Locals many feel like the conservation laws are not made keeping them in mind, but they are. And there is more that we can do for these structures, than we think.
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India is the land where past, present and the future blend. Every region, city, area and mohalla is brimming with history. At various places, one will find structures built centuries apart, co-existing.
While the tourists are informed about the extensive history, and treat the monuments as a heritage space, for many of the locals of the area, these spaces double as important public spaces. Many of the monuments are re- designed to accommodate parks and avenues, while some become exercise spots due to their terrains, like the Sinhgad Fort in Pune.
Several activities are formed with the monuments as the backdrop. The management of the space, however may not always incorporate these locals. For instance, the Mahmud Gawan Madrassa in Bidar had a corner of the road filled with garbage. The garbage remains there, affecting the nearby residents, as well as the ambience of a great university.
The market place near the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi houses a huge market, which was famous for selling jewels and spices. While the structure remains, the people who set shop in the spaces since decades, were displaced as an effort to maintain the structure.
On the contrary, the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid, Spain, has a special provision for the preservation of the monuments in the area, to respect both the historical value of structures, as well as the businesses conducted there, with locals freely moving around and utilizing the spaces as public spaces.
So, on one hand, there are problems being faced by locals, on the other hand, the structures nowadays are also garbage ridden and poorly maintained, pitting the requirements of both at odds with each other. Perhaps the solution for both these problems is that the locals should be more involved in the management process of the monuments.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), actually has a provision to involve local populace in the decision making process of the management of monuments.
More importantly, the major problem that the monuments face, is not pollution, mismanagement or lack of resources. It is the lack of empathy from the people who live with the monument every day. While we may pride ourselves at our legacy, this rarely translates into actual action.
We are consistently taught in our schools about the greatness of our heritage, and how we should respect it. But perhaps we should learn how to love and consequently, take responsibility for spaces which are such an important part of our identity.
Which is why probably the first thing that we should do, is to revisit the neighbourhood monument, and really start seeing them, without the rosy lens of pride.
It is only through people's initiatives that our heritage will see the beginning of a new era.
In conclusion:
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