Latest news with #LucknowUniversity
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Cybercriminal posing as DM dupes student of ₹90,000
A 20-year-old university student in Lucknow fell prey to a cyber fraudster who impersonated the district magistrate of Siddharthnagar and duped her of ₹90,000 on the pretext of furniture delivery. The victim, Neha Tripathi, a resident of Gulistan Colony and a student at Lucknow University, had no reason to suspect anything unusual when she received a call on the evening of May 28 from someone claiming to be the DM of Siddharthnagar. The caller told her that a consignment of furniture was arriving and she must receive it and immediately transfer ₹90,000 via e-payment to a specified number. He also said that this request was made by her uncle. Believing the call to be genuine, Neha transferred the amount to the mobile number without verifying the delivery. It was only a few minutes later, when her uncle contacted her, that she realised she was conned. He clarified that he made no such request and was equally shocked. Alarmed, her uncle contacted the district magistrate of Siddharthnagar, whom the fraudster allegedly impersonated. The DM denied making any such call, confirming that the matter was indeed a case of cyber fraud through identity spoofing. Neha acted swiftly. She dialled the national cybercrime helpline 1930, visited the Cyber Cell in Hazratganj, and managed to get her bank account frozen. She made the payment through her account. The cyber team was able to hold ₹41,000 of the defrauded amount before it could be withdrawn by the scammer. Following the cyber cell's instructions, Neha registered a formal complaint at Gautampalli police station, which was filed under Section 66D of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. SHO, Gautampalli, Pankaj Kumar, said the accused remains unidentified and it is suspected that the case is linked to a broader pattern of cybercriminals impersonating senior officials and family members to extract money. Investigations are ongoing.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
‘Duped by DM?' LU student is victim of identity spoofing
Lucknow: A 20-year-old Lucknow University student was duped into making a payment of Rs 90,000 for delivery of a furniture after a cyber fraudster impersonating as district magistrate of Siddharthnagar and an acquaintance of his uncle asked her to make the payment urgently. Neha Tripathi, a resident of Gulistan Colony, in her FIR claimed that she had no reason to suspect anything unusual when she received a call on May 28 from someone claiming to be the DM of Siddharthnagar. The caller told her that a consignment of furniture was arriving and she must receive it and immediately transfer ₹90,000 via e-payment to a specified number. He also said that this request was made by her uncle. Believing the call to be genuine, Neha transferred the amount to the mobile number without verifying the delivery. It was only a few minutes later, when her uncle contacted her, that she realised she was conned. Alarmed, her uncle contacted the Siddharthnagar DM, who denied making any such call, confirming that the matter was indeed a case of cyber fraud through identity spoofing. Neha acted swiftly. She dialled the national cyber crime helpline 1930, visited the Cyber Cell in Hazratganj, and managed to get her bank account frozen. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Сандали, които мъжете обожават – практични и мъжкарски. ZAROTRAVEL® КУПИ СЕГА Undo The cyber team was able to hold ₹41,000 of the defrauded amount before it could be withdrawn by the scammer. Neha registered a formal complaint at Gautampalli police station, which was filed under Section 66D of the IT (Amendment) Act, 2008, and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. SHO, Gautampalli, Pankaj Kumar, said the accused remains unidentified and suspects that the case is linked to a broader pattern of cybercriminals impersonating senior officials and family members to extract money.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Social service, waste mgmt: Bada Mangal bhandaras are learning opportunities for youth
