Bond with your environs

"I have seen the Tower of London, but don't know where the Rajabai Clock Tower is…" remarked a 13-year-old from a reputed South Mumbai school, whilst on a heritage walk with her classmates in the Fort area. That seemingly innocent statement epitomises what plagues our city today—the lack of knowledge leading to generations of disinterested citizens with little or no regard for the city they grew up in. While it sure was nice that the child was well travelled but it is really up to us to make sure our children also learn about their own city—its history, culture and people. How else are they going to identify with it and appreciate their roots?

The city is a living environment that cannot be severed from people's daily lives. Each successive generation needs to understand the historical forces that produced the original landscape of the city; only then can they contend with contemporary pressures and work towards a sustainable urban future. It is only from a bond with your environs that a civic sense be inculcated and community participation encouraged.
Public involvement in the protection and rejuvenation of historic spaces is essential. In fact, it was public outcry against the proposed demolition of the Old Yacht Club (now the office of the Atomic Energy Commissione) at Apollo Bunder that saved this building and kick started the preservation movement in Mumbai way back in the 1980s. It was only then, due to the efforts of citizens, pressure groups and NGOs that heritage regulations were introduced and gazetted as laws in 1995. These helped to protect much of our city's historic architecture, environment and urban open spaces while allowing for change and growth as per contemporary requirements.

In the past three decades, the identification of heritage values in the urban Indian environment, especially in a city like Mumbai, has undergone a shift from an elite emphasis on individual landmarks to a more inclusive appreciation by residents as well as authorities. Preservation of heritage has become the subject of active public reflection, debate and discussion.
Hopefully as the 13-yeard-old child grows, she will be more cognizant of her own heritage and imbibe the same values in her children. Heritage is the full range of our inherited traditions. It must remain an essential part of the present we live in and of the future we will build.