The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Some doughty souls still hold out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 18, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Some doughty souls still hold out

Staff Reporter

It is not easy to maintain a heritage home

COSTLY PROPOSITION: The Heritage, the house of M.B. Krishna on Ranga Rao Road, in Basavanagudi. The family is loath to part with the property but finds it expensive to maintain it. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: The large open verandah welcomes the visitor to The Heritage. As you walk towards the structure, birds chirping from their nests on the mango trees in the courtyard soothe the ears, a rare experience indeed in Bangalore, where you are more likely to hear the blare of horns.

Just as Bangalore's old buildings, often located on prime property, are making way for new and largely unappealing structures, a few lovely remain intact. Yes, there still are some doughty souls who have held off, spurning the crores offered, letting their owner's pride have the day. The Heritage is one among them. Despite the logistics of maintaining these structures, these families have succeeded in preserving them for posterity.

M.B. Krishna, a bird ecologist who lives in a heritage structure in Basavanagudi, says: "Our family has been staying here for three generations and we are enjoying the benefits of this house. We do not want to forego this. We did not construct this structure so why should we sell it?"

Mr. Krishna is one among the many quintessential Bangaloreans who have retained their old bungalows. He has aptly named his house on Ranga Rao Road in Basavanagudi The Heritage. Built in 1914 by his grandfather M.S. Ramachandra Rao, a State Huzoor Treasury Officer, the bungalow has retained much of its original characteristics even as the neighbourhood has undergone a sea change.

Dr. Krishna said: "The pleasure of living in an old house is unique. The red oxide flooring, the high ceiling and the Madras tile roofing, all keep the house cool and the thick mud walls insulate us from the din outside."

But what about the cost of maintaining these buildings of pride? It costs a fortune for the owners. The mortar and other lime products used in conservation are not easily available and finding labours with the required skill and workmanship is even more difficult. Says Dr. Krishna: "Because of high noise pollution, the mud walls crack frequently and need to be repaired. Even a minor repair costs not less than Rs. 10,000, an expensive proposition for middle class families."

According to conservation architect Ravindra Gundu Rao, the difficulty in procuring the raw materials used in the original construction has forced many owners resort to the use of cement though conservation norms do not permit that. "If a mechanism could be evolved at institutional level to produce and supply certified lime, the problems could be solved easily," he added.

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