LUCKNOW Rahul Saroj, 22, an MSc (physics) student of IIT-Patna, is in his home town Lucknow during his semester break and utilising time for an internship opportunity, honing skills in crowd and waste management, serving food and helping with Bada Mangal festivities. He is among other college/university students, who could have opted for corporate internship, but instead chose social service to upgrade themselves. Youngsters are joining various NGOs, where they get hands-on training in social service and get a certificate in return. On Bada Mangal, interns make an effort to involve volunteers more actively and spread the message of cleanliness and environmental friendliness to the public through the bhandaras. 'This is the best way to utilise my break and learn skills, which I wouldn't learn in the corporate world. I participated in two bhandaras this year and helped serve food during peak hours and remove garbage. I wanted to learn how people come together and manage large-scale events. This is something books or office can't teach,' said Saroj. Shubham Kumar Verma, 22, a Lucknow University (Maths) student, who has seen multiple community events in his family but never participated in them, said: 'In last two bhandaras, I have been to over 10 stalls with a group of 5-6 people where we served food and managed crowd. To learn these, I joined an internship where I understand the values of contact, dialogue, and service.' Saurabh Verma, 19, a BA (English) student of Bappa Sri Narain Vocational PG College, said: 'Our group visits bhandaras across locations and sees if waste is being managed properly. We ensure that the crowd is well managed and the place is neat and clean after the bhandara is over.' Swikriti Agrawal, 20, a final year student, chose the hybrid mode of Internship. 'Despite having a leg fracture, I was able to contribute from home by coordinating with volunteers.' A city-based NGO 'Mangalman Abhiyan' is running an internship programme 'Mangalman Internship Programme' for the past few years engaging college and university students. 'Last year, over a 100 interns, aged between 18 and 28, participated from various colleges and universities across Lucknow. They received internship certificates upon completion,' said Ram Kumar Tiwari, convener of Mangalman Abhiyan. 'Big bhandaras are associated with us and they reach out to us for extra volunteers and coordination with LMC in waste management post the event. The interns oversee logistics, from planning to execution,' he added.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Majority spend first pay check on gifts for family: study
HighlightsThe Bharat Lab's research report "My First Salary" reveals the profound emotional significance of first paychecks for young earners in India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, emphasizing it as a cultural milestone. The study found that 88.5 percent of women perceive their salary as a symbol of personal freedom, with 44.6 percent of participants choosing to inform their mothers first about their earnings. The report recommends that fintech platforms provide flexible investment options, policymakers reassess entry-level salary benchmarks in semi-urban India, and educational institutions enhance financial literacy, especially for women. Rediffusion and Lucknow University's joint think tank, The Bharat Lab, has unveiled a new research report titled "My First Salary," delving into the financial behaviors and emotional experiences of young earners in India's Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities . The study, which surveyed 2,125 individuals, highlights that a first paycheck is more than just a financial event—it is a cultural milestone with significant emotional weight. Sandeep Goyal, co-chairman of Bharat Lab, said, "A first salary is more than a transaction. It's a declaration of independence, a family ritual, and often, a quiet revolution—especially for women." Alok Kumar Rai, chairman of Bharat Lab, added that the research reflects the "heartbeats of the nation" and speaks to a broad audience, not just economists. Key findings reveal that 38.8 percent of respondents spent their first salary on gifts, primarily for family, while 24.5 percent saved their income and 20.4 percent donated to religious or social causes. Notably, 88.5 percent of women viewed their salary as a symbol of personal freedom. Furthermore, 44.6 percent of participants informed their mothers first, underlining the importance of family bonds. The report also highlighted that one in three women opt to buy gold with their first income. Regarding Gen Z in Bharat, 76 percent prefer flexible investment models over rigid monthly SIPs, often linking investments to personal goals. This indicates a desire for personalized and adaptable financial planning. Based on the findings, the report provides recommendations for various stakeholders. Fintech platforms are advised to introduce flexible investment options, policymakers should reconsider entry-level salary benchmarks in semi-urban India, marketers should focus on emotional themes in their campaigns, and educational institutions should integrate financial literacy, particularly for women, into their curricula.
