Patna Collectorate shouldn't go the Dak Bungalow way: experts

The spectre of demolition looming large over nearly 200-year-old Patna Collectorate has brought back memories of the lost colonial-era Dak Bungalow, with experts saying the Dutch-era buildings should not meet the fate suffered by the iconic British-period retreat in the 90s.
"If the demolition goes as planned, this was the last World Heritage Day the Collectorate saw today. Even the thought of it scares us. But, we are hoping the government would listen to our plea, and this priceless heritage of our city would be handed over to posterity unlike the Dak Bungalow," says Rajiv Soni, a Kolkata-based photographer who grew up in Patna.

The Dak Bungalow, a late 19th century resting lodge in the heart of the city, built for weary travelling officials, was an architectural icon with slanted red-tiled roof and high ceilings fitted with chimneys. It was dismantled in the 1990s to make way for an "inelegant" high-rise complex.
The Collectorate's old Record Room is currently housed in the Dutch-era buildings, with British period structures added subsequently around them, including the iconic Meeting Hall of the District Board, Patna, erected in 1938, known for its flat Corinthian columns and motifs on the walls inside.
While the Dak Bungalow's dismantling had led to minor protests, the Collectorate's impending demolition has galavanised the civil society under one umbrella led by heritage body INTACH.

"We learnt nothing from Dak Bungalow's demolition. It was a piece of history, a last surviving landmark of that era, and with it being razed, the history of that era was also buried along.

"Despite historicity, neither the Dak Bungalow was protected under either the ASI or the state archaeology nor is the Collectorate. It's a huge lacuna in our legislation which is exploited by the government and the builders," noted historian Surendra Gopal told PTI.
"We must not repeat the mistakes of our past and save this Dutch-era heritage for the future generations. Removing it would only create a gap in our understanding of the city's history, which unfortunately is not as well documented as it deserves to be," he said.

Gopal is among the several hundreds of citizens who have written a joint petition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar through INTACH's Patna Chapter, appealing to him to spare the dismantling and instead restore the old buildings to their original glory.
The Dutch government has also appealed to Kumar to restore it and list it under the state archaeology department.
While the Dak Bungalow may have lost the battle to the onslaught of modernity long ago, its legend has survived, so much so that the new Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Bhawan that replaced it is still referred to by many as 'Dak Bungalow'.

In his 60s, Soni, who curated an exhibition here a few
years ago called 'Patna Kaleidoscope', which displayed some of the historic and rarest buildings of the city, many of which had disappeared by then and few others vanished later, says, "it is scary to think the wrecking ball could hit the Collectorate anytime soon."
"We made mistake with Dak Bungalow, but instead of learning from it, we are preparing to commit even a greater blunder. So many beautiful buildings in Patna lost battle to real estate for want of heritage legislation. This World Heritage Day (April 18) is a like a cruel joke for our city. Its heritage is dying," he rues.

According to Anunaya Chaubey, former principal of the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna and a noted artist, "Jim Corbett was posted at Mokama, a town on the outskirts of Patna during the Raj days, and he had stayed at the Dak Bungalow."
Legendary British author E M Forster, while researching for his landmark work 'A Passage to India', visited Bankipore (Patna's civil station) in 1913, where the New Capital was coming up after the separation of Bihar & Orissa Province in 1912.
"He is said to have stayed there and at the historic Bankipore Club (established in 1865) during his Bihar sojourn," he said.

Professor of English at Patna University, Shanker Dutt, recalling the Dak Bungalow years says, "It had wonderful high ceilings and slanting roof, a very unique architecture, which should have been preserved as a specimen."
"It was run by the District Board Patna and had bright red tiles on top. The boarding charge was a few paisas and there was a nice khansamah (cook), and we used to savour the food there. If only it had survived the ravages of time," he rued.
Architect J K Lall who was hired by the District Board to replace the old retreat with a multi-storied complex, says, "In the hindsight, it looks a big mistake. Even we feel guilty now."

"That time real estate was coming up in Patna, and we thought of these new projects as opportunities for us, but the Dak Bungalow, I have now realised, it should have been preserved...But, I had taken the stone plaque that carried the year of its construction and deposited it at the District Board office," he said.
Officials at the District Board, when contacted said, they have no information about the stone or its whereabouts. In a ironic twist of fate, the District Board building itself is now facing demolition.
Lall, currently the convener of INTACH Patna Chapter is heading a civil society-driven campaign to save the Dutch-era Collectorate, which has received support from several quarters.

"I am making amends for the past mistake, hope by saving the Collectorate, we could mitigate our guilt," he said.
The INTACH in its petition has also appealed to the Bihar government to enact a legislation to preserve heritage buildings not falling in the purview of either the ASI or the state archaeology.