Know Your City: How Bengaluru restored H V Nanjundaiah’s heritage home in Malleswaram
A landmark piece of Bengaluru’s heritage in Malleswaram has been brought back to life after years of neglect, as architects, local representatives and the family of Mysore statesman H V Nanjundaiah joined hands to restore the historic building that now houses the Girls High School.
H V Nanjundaiah’s heritage home in Bengaluru's Malleswaram (Express photo). For many years, the Girls High School in Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram has been a significant landmark in the locality’s history. However, over time, the building, which was once the home of the Mysore icon Hebbalalu Velpanur Nanjundaiah, fell into disrepair. Fortunately, a restoration process that began in 2019, supported by expert architects, the local MLA, and information provided by Nanjundaiah’s family, has allowed the building to regain its former glory.
Nanjundaiah was a complex individual who defied easy classification. He served as the Chief Justice of the High Court in the princely state of Mysore and was a contender for the position of Dewan, which ultimately went to Sir M Visvesvaraya. However, Nanjundaiah occasionally stepped in as acting Dewan. He was also the inaugural Vice Chancellor of Mysore University and made significant contributions to the Kannada language, notably as the founder of the Karnataka Sahitya Parishad.
Apart from his other literary contributions, Nanjundaiah also extensively surveyed and studied the customs and traditions of Karnataka’s various communities. He was also a proponent of increasing education amongst women. Thus, his home, one of the first such in Malleshwaram, was eventually put to use as a school when it came into the government’s hands some time after he passed on in 1920. The house itself was completed around 1915.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Yashaswini Sharma of Esthetique Architects, who was involved in the restoration of the building, recalled how the restoration process began. “I had received an invitation from the GBA West (then BBMP) to attend a meeting way back in 2019. Officials, engineers and MLA Dr Ashwath Narayan were present. They said that they wanted to conserve the building and return it to its original state,” Sharma said.
Sharma was well acquainted with the building, having known friends who were part of Nanjundaiah’s family. Also, her maternal uncle taught in the heritage building for over 20 years when it was a school.
“The building had a blend of many architectural styles. You have the Mysorean courtyard planning and a very Mysorean artistic taste but you also have Victorian baroque, and gothic features such as rose windows,” she said.
When the restoration work began in 2020, the building had seen better years. The Karnataka State Open University was using a couple of offices, but most of the rooms were sealed. Cracks were found everywhere, with trees growing out of the building; the structure of the classic Madras-style terrace was failing; and, to complicate matters further, non-historic additions, such as cement walls, were added to the original heritage structure.
While no original documentation from the early 1900s on the layout survived, Sharma’s firm was aided by Nanjundaiah’s family: his great-grandson, V Ramaswamy, shared a 1993 video showing his father touring various parts of the building, as well as a book penned by his mother. This provided clues to various aspects of the original appearance beyond those preserved in photos, such as the fact that the building’s lime wash incorporated crushed sea shells sourced from Chennai.
“In those days, private schools were rare….many of the previous generations studied in this building only. They did not go out of Malleswaram to look for schools,” Ramswamy recalled.
“The building was in very bad shape as all sorts of fittings had been added and tree roots were growing inside…it was a herculean effort to bring it back. Almost 200 people had visited during the inauguration of the restored building, which was heartening to see,” he added.
Inaugurating the refurbished building on May 19, Malleswaram MLA Dr C N Ashwath Narayan suggested a future use for the building. “To empower women and for the overall development of women, quality education should be given… This should be a vibrant campus to provide education,” said Narayan.
The eventual use of the building is still being discussed, with proposed uses including a Kannada “language laboratory” to promote various aspects of the language.
Share