Mint
23-05-2025
- Mint
How India continues to make Art Deco its own
Summer vacations always meant long breaks at my maternal grandmother's home in Lucknow. Even though it would be hot and sultry, we would walk around Chowk, Bada Imambara, Qiaser Bagh, Rumi Darwaza and the areas near around La Martiniere College and Lucknow University to satiate the history buff in me. I considered myself fairly well informed about the city's heritage until I came across the Instagram page of Lucknow Art Deco, run by conservation architect Nishant Upadhyay, earlier this year. In all the time I'd spent in the city, I had been unaware of the deep inroads that this 100-year-old movement of architecture and design had made in Lucknow. It also shattered the belief that heritage was something that needed to be several centuries old, with tales of a distant past echoing through silent monuments. Rather, it could be a living, breathing repository of stories of how modern Indian landscapes were shaped by a confluence of local design sensibilities and international influences. For as long as the term Art Deco has been in my consciousness, the style has always been synonymous with South Mumbai. The fact that glimmers of it could be found in Lucknow and Delhi had never occurred to me. Just like the Lucknow Art Deco handle, it was the website and Instagram page of Deco in Delhi, started in 2020 by architects Geetanjali Sayal and Prashansa Sachdeva, that led me to an alternative view of heritage. In Delhi too, the depth and scale of the Art Deco movement—which marks its centenary this year—has come as a surprise. These aren't lone initiatives; in cities across India, architects, conservationists, heritage enthusiasts and urban evangelists are working on inventories, documentation projects, Instagram handles; they are conducting walks, and having talks and events to popularise this 100-year-old form of architecture, which combines form and functionality in such an artistic way. Some noteworthy projects include the Art Deco Mumbai Trust, Heritage of Belgaum, Goenchi Deco, Art Deco Madras, Art Deco Hyderabad and Calcutta Art Decor. Each of these has come up in the course of the past decade—the earliest being the Art Deco Mumbai Trust founded by Atul Kumar in 2016—to document and create awareness about how different parts of India made this architecture and design movement their own. This style of architecture emerged in France in the 1910s, based on principles of sleek design and rhythmic geometry, and gained popularity after the 1925 industrial arts exposition in Paris. As the essay on the Art Deco Mumbai Trust website puts it, the exposition, held in the wake of WWI, showcased motifs and decorative elements that depicted hope and optimism. The frozen fountain by French sculptor Renee Lalique, denoting eternal life, was one such example. A far-reaching impact of Art Deco could be seen in furniture, jewellery, fashion, book jackets and typography. Also read: How this Gujarat village adopted and adapted the Art Deco style The clean lines, curvilinear forms and geometric patterns became popular in India by the 1930s. It combined elegant motifs with changes in technology and machinery by bringing in new-age materials such as concrete and steel. In India, it was embraced wholeheartedly by cities such as Mumbai as it allowed for faster, more efficient town planning, and suited the local climate. One of the biggest attractions of Art Deco was its versatility to adapt to local design sensibilities. The movement arrived in India as a result of migration and travel. Rich men would travel to Europe, observe trends and ask their architects to incorporate elements into the buildings they constructed back home. Such design became a visual expression of their aspiration and modern outlook. 'With the use of concrete and cement, Art Deco became an expression of a new world," says Hyderabad-based architect Srinivas Murthy, who also runs Architecture and Design Foundation [India] to create awareness about good design. As part of this, the team has been documenting architecture of all styles, including mid-20th century modern architectural heritage, such as Art Deco, in the city. 'Concrete gave them greater freedom to shape forms in different ways. With Art Deco, curvilinear and free forms started coming up," he explains. Many factors led to the rise of an indigenous Art Deco language. With the exception of Sir J.J. School of Architecture in Mumbai, there weren't many architecture schools in India, and aspiring professionals travelled to Europe to study. They brought back these styles and together with international architects commissioned by rich patrons, India created its own version of Art Deco by incorporating vernacular elements. Kumar cites the example of Master, Sathe and Bhuta, established in 1932 and believed to be the first all-Indian architectural firm, based in Mumbai. 'They were heavily invested in local representation. Their bas relief murals were life-sized and replete with agrarian imagery. So, you will see a man ploughing a field and a woman wearing traditional clothing with a child strapped to her back," he says. Also read: Want to add a touch of Art Deco to your wardrobe? Here's some inspiration Another prominent Indian architect who created his own style of Indian Art Deco was Laxman Mahadeo Chitale, who set up his firm in 1932 in Chennai and worked on prominent structures such as the Oriental Insurance Building. In Hyderabad too, the Asaf Jahi Nizams drew on their immense wealth to commission a mix of foreign and Indian architects, including Mohammed Fayazuddin, Zain Yar Jung, Karl Malte von Heinz and Eric Marrett, to design buildings such as the State Bank of Hyderabad, Niloufer Hospital and the Osmania University campus. 