Heritage buildings in Goa go under the hammer
Dear fellow Goans
If you've been to Goa in recent times, or have spoken to someone who's been there, you may have heard constant references to what was and is no more, or is fast disappearing, in what many of us have known to be our golden Goa.
Some of us have felt helpless in the face of rapacious destruction of our built heritage in our homeland, helpless that we are not, or cannot, physically be there to participate in any activism to protect what we should be proud to have as part of that heritage.
Mercifully, as many of you would know, we have in Goa the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), which has, within its limited resources, been carrying out commendable work. But, faced with the ever-strengthening financial muscle of the builders' lobby in cahoots with unscrupulous politicians, it faces an uphill battle.
To face the battle, GHAG could do with some help from us who live outside Goa and, to that end, encouraged by initial support it recently received in the wake of an Open Letter to the Chief Minister of Goa with regard to(the now disappeared) Hotel Poona in Panjim, it has brought about a Friends-of-Goa scheme through which support can be channelled for the cause.
For those who may not have had access, we reproduce below the (1) Open Letter to the Chief Minister ofGoa to which I have alluded above, and (2) GHAG's letter of introduction of the Friends of Goa initiative.
As a fellow Gõem-kar, I commend the initiative and would urge you, both at the individual as well as at an institutional level, to support the Friends of Goa initiative in whatever way you can.
Friends of Goa
----------------------------------------
My dear Friends of Goa,
Our Group, Friends of Goa is a support Group that we have set up for the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG). GHAG is based in Goa, was set up in December 2000 and you can read more about the activities and history of the Group on www.goaheritage.in (with of course me in the firing line for more questions). Our accounts get audited by Edwina de Sousa through her offices in Mapusa and Panaji and we are registered with the Registrar of Societies in Panaji. All donations enjoy an exemption under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act in India.
For Friends who would like to become members of the GHAG, am enclosing a membership form (with a request to pay in their membership in Indian currency only). This is completely optional. There is absolutely no compulsion to become a member of the GHAG if you simply want to stay in the support group of Friends ofGoa.
For those of you who would like to make a token contribution to the cause (and no compulsions absolutely on that too!) or pay in your membership directly into the GHAG bank account, here are the bank details:
(INDIAN CURRENCY ONLY PLEASE)
Goa Heritage Action Group
Bank of India
Porvorim Branch
Account No 100810100005829
IFSC Code BKID0001008
And yes, please do send me an e mail confirming a transaction!
By the way, there is absolutely no compulsion to donate or become a member of the GHAG! Your support is like a shot in the arm in any case (although a little contribution will keep us going!) As long as we are together with one goal... that of doing something to save the heritage of Goa!
Regards and best wishes,
Heta
----------------------------------------------
06 April 2010
Mr Digambar Kamat
Chief Minister
Secretariat, Government of Goa
Porvorim, Goa
Open Letter To The Chief Minister Of Goa On
The Destruction Of Goa's Built Heritage
Dear Mr Kamat,
On Saturday 27th March this year a beautiful building in
Panaji popularly known as Café Puna was demolished by its
owners with the approval and the sanction of the Government
of Goa and the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The building was at least 70 years old and must
have taken its craftsmen and builders at least two
years to build it, decorate it and make it the
pride of the city. It was located opposite the
historic Massano da Amorim building and also
opposite the National Theatre that once had
Corinthian columns at its entrance and was also the
pride of the neighbourhood.
Café Puna was not an extraordinary building but embodied a
distinct character. It had two stories and Mangalore roof
tiles like a lot of houses in Panaji. At one time, its upper
floor verandah had wooden railings which had been
hand-crafted by Goan wood craftsmen (later these were
replaced with decorative ironwork). Its chambers contained
furniture that was either Burma teak or Indian teak wood.
Café Puna added an identity and strength to its
neighbourhood, one of the several old structures that give
Panaji its uniqueness.
But on the day and night of the 27th of March 2010, blunt
bulldozers won over the delicate tools of the Goan craftsmen.
High rise won over history.
Why did this happen, Mr Kamat? And what if it did? Apart from
a few heritage lovers of the city, does anyone care? We see
buildings like Cafe Puna (together with other lovely period
buildings in the city) as deposits of Goan craftsmanship and
culture. We remind you that there is no-one in Goa who can
build like this any more, for this was a building of beauty
and an article that shows Goan craftsmanship. These buildings
tell you the story of how people lived, how they worked, what
it meant to them to be Goan.
