So, what is heritage? Well, in a
nutshell heritage is that which is handed over to us from the past through our
forebears, our ancestors. Heritage is something that, once lost, can never be
regained again.
In fact heritage is the full
range of our inherited traditions, monuments, objects, and culture. Most
important, it is the range of contemporary activities, meanings, and behaviours
that we draw from them. It is an identity with which one is linked and
recognised.
Having grown up in Dehradun, what
I saw in my childhood over forty years ago unfortunately, a large part of it
does not exist here anymore. Yes, I am referring to the physical features and
landmarks of this valley. While, I agree, change is inevitable and it is
necessary for our development and progress, it cannot be at the merciless hands
of shaving off our heritage. Unfortunately, we have seen the masters of the
governance here during the past over a decade turning a blind eye towards the
heritage places of this once “town of grey haired people”.
The government executors’
initiating the so-called development appears to have no idea of what they are
destroying since they have not seen the past glory of this town which till over
a decade and a half back was a small hamlet opted by retired and defence people
and famous for its schools. Ignorant of the facts, the planners and executors here
are bull-dozing on the heritage spots to make provision for a metro kind of town
to emerge. They forget, this town is not cut out for such rampant development
being a valley with fragile eco-system. We all have seen the wrath of nature in
the recent Kedarnath tragedy and yet learnt no lessons. Dehradun is also facing
a severe climate disaster in the recent past. God forbid any nature’s wrath
here. These guys cannot gauge in their wildest dreams of what they have
destroyed and what some heritage places meant for those who have spent ages
here. An old resident who has been here for over 70 years says, destroying
landmarks are like your home being destroyed by some hoodlums.
Lamenting on the present
state-of-affairs, another old resident said, “I ask a simple question from
these people in governance, what will they do if one tried to destroy and/or
deface their personal family heritage and/or property just because it should
look different”. Will they sit and enjoy the destruction or re-bound with their
might to kick and toss the defaulters, he asserted. Another resident in his
late eighties said, “If ones father gets old, one tries to restore his and not
kill him to get a younger looking father”. Unfortunately, this is what is
happening here to the heritage spots, he said with great grief. Please treat
this town and its heritage as your own belonging. Don’t destroy it and expose your
stupidity he appealed.
Unfortunately, the rapid,
unplanned development seen here has led the town to bleed. A group of concerned
residents here said - who has authorised them? Has a public consensus been
taken or a public debate organised on this issue before eradicating or changing
the landmarks and physical features here? Well, these are all questions which
hold relevance for all of us as responsible citizens. It is time people at
large should come forward towards these mis-happenings at the hands of few.
I would like to now throw light
on some of the lost for ever heritage sites of Dehradun which comes to my mind
while I write this piece. The once bustling Chakrata Road with its heritage
structures, old-time shops, with which one always co-related oneself to
Dehradun is gone. Chakrata Road is slaughtered beyond ones wildest imaginations
just to accommodate the burgeoning traffic. This man-made burgeoning traffic
problem here is mentioned in paragraphs below. This can be solved in no time
with right approach.
The famous canal of Dehradun
which flowed from the East Canal Road and which greatly had a bearing on the
climate of the Doon is no more seen. One can imagine its effect on the climate
here. The unrecognisable Eucalyptus Road has converted from a residential area
to a commercial one. The landmark government city bus stand near Clock Tower is
now in shambles with encroachers hovering on its site. The now-a-days private city
buses prefer parking on roads, hindering flow of traffic, than be parked in the
bus stand.
The quite and scenic beauty of
Rajpur Road from Dilaram Bazar to Rajpur has been lost beyond recognition. This
area is now more like Chandni Chowk of Delhi with make-shift shops mushrooming
on both sides of the road and wherever they can and big malls spreading up to
the main road adding to the traffic congestions. It’s a pitiable state of
affairs to see Rajpur Road in such a state being the back-bone of the Doon. This
road with greenery on both sides was once a treat to the eyes.
The shrinking of the Parade
Ground is another matter of great concern. The recent mercilessly chopping of
all the green trees around this magnificent ground worries every Doonite as the
Parade Ground is the only big patch of open land in the center of the town for
fairs and public functions. With the loosing of its trees which were all around
this ground it has already lost its green look. God save this ground from its
bleak future and encroachment.
My heart goes for the almost inexistent
Patel Park opposite the HPO at Clock Tower. The Patel Park was once a small
garden at the clock tower where tourists and local residents were often seen
sitting there in the evenings after a stroll in the famous Palton Bazaar. Its
renovation has been on for years but that poor small park has not got any shape
so far. I do not know what was wrong in the earlier park and what the planners
want to turn this into now. It has rather been destroyed beyond limits of its
original identity; barring the fact that handsome amount of money may have
already gone in its so-called development but to no use. The un-cared for statue
of Sardar Patel lying here too is facing the brunt of this development.
These and many more such sites with
which people of Doon once associated them are already gone for ever. Some more
are on the verge of being swallowed at the hands of un-planned development if
not checked. Can somebody responsible at the highest levels of the government
ponder on these issues to save Dehradun and its identity and land marks?
What is interesting on the other
hand is the shoving in of the Vidhan Sabha, the Secretariat and all crowd
generating offices and government establishments in the midst of the small town
of Dehradun since its formation as Uttarakhand’s Capital. Why has this been
done? Can anybody tell? Nobody will see any good reason for pocketing
everything within the narrow city limits. This has led to chaos of traffic
(which I have mentioned above) due to countless number of government vehicles
and vehicles of other government employees working here zipping all around the
city. This segment of people accounts for almost fifty percent of traffic. All
this will be addressed if the Vidhan Sabha, the Secretariat and all crowd
generating offices and government establishment’s set-up here after formation
of Uttarakhand be shifted out of city limits. There mere absence from the main
town can substantially reduce the traffic and over crowding problems and bring
back the lost glory.
Traffic woes are also because of
dwellings coming up all in every nook and corner of present city. Whether it’s
a “nullah”, river bed or water drainage path everywhere one sees rampant
construction, as a result besides the beauty of the town being destroyed it is
causing inundation of rain water during monsoons. The inundation problem was
never there in Dehradun around 15 years back.
If true development of Dehradun
is our concern, is it necessary to stop turning an un-turn able small town into
Shanghai. Our planners should recognise the limit of this place. Setting up of
new Dehradun outside the present city limits of the town, housing all the big
and crowd generating government and private establishments and residences for
people working there, which includes the highest level of government functionaries,
will be a wise decision.
A live and an
excellent example of this is Gandhinagar the capital of Gujarat. Gandhinagar adjoining
Ahmedabad came to being because of similar problems and issues faced by
Ahmedabad at one time. With hats off to planners of Gujarat that Gandhinagar is
developed into a world class model town relieving Ahmedabad of the extra
pressure and an example of fine development. Why can’t this model be put in
place here too? A new Dehradun, adjoining the present one will relieve this
town of its many man-made woes and also help save its heritage. Till this
happens, God save my town!