'Mohammed Fayazuddin, studied at the Sir JJ School of Architecture, and went to London for further studies. On coming back, he became the architect of choice for the Nizams," says Murthy. The architects used the topography of Hyderabad—a hilly terrain overlooking a large number of lakes—with great skill. The bungalows for the nobility were built on these hill tops in exquisite Art Deco style. There was an inherent pragmatism to Art Deco buildings, combining form and function. 'It is this aspect that has allowed these structures to continue to exist and remain relevant. The building was flexible enough to coexist amidst different architectural styles in a neighbourhood. There were no complicated chajjas or motifs built in," says Upadhyay. The architecture kept adapting to the local climate as it travelled across India. Typically in the west, Art Deco featured flat slabs of concrete. When it came to Goa, Kerala and Bengal, the elements were incorporated into homes with sloping roofs. 'This interpretation of Art Deco is rare in the US or Europe. Interestingly, this style was not confined to buildings but was extended to engineering projects as well," says Murthy, citing the example of a barrage over the Krishna river in Vijayawada, which was designed entirely in Art Deco style. Most architects, however, don't look beyond Mumbai, thus neglecting the importance of the Art Deco movement across India, a style that shaped a large part of the post-independence landscape in the country between the 1930s-50s. Today, the understanding of Art Deco in India is largely driven by conservation architects and heritage enthusiasts, who grew up surrounded by this style, and witnessed many of these buildings being razed in the name of development. They started passion projects with a view not just to preserve this built heritage but to make this information accessible to the public. 'We are using Instagram as a gateway to this architecture-design movement. Without getting into elaborate captioning, we simply highlight the aesthetic, colour and style in our posts," says Kumar. The website then builds on the content, allowing for a deeper engagement with Art Deco through a well-researched inventory and archive, blog and gallery. From Mumbai and Delhi to Belagavi and Goa, the Art Deco heritage of several cities and towns is represented on social media and websites to document and create awareness about how different parts of India made this movement their own. Also read: What is the future of heritage conservation? LUCKNOW Nishant Upadhyay, conservation architect and founder of the firm, Dharatal, which has offices in Diest, Belgium, and Lucknow, runs the Instagram handle Lucknow Art Deco as part of a larger documentation and inventory project. The page has been a source of interesting nuggets about the city's modern built heritage. Most posts are simple—a photo with a short description—but some like the recent post on Tagore Library of Lucknow University tells a story of urban planning, diplomacy and cultural exchange. The library was designed in the Art Deco style by Walter Burley Griffin, an American architect who had a key role in designing Australia's capital city, Canberra. In 1935, he was commissioned to design the University of Lucknow library and ended up working on several other buildings in the city before he died in 1937 . As part of a self-funded project, Upadhyay has now listed over 360 buildings—institutional, commercial and residential—in Lucknow in Art Deco style. He continues to share stories on the social media page, which he started in June last year. Having grown up in Lucknow, Upadhyay was fascinated with the linear forms of Art Deco buildings in the Charbagh area. When he could finally set up a studio in Lucknow, he simply had to take up documentation of Art Deco buildings. In the course of the project, he found examples of Art Deco architecture still being maintained, especially in large-scale housing. 'You will find blocks of the same typology in areas such as Naka Hindola. There are super tight alleys where the entire street facade is in Art Deco," says Upadhyay, who has measured the details—photogrammetry and elevation—of such buildings. The movement influenced not just architecture but also chikankari and zardozi work. The evolution of Art Deco in Lucknow can be linked with the rise and fall of its economy. Following the first war of independence in 1857, trade declined as Awadh was perceived as a hostile state by the British. The revival took place only after the 1890s, and eventually, by the 1930s, traders flourished and began commissioning larger mansions and residential blocks in Raja Bazaar, Motinagar, Charbagh and New Hyderabad. The Parsi community also incorporated the style in Arambagh and the Parsi Anjuman. 