Can Chetan Raikar fix Central Railway's galti se mistake?

Judith Holliday in her PhD thesis titled Nineteenth Century Stained Glass in Bombay Its Role in the Architectural and Ideological Landscape 2001 writes this about the art within Victoria Terminus todays Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus The craftsmanship of the stained glass is of a high standard before arguing for its value by saying that the intricacy of detailing would have made it far more costly per square foot than that in the University of Bombays Library and Rajabai TowerAlso ReadCentral Railways plans to spend Rs 25 crore on restoring CSMT to its original gloryStained glass is a complicated form of Christian art dating back to the 14th century It forms one of many highpoints of legendary British architect FW Stevens VictorianGothic creation which is considered an outstanding example of late 19th century railway architecture in the British Commonwealth This stainedglass art has been the talking point on social media recently after an image of amateur artpassed off as the real deal emerged online It was the design of an owl perched on a branch found on a round window along the Platform No 1 wallA juvenile artwork of an owl seen in a latest stainedglass windowSeveral such new stainedglass windows have been revealed as the multicrore restoration project is underway inside what is one of the worlds busiest railway stationsThe Grade 1 heritage structure which won the prestigious World Heritage Site WHS tag from UNESCO in 2004 has seen ongoing restoration since 2003 in several phasesMumbai JJ School to install centralised air conditioning to restore CSMTExpert questions qualityMumbaibased Swati Chandgadkar celebrated stainedglass conservator who has worked on JN Petit Library University of Mumbai and Keneseth Eliyahoo synagogue said she would not refer to the additions at the station as restoration These are new stainedglass panels inserted into the original openings There is a total disregard for the principals of restoration or reconstruction of the original in a historical connect Chandgadkar said there appeared to have been no archival research undertaken to learn what the original artwork looked like since the present panels show no thematic coherence with the grand Gothic setting of the building There is enough evidence right within CSMT of original stained glass commissioned when the structure was built in 1888 The tall lancet lights in the tower are an excellent example of the Victorian paintwork theme small steam engines and relevance Gothic geometric foliated designs in stainedglass discipline she addedChetan RaikarChandgadkar calls the new panels an assembly of coloured glass typical of designs from a stainedglass beginners catalogue This is not the first time that the restoration undertaken by Central Railway CR has been questioned In February this paper highlighted how GrecoRoman style figures on the main faccedilade of the building had been restored with little respect for the original style leaving them looking like caricatures Its possible that following public criticism around three months ago CR brought on board Chetan Raikar a civil engineer to oversee the current phase here on and right the wrongsWhatever wrongs have been done will be righted we are willing to make changes We need to study each of the mistakes made said Raikar over a telephone call He called it a collective mistake and regretted not having raised his voice as a member of the citys architect communityThe owners of the structure have acted in good faith to the content of the Fabric Status Report submitted to MHCC Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee to undo the wrongsrdquo he added Raikar is referring to the Fabric Status Report previously submitted by INTACH that identifies the defects in restoration and offers recommendations on the siteSculptures in GrecoRoman realism style on the buildings faccedilade were restored in amateur fashion and invited severe criticism on social mediaWe need photo records of the original elements Since I was involved in the waterproofing of the structure during the early restoration phase from 20017 I know the site like the back of my hand However I am not authorised to make a change unless I have evidence to support it The existing CR archive needs more material The vastness of the building is my biggest challenge from a restoration point of view I appeal to everyone from the common man to the expert to share any documentation on CSMT Without details I will be extrapolatingMumbai CSMT will soon return to its 1888 avatarThe MHCC which recently included noted heritage conservationist Vikas Dilawari on its panel approves all work related to heritage structures in the city When news of the GrecoRoman figures broke MHCC wrote a letter cautioning the Railways about lowquality interventions affecting the future of CSMTs World Heritage Site tag This seems to have been the tipping point for CR to slip into correction modeSwati Chandgadkar an expert in stainedglass restoration says the rotundas along the CSMTs concourse platform area are not authentic stained glass PicSuresh KarkeraWhat mistakeWhile Raikar claimed he was CRs Dr Fix It Sunil Udasi Central Railways PRO asked this writer what mistake we were referring to I wont call these mistakes Whatever errors you are referring to are actually work in progress Wherever corrections with stained glass are required we will do them We have experts on board now including Dr Rajiv Mishra principal of Sir JJ School of ArchitectureMishra told midday when he was approached for a consult he had stated dont damage anything if you do not have the expertise We are advising them on the air conditioning of the heritage building and opening up of the false ceiling to give a feeling of grandness This will take about three months he added While Udasi was unable to furnish details of the expert or firm commissioned by CR to undertake the current phase of restoration before Raikar stepped in those in the know believe it was managed by inhouse railways engineersSwati ChandgadkarRajan Jayakar convenor of INTACH Mumbai Chapter agreed It appears that the Central Railway tried to use inhouse resources hence the errors Cleaning the surface of walls is one thing and restoring is another If we are not careful with the yellow soft Porbunder stone the gargoyles that are exposed to nature will be damaged INTACH was responsible for championing CSMTs candidature for the WHS tag It must be protected at all cost Udasi is upbeat despite the flack Look at the outpouring of support on social media We are on track Once completed people can judge for themselves The building was beautiful we will make it more beautifulFit for the jobICOMOS International Council on Monuments and Sites an advisory arm of the World Heritage Committee had recommended that the CSMT restoration programme be handled by qualified professionals or firms Members of the group visited CSMT in 2003 and filed a report that stated that CR had already started the first phase of restoration of the Terminus but that the contractor has no previous experience in similar building conservation work ICOMOS considers it necessary to assure that the work is carriedout by qualified firms which was the recommendation in 1999 the report available on the UNESCO site saidJayakar summed it up when he said If you dont begin in the right way what sort of correction is possible However the idea of amending things is good My question is are they the new team competent enough Remember once you restore you have to ensure that you conserve500No of signatories to a changeorg petition against fumbled restoration following middays storyHow does a site earn WHS tagAt least 10 conditions need to be fulfilled for UNESCO to bestow a monument with the World Heritage Site WHS stag Among them areIt must represent a masterpiece of human creative geniusIt must exhibit an important interchange of human values over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world on developments in architecture or technology monumental arts townplanning or landscape designIt must be an outstanding example of a type of building architectural or technological ensemble or landscape that illustrates a significant stages in human historyCSMT met all 10 requirements and was awarded the WHS status in 2004 Information courtesy Swati ChandgadkarIt is a blessing Nandini Sampath architect and design expertI have always believed that publicprivate partnerships are important for heritage structures I am glad to hear that after the mistakes Central Railway has hired someone with knowledge It is a building used by nearly three million people every day and we must protect it Having said that we need diverse experts on board from historians to conservationists and techniciansCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates