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A city of long ago
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Kochi has the potential of being listed as a heritage town by Unesco, but the present accent is mainly confined to preservation of old buildings. SUNANDA KHANNA feels that the natural heritage of the local populace is ignored. Tomorrow is World Heritage Day
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IT'S A matter of the heart, a vague nostalgia for a city of long ago. Time was when a deliciously peaceful canal network linked Ernakulam with the adjoining areas. A boat carrying coconuts and fish and other provisions that an undemanding and simple community might need, quietly wound its way into a small rectangular harbour, which made up the market place. It throbbed with activity as a social hub of the township. And then one fine day the kettuvallam became a thing of the past. Over the years, many factors sounded its death knell with one of them being the advent of road transportation. But the harbour still exists. Somewhere close to bustling Broadway, it lies hidden beneath a pile of filth. While it is nobody's case that the old hustle and bustle be revived, it is a fact that the erstwhile market was a dynamic public place in the history of Kochi and constitutes the city's natural heritage. Surely it can be put on an earnest visitor's `to do' list, of course along with the backwaters and coconut lagoons. Before that, it needs thorough cleansing.
The Ernakulam Heritage Zone project is the latest on the agenda of the ten-month-old Centre for Studies in Culture and Heritage of Cochin. From Foreshore Road to the High Court, through Broadway and Ernakulam markets, plans are afoot to clean and restore the canals and document the heritage structures that are buried between buildings. Also on the anvil is the idea to free certain waterfront areas of commercial structures and activities. The centre, which is a part of the larger Corporation of Cochin, will also formulate certain regulations for conservation of heritage buildings, heritage precincts and natural features that define the city to check any indiscriminate construction. The centre is also keen to revive Kochi's dynamic links with the past by restoring the historically rich areas of Edappaly, Tripunithra and Vytilla, which haven't received much attention so far. However, "far more important than conserving physical remnants and structures is the need to develop the consciousness of the people", says the Mayor, C. M. Dinesh Mani. Only a society that is deeply rooted in its moorings can grow, says the mayor. There's a distinct decline in the study and understanding of Malayalam literature and arts by the present generation but this trend needs to be turned around so that it's not lost forever. Adds Rajan Chedambath, secretary of the Centre, "There are almost sixteen linguistic groups that co-exist in the city. It's a microcosm of India".
Kochi is a goldmine of contrasting cultures that have lived and thrived in relative harmony. The city has huge potential and could easily find itself on UNESCO's list of world heritage towns, says former mayor and INTACH convenor, Kerala, Mr. K. J. Sohan. However, he admits that the mentality of the people has slowed down projects. A decade ago a major recommendation had been made to demarcate Fort Kochi and Mattancherry as a single integrated heritage zone for development and management purposes. HUDCO had taken on the project but beat a hasty retreat, as local support was not forthcoming. Work in the area finally did take off but "far too much time is taken up in discussions; the heritage work in Fort Kochi could have taken lesser time." People's livelihood has to be addressed first; conservation cannot follow a piecemeal trajectory and must be holistic, he adds. Regarding recent reports that the Palace on Wheels project of Rajasthan may be replicated in Kerala, the convener was doubtful. "There is no scope for it over here. Ours is not a monument-related tourism with forts and palaces to showcase." For any proposal to be successful, the people's involvement is vital. They need to be cautioned against vandalism, forcible occupation and demolition of age-old structures. Cultural heritage is threatened not only by physical decay but also by the changing socio-economic conditions prevailing in society. Even though citizens are aware of their rich heritage their contribution will be a lot more if projects concern them and take place in public areas, sections of the city that are used by them. Chedambath relates an incident where the Corporation's proposal to take over the Jewish Synagogue in Broadway was rejected by the Trust but the latter readily agreed to involve the civic body in its conservation projects. Biley. E. Menon, a Kochi based architect currently engaged in the Ernakulam Heritage Zone project, recalls attending a seminar a couple of years ago, where avid discussions were taking place on how best to promote tourism in the state. Ideas were mooted, theories were propounded and frameworks developed. It had been a long, animated albeit fruitful session. When it was time to go home, someone made a pithy remark. If the quality of life of an ordinary citizen were improved, by fulfilling some of his basic requirements that any civic society would necessarily provide: unsoiled surroundings, better roads, clean drinking water, perhaps there would be no need to hold such seminars. Tourism would take care of itself. It would happen, take root, grow and like how. Logically sound and so reasonable, there wasn't a single nay. Everyone averred. Even as conservation and tourism have their own compartmentalised roles, conservation attracts tourism. Today's tourist wants to experience and soak in the unique flavour of the city. Freshly white-washed and renovated structures don't beckon as readily as an opportunity to partake a slice from the city's everyday life; A slow boat ride as it glides across the tranquil backwaters, a stopover at a makeshift private jetty that captures the stereotypical lifestyle of a local populace. Now that is natural heritage.
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