'In the initial Art Deco buildings in the 1930s, you will see lotus petals and deities being interpreted in bold lines and minimal styles. Architects such as Walter Burley Griffin were invited to design the Pioneer Press Building, next to the Burlington hotel, which came to be known as one of the most iconic Art Deco buildings in Lucknow. It was demolished later to be replaced by the Ratan Square building. But the Tagore Library and many of the private residences have stayed intact," he explains. CHENNAI Recently, the Instagram page of Art Deco Madras posted an exquisite series of sketches about Art Deco in Chennai created by urban conservation architect Prathyaksha Krishna Prasad and illustrator Srishti. Especially striking are the works depicting nautical and tropical elements, highlighting the cues that tropical modernism took from the local climate with rounded balconies, jaalis and overhanging eaves to keep the interiors cool while exuding a maritime flair. 'The colour palette too responds to the setting: soft pastels, sea greens, and shell whites that weather beautifully against monsoon skies. Deco in Madras embraced the tropical not as a limitation but as a design opportunity, letting function and fantasy coexist," states the post. Also read: Looking to the past to design future cityscapes Prasad launched Art Deco Madras on 22 August 2020 on Madras Day after she moved back to the city from Mumbai, where she had worked as the head of content and research at the Art Deco Mumbai Trust. She realised that some of the buildings she had grown up with had either been demolished or were earmarked for redevelopment. 'I saw how 20th century heritage was overlooked. That was the starting point for me," she says. Prasad started collaborating with a social history group, Nam Veedu, Nam Oor, Nam Kadhai (Our homes, our city, our stories), comprising architects and artists. Within a few months of having started the social media page, Prasad and her family had to shift to the US. She continued posting content and research with help from architecture students in the city. Art Deco Madras has, for instance, documented the architecture in George Town extensively, with its courtyard houses, reminiscent of Chettinad houses, banks, business houses, and more. DELHI Deco in Delhi is peppered with stories of people— patrons, architects and urban planners—behind the Art Deco movement in the city. Sachdeva and Sayal have classified the structures not just on the basis of their functionality—residential, public and more— but also on the style, ranging from pure to hybrid and influenced. Engaging trivia accompanies the entries, which cover the length and breadth of the city, from Chandni Chowk to Ram Rup Clock Tower on GT Road and residences in Karol Bagh, Pusa Road and Kamla Nagar. Deco in Delhi wanted to expand the way history and architecture is taught in schools and colleges. 'The project started as a visual exercise to look beyond the architectural definition of New Delhi from a British, Lutyens or Baker lens. This led to the realisation that Art Deco was not limited to the West or to Mumbai. We were clear that even if there are a handful of Art Deco buildings, they should be spoken about," says Sayal. They walked around Chandni Chowk and Daryaganj to catalogue the Art Deco buildings, but couldn't proceed once the covid-19 lockdowns were in place. So Sachdeva and Sayal switched to rigorous research and started their Instagram page. Soon they were getting responses to their posts about palatial houses and public buildings in Delhi in the Art Deco style. With a grant from India Foundation For The Arts, they spent the next two years finding 100 examples in the city, and created a website, a pocket map and a publication. They relied on experts such as Prof Mustansir Dalvi, an architect and trustee of the Art Deco Mumbai Trust, Srikanth Sathe, an architect from the Master, Sathe and Bhuta family, among others, for mentorship. 'We published 30 examples on the site, which offer an understanding of Delhi's evolution between the late 1920s and 1940s," says Sayal. There is an entire chapter on the Delhi Improvement Trust, set up in 1937 to optimise land usage, and the people behind it. As part of this, different schemes were launched to allow old Delhi to decongest and make space for people migrating to the city in search of opportunities. A large number of Anglo Indian architects in the team opted for the Art Deco style. The craftspersons were then trained to craft motifs and cast terrazzo, a coloured marble chip flooring profoundly seen in Delhi. So, you will find innumerable houses in Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj and Kamla Nagar with facades and floors of coloured terrazzo. Also read: Le Corbusier's design reimagined for a new era Though both the founders have moved on to other work engagements after the project was wrapped up when the grant cycle ended, they have tried to keep the engagement going. 'We are participating in relevant conversations and are interested in giving this project as much time as we have. We are now interested in creating something that people feel enabled to contribute to irrespective of our participation," says Sayal. Sachdeva and she are now contemplating walks through old Delhi in winter, though the logistics need to be worked out carefully. 