This is what the thoughtless demolition of Café Puna has
achieved, the loss of an example of our craft and skill. Did
you think of asking the property's new owners what exactly it
was that they had brought down? We wish to remind you that
these are not only buildings we are trying to save. These are
deposits of the city's history. It pains us that the absence
of laws to protect Goa's heritage have destroyed evidence of
history such as Café Puna. Outside of the few conservation
zones in the city (those too are constantly under threat)
there are no protection laws in the state. By allowing the
demolition you have given your sanction to the annihilation
of Goa's history.
Does Goa then not want to protect its heritage? Your
government's reluctance to frame regulations for heritage
protection says it all.
The plot on which Café Puna once stood may belong to
Sungrace Developers on paper but the building was part of our
common cultural heritage. And you have allowed this heritage,
kept safely for 70 years, to disappear overnight. We are told
that the new high rise to come up in its place will be a
40-room hotel. We are told that heritage buildings are 'white
elephants' that cost money and are a financial drain. Who
says so? Some of the finest corporate offices all over the
world (such as Arcelor Mittal in France) and in India (HSBC
in Kala Ghoda. Mumbai) are located in privately owned
heritage buildings. Some of the finest hotels in the world -
like The Lake Palace in Udaipur and The Taj Rambagh Palace -
are located in heritage buildings. Some of the finest stores
in the world (Harrods) are in heritage buildings.
Even in Panaji there are areas which sustain themselves
economically because of their heritage and history. In
Fontainhas, for example, establishments like the Panjim Inn,
Afonso Guest House, Fontainhas Inn, Panjim Peoples, Panjim
Pousada and Park Lane lodge have heritage as their main
drawcard. So do restaurants like Venite, Horseshoe, Viva
Panjim and Ernestos. So do stores like Barefoot, Bombay
Store, Syne and Velha Goa. Elsewhere in Goa establishments
like Siolim House, Fort Tiracol and Goa Chitra depend upon
the heritage value of their establishments as their primary
merchant USP. These are but a few examples to prove
conclusively that heritage buildings can be made economically
viable. That they provide essential character, are a
touchstone of local identity and make a city a better place
to live in is the bonus they bring to any urban settlement.
The city of Singapore has often been held up by the state
government as a role model of development. Singapore's modern
character comes from a careful fusion of the old with the
new. Together with world class sea and airport, education hub
and financial centre exist several thriving city wards which
have scrupulously preserved old structures and settlement
layout. That is the reason Singapore attracts such a high
volume of tourists - its tourism development board, its urban
planning authority and neighbourhood committees work together
to preserve and revitalize its built heritage.
Café Puna could have been restored with care and shown as a
fine example of restoration. The new hotel could have been
the pride of the city, a restoration the new owners would
have been proud of and a building that people would have paid
more to stay in. We have examples of heritage hotels in the
city of Panaji, in the rest of Goa and all over the world.
These hotel owners will tell you that visitors pay more to
stay in a heritage hotel than in a block of concrete and
steel.
Instead, over the past few years several heritage houses and
buildings have been demolished in Panaji - we are alarmed and
concerned that the pace of such destruction is increasing in
Goa's towns and cities. They have all been replaced by high
rises, which bring with them a depressingly familiar set of
new problems: greater congestion arising from vehicular
traffic, increased pressure on the infrastructure-water,
electricity, sewerage and garbage disposal. Tearing out the
old and replacing it with the new further alienates the
residents of the city from their old familiar landmarks.
We wish to remind you that repositories of
craftsmanship and memory like Café Puna exist in a
city that has many firsts to its credit. Panaji has
India's longest river promenade. It is the only
Indian city with stepped streets. It was built on a
grid pattern that most Indian cities do not have.
And it has a mix of heritage buildings with Indian
Art Deco, British, Italian and Modern styles of
architecture.
What is Panaji without its historic buildings? Just another
town in India? With no special character, no individuality
and no uniqueness? Why would visitors come to Goa and wish to
walk about, charmed, in the city of Panaji? To escape from
the congestion, traffic issues and woes of Indian
urbanization elsewhere? If that is evident, Mr Kamat, why are
you and your government turning this beautiful city into a
faceless urban maze by destroying something that neither you
nor your government can create?
What lies in the balance in Goa? There are human-scale
settlements that have taken over a century to evolve. And
there is the result - in the debris of Café Puna - of the
ignorance and greed of a few who are overturning that
balance.
We therefore urge you, Mr Kamat, to frame and commit to law -
with no further delay - regulations for the protection of the
built heritage of Goa.
Yours sincerely,
Heta Pandit | Jack Ajit Sukhija | Sanjeev Trivedi | Prajal
Sakhardande | Rahul Goswami
Chairman Hon Secretary Executive Member Executive
Member
For and on behalf of Life members, Patron members and Annual
members of Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG)
SEND YOUR feedback to heta.pandit@gmail.com and ghaggoa@gmail.com
If you've been to Goa in recent times, or have spoken to someone who's been there, you may have heard constant references to what was and is no more, or is fast disappearing, in what many of us have known to be our golden Goa.
