Mid-Day Opinion: Wanted: Drops of inspiration!

Lady Flora and Sir Pheroze contemplate the condition of the central dome of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Illustration/Uday Mohite

I didn't expect to see you here on time! Especially given how you were hooked on to the just-concluded Football World Cup. I see you still have some of that war paint …" Sir Pheroze chided his friend. Leftover revelry was visible on her face, courtesy the English team's colours that she had sported for the third-place match, which ended on a sweet note. "The lads made up for the semifinal loss," she grinned.

But this midnight stroll had a far more important agenda. The duo decided to have a dekko of the dome after this newspaper had broken the news in its July 10 edition, of the unfortunate seepage. This was after torrential rains had lashed the city for nearly a week. "I was aghast as I read about it. Gargoyle and his friends had realised something was amiss. To their horror, the mid-day reportage confirmed those fears," Sir PM sighed.

By now, they had reached the spot - under the majestic dome, umbrellas in tow; the precautionary freaks that they were. The area was cordoned off, but they sneaked in, given their past expertise in such matters. "My goodness!" shrieked Lady Flora, nearly alarming Sir PM. "If conservation work was underway, didn't the experts foresee this leakage to the UNESCO World Heritage Site? How did it reach this level of neglect?" she thundered.

Sir PM pulled out the newspaper articles, and tried to pacify his friend, "The dome was under restoration. Radar scans and drone surveys had revealed issues, which are being treated. There are long-drawn plans to restore the site to its former glory." But Lady Flora wasn't convinced. "I am reminded of my run-ins with conservation, from those years ago, till the recent past. We have well-wishers, but not everything goes according to plan. There's many a slip between the cup and the lip," she cautioned, tongue firmly in cheek.

Sir PM jumped in, "Now, now; agreed, this is a massive blot on the terminus' reputation, but let's not hit the panic button. I learnt from my friends that conservation work is underway. Water had seeped in through the stone masonry joints and porous stones. Experts from the prestigious VJTI (Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute) are addressing the matter as we speak. They, along with heritage specialists and conservationists associated with MHCC (Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee), are being consulted to rectify this matter. My big concern, however, is that sustained, expert-backed commitment should be reflected with the right intent to preserve what was rightly called ‘The Crown of Mumbai' in that news article. I hope they remember that this historic terminus was opened in 1888, and since then, rarely have we had to witness such dark days."

Lady Flora was still unmoved. "More needs to be done. I think I'll dash off a letter to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris; I have friends there… Perhaps, they could intervene; monitor things closely; ensure these interventions are being done as per global guidelines. There should be less conversation and more conservation," she winked. Sir PM laughed heartily, enough to disturb a few sleepy pigeons perched along the dome's pier.

"I hope my friend Frederick [referring to FW Stevens, the architect of the terminus] wasn't rolling in his grave at the Sewri Cemetery. He must have never imagined that his grand gift to the city would be in tears, literally." Sir PM was being his sardonic self.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.