'The buildings can't accommodate a crowd. We can only open registrations to 10 people or so," they say. MUMBAI The city made Art Deco its own, adapting it to the climate and local design in the early 20th century and creating a subset called 'tropical deco". It is only in recent years that this living heritage has received the recognition it deserves. The Oval Maidan and Marine Drive are best known for their Art Deco buildings, but these gems can be found across the city, in neighbourhoods such as Shivaji Park, Khar, Santa Cruz, Vile Parle, Chembur and Ghatkopar. In 2018, resident associations, urban planners, activists and architects got together to have an ensemble of 94 buildings in Victorian Gothic and Art Deco styles in Fort and Marine Drive to be declared as a Unesco World Heritage Site. However, outside of these heritage precincts, Art Deco buildings stand unprotected. Atul Kumar, founder trustee, Art Deco Mumbai Trust, has been trying to harness civic activism to prevent that from happening. He has long held a passion for documenting and conserving the city's modern heritage. After years of engaging with government bodies to protect old neighbourhoods yielded little result, he took matters directly to the public through the trust, which was established in 2016 after the makeover of Marine Drive was announced. The initiative now has a website with an easily accessible archive and an engaging social media presence. It has created Mumbai's only online inventory of 1,505 buildings, making it one of the largest collections of Art Deco in the world. For the team, the journey with Art Deco has not been without its share of revelations—the biggest surprise being just how far this style extended within the city, reaching the suburbs as well. The style progressed from the south to the north with an increasing vernacular representation. South Mumbai was very western in its adoption, with the building names—Empress Court, for example—reflecting a colonial aspiration value. In the north, the names started changing to the likes of Bharat Mahal, the fonts on building fronts changed to Gujarati, Devanagari and Urdu. It was seen in healthcare institutions, schools, colleges, public buildings and clubs. In fact, Art Deco has an deep links with public infrastructure, particularly healthcare institutions, in the suburbs. One remarkable example of a public Art Deco building is the Nanavati Hospital in Vile Parle, which came up towards the decline of the Art Deco movement worldwide in 1950 to cater to a growing suburban population. Another example is the Purandare Hospital in Girgaon Chowpatty, built in 1937 by architecture firm Gregson, Batley & King. According to Kumar, the entrance portal is framed by walls clad in black-and-white marble in a symmetrical ziggurat pattern, which echoes on to the wooden door panels. Cast in metal, just above the entrance, the hospital name is etched in a distinctive stylised Art Deco font. Then there is the Sumati Maternity Home, housed in the Sumichha building in Borivali. 'It proves that the style wasn't limited to cinemas or city-centre apartments. While this property could easily be categorised under healthcare, we draw attention to the building's name affixed in stylised Devanagari metal letters, which almost appear to be dancing gracefully," states the trust's website. 'This is elegant evidence of the Art Deco style adapting to local scripts and languages as it arrived on Bombay's shores." As the design movement celebrates its centenary this year, the trust is gearing up to participate in the Centennial World Congress on Art Deco to be held in Paris in October 2025 as well. Leading up to the event, the team is planning a host of new walking tours and lectures in Mumbai as well. BELAGAVI Conservation architect Prajakta Deshpande has been documenting the built heritage of the city through the page, Heritage of Belgaum, which she started in 2019 with like-minded friends. The idea was to bring the heritage of smaller cities and towns into mainstream discourse. The trigger was a series of demolitions of prominent bungalows—the oldest dating back to 1914—along Khanapur Road. 'If such important houses were being razed then there was no hope for modest homes in the interior of the town," she says. As she walked around the city, she began to look beyond the physical attributes of structures— including Art Deco ones—to find stories of the people associated with it. She didn't have much documentation to rely on. 'Art Deco soon became an important part of the project. There are two Tilakwadi areas in Belagavi—old and new. The latter, which started developing in the late 1930s, is dotted with Art Deco bungalows. Since Belagavi was part of the Bombay Presidency, it soaked in influences from the city of Mumbai and hence the period also saw the emergence of Art Deco theatres in Belagavi," says Deshpande. In the course of the project, she found the first house, Devaki Sadan, to have terrazzo flooring in the area and the story behind it. 'One of the daughters from the family had married into an architect's family in Mumbai. The firm, Patki & Dadarkar Architects, then built this house in Belagavi," explains Deshpande, who lives and works in both Mumbai and Belagavi. The machine to design the flooring of the house, especially the tiles, was brought in from Mumbai. 'It was then given to another family called the Shirgaonkars, who started manufacturing terrazzo tiles under the name 'Tara Tiles'," she adds. As Deshpande put out regular posts on the Heritage of Belgaum page, she started getting responses from people across the world, adding to the nostalgia and the body of research they were trying to build. Today, she conducts walks in different historic neighbourhoods on Sundays for heritage enthusiasts to keep this passion project going. SAVING LIVING HERITAGE Rampant redevelopment has resulted in both private homes and public buildings from the 1930s-40s being torn down over the years in most Indian cities. One of the biggest roadblocks to conserving this form of architecture lies in sensitising people inhabiting an Art Deco structure to the importance of the building. In Chandni Chowk, it took architects Geetanjali Sayal and Prashansa Sachdeva months of persuasion to enter homes, take photographs and ask questions. 