Some of us have felt helpless in the face of rapacious destruction of our built heritage in our homeland, helpless that we are not, or cannot, physically be there to participate in any activism to protect what we should be proud to have as part of that heritage.
Mercifully, as many of you would know, we have in Goa the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG), which has, within its limited resources, been carrying out commendable work. But, faced with the ever-strengthening financial muscle of the builders' lobby in cahoots with unscrupulous politicians, it faces an uphill battle.
To face the battle, GHAG could do with some help from us who live outside Goa and, to that end, encouraged by initial support it recently received in the wake of an Open Letter to the Chief Minister of Goa with regard to(the now disappeared) Hotel Poona in Panjim, it has brought about a Friends-of-Goa scheme through which support can be channelled for the cause.
For those who may not have had access, we reproduce below the (1) Open Letter to the Chief Minister ofGoa to which I have alluded above, and (2) GHAG's letter of introduction of the Friends of Goa initiative.
As a fellow Gõem-kar, I commend the initiative and would urge you, both at the individual as well as at an institutional level, to support the Friends of Goa initiative in whatever way you can.
Friends of Goa
----------------------------------------
My dear Friends of Goa,
Our Group, Friends of Goa is a support Group that we have set up for the Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG). GHAG is based in Goa, was set up in December 2000 and you can read more about the activities and history of the Group on www.goaheritage.in (with of course me in the firing line for more questions). Our accounts get audited by Edwina de Sousa through her offices in Mapusa and Panaji and we are registered with the Registrar of Societies in Panaji. All donations enjoy an exemption under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act in India.
For Friends who would like to become members of the GHAG, am enclosing a membership form (with a request to pay in their membership in Indian currency only). This is completely optional. There is absolutely no compulsion to become a member of the GHAG if you simply want to stay in the support group of Friends ofGoa.
For those of you who would like to make a token contribution to the cause (and no compulsions absolutely on that too!) or pay in your membership directly into the GHAG bank account, here are the bank details:
(INDIAN CURRENCY ONLY PLEASE)
Goa Heritage Action Group
Bank of India
Porvorim Branch
Account No 100810100005829
IFSC Code BKID0001008
And yes, please do send me an e mail confirming a transaction!
By the way, there is absolutely no compulsion to donate or become a member of the GHAG! Your support is like a shot in the arm in any case (although a little contribution will keep us going!) As long as we are together with one goal... that of doing something to save the heritage of Goa!
Regards and best wishes,
Heta
----------------------------------------------
06 April 2010
Mr Digambar Kamat
Chief Minister
Secretariat, Government of Goa
Porvorim, Goa
Open Letter To The Chief Minister Of Goa On
The Destruction Of Goa's Built Heritage
Dear Mr Kamat,
On Saturday 27th March this year a beautiful building in
Panaji popularly known as Café Puna was demolished by its
owners with the approval and the sanction of the Government
of Goa and the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
The building was at least 70 years old and must
have taken its craftsmen and builders at least two
years to build it, decorate it and make it the
pride of the city. It was located opposite the
historic Massano da Amorim building and also
opposite the National Theatre that once had
Corinthian columns at its entrance and was also the
pride of the neighbourhood.
Café Puna was not an extraordinary building but embodied a
distinct character. It had two stories and Mangalore roof
tiles like a lot of houses in Panaji. At one time, its upper
floor verandah had wooden railings which had been
hand-crafted by Goan wood craftsmen (later these were
replaced with decorative ironwork). Its chambers contained
furniture that was either Burma teak or Indian teak wood.
Café Puna added an identity and strength to its
neighbourhood, one of the several old structures that give
Panaji its uniqueness.
But on the day and night of the 27th of March 2010, blunt
bulldozers won over the delicate tools of the Goan craftsmen.
High rise won over history.
Why did this happen, Mr Kamat? And what if it did? Apart from
a few heritage lovers of the city, does anyone care? We see
buildings like Cafe Puna (together with other lovely period
buildings in the city) as deposits of Goan craftsmanship and
culture. We remind you that there is no-one in Goa who can
build like this any more, for this was a building of beauty
and an article that shows Goan craftsmanship. These buildings
tell you the story of how people lived, how they worked, what
it meant to them to be Goan.
This is what the thoughtless demolition of Café Puna has
achieved, the loss of an example of our craft and skill. Did
you think of asking the property's new owners what exactly it
was that they had brought down? We wish to remind you that
these are not only buildings we are trying to save. These are
deposits of the city's history. It pains us that the absence
of laws to protect Goa's heritage have destroyed evidence of
history such as Café Puna. Outside of the few conservation
zones in the city (those too are constantly under threat)
there are no protection laws in the state. By allowing the
demolition you have given your sanction to the annihilation
of Goa's history.
