The 215-year-old ancestral house of Ashutosh Bhatt in Khadia might look old and forlorn from the outside but that is deceptive. Bhatt has painstakingly maintained and often renovated this heritage building keeping its more than two-centuries old architectural beauty intact.
Bhatt says that the house has been renovated 5 to 6 times earlier, with the most recent renovation done in 2003 at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. Bhatt is one of the few people in old city areas of Ahmedabad who have painstakingly maintained their centuries-old houses, which are now heritage buildings having beautiful architecture, wooden motifs and grills.
On the eve of the World Heritage Day on April 18, while Archaeological Society of India and municipal corporation’s heritage cell struggle to preserve and maintain heritage buildings, owners of many privately owned buildings some of which are over 100 years old take good care of the buildings and maintain them thereby preserving and conserving Ahmedabad’s rich heritage.
Bhatt says, “This house was bought by my forefathers in the year 1792. My father Keshavlal Mehta and his grandfather were both a part of the freedom movement. Both of them had led a delegation of the Congress Session (1905) in Banares to introduce the concept of Swadeshi to fight the British.”
He adds, “Although I was very small when my father and grandfather fought in the freedom movement, I grew up in the house seeing the developments of movements like the ‘Navnirman’ movement and ‘Mahagujarat’ movement.” Talking about the cost incurred in renovating the house he says, “Earlier I used to renovate the house for a Rs 10 to 15,000 but as the cost of living increased over the years, I started spending more to maintain the house well.”
Bhatt is not alone, Jagdip Mehta another resident of Khadia spent Rs 8 to 10 lakhs to renovate a 200 year old house that he owns. Mehta had purchased the house in the year 1999 at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. He says, “We had earlier approached banks for loans to renovate the house as the house was in a bad condition but none of the banks offered us loans. It was then THAT we approached the Heritage Department of the AMC, which helped us to renovate the house.”
The two storeyed house named Heritage House has 16th Century Italian designs on its walls and is visited by five to six visitors daily from different parts of the world. Mehta says, “The house had to be practically jacked up from the ground to maintain its structure but now most parts of the house have been successfully restored.”
The Bengal House in Khadia, a symbol of the freedom movement has also been renovated by its owner Mirchandbhai Prajapati. The House had during the freedom struggle housed several Bengalis who played an important part in the same. Manishbhai Prajapati, son of Mirchandbhai says that he did not know that the house was under the Heritage Department of the AMC when the house was bought. He says, “My family came to know much later that the house had historical value. We spent around Rs 45,000 to renovate the house in the year 2001 after the earthquake. However, If I get a loan then I will renovate the house again.”
Courtesy : Expressindia.com
Bhatt says that the house has been renovated 5 to 6 times earlier, with the most recent renovation done in 2003 at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. Bhatt is one of the few people in old city areas of Ahmedabad who have painstakingly maintained their centuries-old houses, which are now heritage buildings having beautiful architecture, wooden motifs and grills.
On the eve of the World Heritage Day on April 18, while Archaeological Society of India and municipal corporation’s heritage cell struggle to preserve and maintain heritage buildings, owners of many privately owned buildings some of which are over 100 years old take good care of the buildings and maintain them thereby preserving and conserving Ahmedabad’s rich heritage.
Bhatt says, “This house was bought by my forefathers in the year 1792. My father Keshavlal Mehta and his grandfather were both a part of the freedom movement. Both of them had led a delegation of the Congress Session (1905) in Banares to introduce the concept of Swadeshi to fight the British.”
He adds, “Although I was very small when my father and grandfather fought in the freedom movement, I grew up in the house seeing the developments of movements like the ‘Navnirman’ movement and ‘Mahagujarat’ movement.” Talking about the cost incurred in renovating the house he says, “Earlier I used to renovate the house for a Rs 10 to 15,000 but as the cost of living increased over the years, I started spending more to maintain the house well.”
Bhatt is not alone, Jagdip Mehta another resident of Khadia spent Rs 8 to 10 lakhs to renovate a 200 year old house that he owns. Mehta had purchased the house in the year 1999 at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. He says, “We had earlier approached banks for loans to renovate the house as the house was in a bad condition but none of the banks offered us loans. It was then THAT we approached the Heritage Department of the AMC, which helped us to renovate the house.”
The two storeyed house named Heritage House has 16th Century Italian designs on its walls and is visited by five to six visitors daily from different parts of the world. Mehta says, “The house had to be practically jacked up from the ground to maintain its structure but now most parts of the house have been successfully restored.”
The Bengal House in Khadia, a symbol of the freedom movement has also been renovated by its owner Mirchandbhai Prajapati. The House had during the freedom struggle housed several Bengalis who played an important part in the same. Manishbhai Prajapati, son of Mirchandbhai says that he did not know that the house was under the Heritage Department of the AMC when the house was bought. He says, “My family came to know much later that the house had historical value. We spent around Rs 45,000 to renovate the house in the year 2001 after the earthquake. However, If I get a loan then I will renovate the house again.”
Courtesy : Expressindia.com