'It takes several conversations with owners to convince them that we are not here to take over their residences. Often, the land is involved in legal conflicts. People are not open to sharing information," says Sayal. This makes documentation a slow process but a rewarding one. Also read: Balkrishna Doshi (1927-2023): The master of modernist architecture goes into the light How challenging is it to conserve 'living" heritage in a metropolis like Mumbai where a burgeoning population adds to the urban pressures? Atul Kumar of Art Deco Mumbai Trust says Mumbai is no different from cities such as New York, Hong Kong or Miami in the housing shortage, commercial considerations and the constant attempts to monetise land assets. It's no wonder then that the last couple of years have seen redevelopment at an unprecedented pace. 'There is little regard for the historical context of the neighbourhood or property. When the floor space index is your only matrix for redevelopment, it reduces the focus to extracting all square inches that are usable while disregarding everything else," Kumar says. The problem lies in the fact that most Art Deco buildings are privately owned and have not been classified as heritage properties, explains Hyderabad-based architect Srinivas Murthy. As a result, they run the risk of being demolished by owners and developers. Conservation architect Prathyaksha Krishna Prasad concurs. She knows property owners in Chennai who are aware of the value of an Art Deco building but redevelop it as they lack the resources to maintain the structure. 'It is also difficult to find trained artisans to restore elements such as the motifs and terrazzo tiles. The authenticity keeps going away slowly. If the government could appoint people for upkeep, with the owner taking care of part of the cost, it would be worth it," she says. Prominent buildings have been demolished in the last seven years. 'It's ironic that in the centenary year of Art Deco, the Secunderabad Railway Station, a famous Art Deco building, was demolished in February," says Murthy. This was an interesting investigation for the team. The city got a railway line in 1874, with the station built in a typical colonial style in stone and with arched verandahs. When it was decided to expand and modify the existing station building as a modern station, the architect did not demolish the existing building but gave it an Art Deco makeover. The team found old images and evidence in the debris. They have documented other Art Deco buildings in Hyderabad and are likely to publish a two-volume book on Art Deco of Hyderabad soon. The change in attitudes is coming about, albeit slowly. 'An interesting pivot is that people are approaching us with the idea of getting their buildings graded in order to protect them," says Kumar. 'We are working on those suggestions and have written to government organisations…. People want to restore these properties to continue inhabiting an Art Deco structure. They appreciate the high ceilings and windows, the flow of natural light and the cross ventilation. Many are realising the charm of Art Deco as opposed to newer developments, which might be a plush building with a fancy lobby and gym, but the layout of the home itself is constrained," explains Kumar. The Art Deco Mumbai Trust has been having conversations with inhabitants of Art Deco structures on sensitively repairing and restoring their buildings, and has worked on 15-16 such structures so far. 'Our commitment extends beyond the technical aspects of restoration. We actively engage with residents and owners, sensitising them to the significance of their building, and the character-defining features that make it historic. The objective is to preserve the authenticity of the building, by suggesting sensitive interventions, appropriate use of materials, and incorporating archival research into the restoration process," mentions the Art Deco Mumbai Trust website. Besides residents, architecture students, heritage enthusiasts and conservators, the Art Deco Mumbai Trust's repository of research and documentation has found a fanbase in film production designers. 'Someone wanted a reference of a beautiful elevator cage for their film and found it in our archive, as did the designers for the period series, Jubilee (2023)," says Kumar. 'Today, a modern interpretation of Art Deco can be seen in new restaurants' design which may not be doing it consciously but are soaking it in from the surroundings. The only concern is that the representation is more Western than vernacular and tropical, which has been the essence of the style in Mumbai… There are interesting linkages between the past and the present being made in the city." As cities give in to population pressures, such documentation projects become even more significant not just as design-architecture efforts, but also as an archive of symbols of modernity that reflect the changing cultural fabric of a society.