Does Goa then not want to protect its heritage? Your
government's reluctance to frame regulations for heritage
protection says it all.
The plot on which Café Puna once stood may belong to
Sungrace Developers on paper but the building was part of our
common cultural heritage. And you have allowed this heritage,
kept safely for 70 years, to disappear overnight. We are told
that the new high rise to come up in its place will be a
40-room hotel. We are told that heritage buildings are 'white
elephants' that cost money and are a financial drain. Who
says so? Some of the finest corporate offices all over the
world (such as Arcelor Mittal in France) and in India (HSBC
in Kala Ghoda. Mumbai) are located in privately owned
heritage buildings. Some of the finest hotels in the world -
like The Lake Palace in Udaipur and The Taj Rambagh Palace -
are located in heritage buildings. Some of the finest stores
in the world (Harrods) are in heritage buildings.
Even in Panaji there are areas which sustain themselves
economically because of their heritage and history. In
Fontainhas, for example, establishments like the Panjim Inn,
Afonso Guest House, Fontainhas Inn, Panjim Peoples, Panjim
Pousada and Park Lane lodge have heritage as their main
drawcard. So do restaurants like Venite, Horseshoe, Viva
Panjim and Ernestos. So do stores like Barefoot, Bombay
Store, Syne and Velha Goa. Elsewhere in Goa establishments
like Siolim House, Fort Tiracol and Goa Chitra depend upon
the heritage value of their establishments as their primary
merchant USP. These are but a few examples to prove
conclusively that heritage buildings can be made economically
viable. That they provide essential character, are a
touchstone of local identity and make a city a better place
to live in is the bonus they bring to any urban settlement.
The city of Singapore has often been held up by the state
government as a role model of development. Singapore's modern
character comes from a careful fusion of the old with the
new. Together with world class sea and airport, education hub
and financial centre exist several thriving city wards which
have scrupulously preserved old structures and settlement
layout. That is the reason Singapore attracts such a high
volume of tourists - its tourism development board, its urban
planning authority and neighbourhood committees work together
to preserve and revitalize its built heritage.
Café Puna could have been restored with care and shown as a
fine example of restoration. The new hotel could have been
the pride of the city, a restoration the new owners would
have been proud of and a building that people would have paid
more to stay in. We have examples of heritage hotels in the
city of Panaji, in the rest of Goa and all over the world.
These hotel owners will tell you that visitors pay more to
stay in a heritage hotel than in a block of concrete and
steel.
Instead, over the past few years several heritage houses and
buildings have been demolished in Panaji - we are alarmed and
concerned that the pace of such destruction is increasing in
Goa's towns and cities. They have all been replaced by high
rises, which bring with them a depressingly familiar set of
new problems: greater congestion arising from vehicular
traffic, increased pressure on the infrastructure-water,
electricity, sewerage and garbage disposal. Tearing out the
old and replacing it with the new further alienates the
residents of the city from their old familiar landmarks.
We wish to remind you that repositories of
craftsmanship and memory like Café Puna exist in a
city that has many firsts to its credit. Panaji has
India's longest river promenade. It is the only
Indian city with stepped streets. It was built on a
grid pattern that most Indian cities do not have.
And it has a mix of heritage buildings with Indian
Art Deco, British, Italian and Modern styles of
architecture.
What is Panaji without its historic buildings? Just another
town in India? With no special character, no individuality
and no uniqueness? Why would visitors come to Goa and wish to
walk about, charmed, in the city of Panaji? To escape from
the congestion, traffic issues and woes of Indian
urbanization elsewhere? If that is evident, Mr Kamat, why are
you and your government turning this beautiful city into a
faceless urban maze by destroying something that neither you
nor your government can create?
What lies in the balance in Goa? There are human-scale
settlements that have taken over a century to evolve. And
there is the result - in the debris of Café Puna - of the
ignorance and greed of a few who are overturning that
balance.
We therefore urge you, Mr Kamat, to frame and commit to law -
with no further delay - regulations for the protection of the
built heritage of Goa.
Yours sincerely,
Heta Pandit | Jack Ajit Sukhija | Sanjeev Trivedi | Prajal
Sakhardande | Rahul Goswami
Chairman Hon Secretary Executive Member Executive
Member
For and on behalf of Life members, Patron members and Annual
members of Goa Heritage Action Group (GHAG)
SEND YOUR feedback to heta.pandit@gmail.com and ghaggoa@gmail.com
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