individually, they possess the “outstanding universal value” necessary for the UNESCO tag. It is a complex criterion to address, and our case hinges on convincing the UNESCO interlocutors of the universal significance of the syncretic heritage they represent: the unique brand of Indo-Islamic architecture and town planning in Shahjahanabad and as far as Imperial New Delhi is concerned, besides its iconic architecture, it is widely acknowledged as the finest example of urban design combining principles of the Garden City Movement and the City Beautiful Movement, wholly conceived and built anywhere in the world. While each precinct is unique, together they contribute to the extraordinary aura of Delhi as the historic capital of India.
 
The nomination not only expects to celebrate Delhi’s heritage, but also use it as a tool to create a more legible and enjoyable city. For example, scores of lesser known monuments have already been conserved and inducted into the public domain; about 20 heritage walks have been developed to enable citizens to understand the diversity of their cultural patrimony; the Delhi Transport and Tourism Development Corporation has initiated the Hop-on-Hop-off  bus service to provide convenient access to heritage sites and is planning to include heritage havelis  in their bed-and-breakfast scheme; and several tourist hubs like Purana Qila, Ferozeshah Kotla, Hauz Khas, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and the bye-lanes of Shahjahanabad are slated for renewal. Considering the scale of the city, it is perhaps a modest beginning, but the process of transformation has been initiated.
 
A G Krishna Menon is an architect, urban planner and conservation consultant practicing in Delhi for over 40 years. He has been simultaneously teaching in Delhi and in 1990 co-founded the TVB School of Habitat Studies in New Delhi. In 2007 this private School became the teaching department of the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi. He is actively engaged in research and his contributions have been extensively published in professional journals and several academic books. He has also been actively involved in urban conservation and in 2004 drafted the INTACH Charter for the Conservation of Unprotected Architectural Heritage and Sites in India. Recently he has been associated with the formulation of The Delhi Master Plan–2021, The National Capital Region Master Plan–2021 and is a Member of several statutory Committees set up by the Government. Currently, in addition to his professional consultancy work, as the Convenor of INTACH’s Delhi Chapter, he is advocating the case for inscribing Delhi as a World Heritage City. This project seeks to transform the urbanscape of Delhi and align it to the architectural heritage of the city.