Conservation lessons: Hindu College teachers restore heritage cottages

In 2006, when Hindu College teacher Poonam Sethi first saw the house she had been allotted on campus, she was far from pleased.

In 2006, when Hindu College teacher Poonam Sethi first saw the house she had been allotted on campus, she was far from pleased. A dank and gloomy 100-year-old cottage, she found the premises unlivable.

The cottage built in 1911 showed every sign of aging, but not gracefully. Cracked walls, a windowless kitchen and damp floors were what the inhabitants had to put up with.

Now, a year-and-a-half later, the heritage cottage that housed British soldiers before Independence, has all the amenities of modern-day living including attached bathrooms, an open kitchen and a neat kitchen garden, thanks to the funds pumped into the project by Sethi.

Like Poonam, P K Vijjain, Achla Tandon and Ratan Lal 8212; all Hindu College teachers 8212; took upon themselves the task of renovating the crumbling cottages surrounding the college, which was declared a heritage building in 2006.

Their logic is simple: they do not want to wait for the government to wake up to the significance of historical buildings and did what they could on their own. Practical concerns went hand-in-hand with the passion for conservation.

8220;We have to live here for the next 25 to 30 years. It was not possible to do so in the kind of homes we were allotted as teacher8217;s quarters,8221; said Poonam.

Teachers say that after the declaration of Hindu College as a heritage site, the government had sanctioned around Rs 2 crore for the renovation of the college that was built in 1953. The cottages, almost twice as old as the college, were left untouched.

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After applications to restore and repair the cottages were rejected, Ratan Lal, a History teacher withdrew his Provident Fund money and borrowed from friends to spend around Rs 6 lakh on his two-bedroom cottage. When asked if this was legal, Lal said that they have not changed the structure of the buildings and had only revamped it to make it livable.

8220;There are only three heritage sites in Delhi University 8212; the Gywer Hall, the Vice-Chancellor8217;s Office and the cottages surrounding Hindu College, all of which housed people during the pre-Independence era,8221; said Lal.

Ratan8217;s house was revamped in October. 8220;I have deposited the bills of the repair work with the office but I am sure nothing will come of it,8221; Lal said.

Hindu College has 30 such cottages around the main building. The ones that have not been repaired or maintained look dilapidated with creepers growing on the walls and broken doors and windows. Unless care is taken, the buildings might vanish, says Lal.