local folk and students can play a crucial role in preservation of heritage by creating a support system for vigilance and maintenance
The coloured plaster and inscriptions from Quran at the ceiling of the main dome of the Mubarak Shah’s tomb certainly don’t look as old as seven centuries. The nearby green lush and well-managed sanitation facilities glad the visitors. But would you believe that the same monument, which is a fine example of Indo-Islamic architecture and the octagonal tombs popularised by the Sayyids, was in ruins a couple years back! Thanks to the joint efforts of government’s agencies and the active participation from the communities that it not only got a fresh lease of life but has also become one of the most attractive heritage sites in the Capital. There are a few other monuments like the Mansa Bridge linking Salimgarh and the Red Fort which have been repaired and are now well-maintained. Throwing more light on the role of community in the restoration of monuments, a talk was organised at the India Habitat Center.
“Past is link to the future. We need to build a strong community system that could help the establishment in preserving our heritage. Only government cannot handle the mammoth task,” said Nivedita Khandekar, a Delhi-based journalist. Heritage is inherited from past, maintained in present and preserved for future. So it’s a collective responsibility of each individual, group and corporate organisation to come forward and participate in the process. “Government authorities carry out planning, conservation and maintenance. Residents must maintain the efforts. locals and students act as vigilant and keeper of the monuments,” she said.