Fiona Fernandez: Bouquets won and battles to be fought

If youre one of the handful heritage buffs in the city last week would certainly have felt as if Christmas made a surprisingly early entry gorgeously giftwrapped from none other than UNESCOFour restored sites in the city Christ Church Royal Opera House Wellington Fountain and the Wadia Clock Tower and Fountain were honoured at the 2017 UNESCO Asia Pacific awards that were announced in Bangkok It was an unprecedented sweep for India that bagged seven awards from the 16 winning slots the most by a country from the region despite having tough entries from China Iran and AustraliaIts a great win for Bombays heritage movement summarised Abha Narain Lambah when we spoke to the conservation architect whose work for the prestigious Royal Opera House won an Award of Merit It reiterates that private support and backing by individuals or families can go a long way to ensure that our city landmarks are in safe handsThere was much to celebrate for Vikas Dilawari and his team too The conservation architect scored a hattrick where two of his wins Wellington Fountain and the Wadia Clock Tower and Fountain were backed by the city municipal corporation with aid from corporate house Mahindra amp Mahindra and the Kala Ghoda AssociationSimply put all four wins made for an admirable exhibition of the citys intent to safeguard its heritage where diverse associations across quarters ndash private and public ndash came together for a common cause The awards from UNESCO should serve as a shot in the arm for similar undertakings and also a nudge for others to follow suit and do their bit for Bombays heritageAmidst the celebrations Dilawari was quick to put the wins into perspective It will hold stronger ground only if this thought process and assistance is translated across the residential fabric of the city that is under constant threat in the name of development and modernisation He went on to reiterate that while these landmarks the winning sites are not livedin fulltime occupied sites the real challenges for conservation architects from his ilk continue to be with livingbreathing homes that date back decades and centuries These are slowly being chipped away one brick beam and tile at a time Until that movement gains momentum and we see results there we cannot claim a total victory he cautionedHe is right A walk through the leafy for how long we wonder lanes and inner roads of Matungas oncesprawling Hindu Colony will reveal a classic example of rampant fadeout of a charming neighbourhoodIn fact its not been easy going for its famed landmarks as well Midday had reported October 1 2017 how work for Metro III had cause damage to the recentlyrestored Flora Fountain as well as buildings along Dr DN Road including the UNESCOawarded JN Petit Library and Reading Room and the historic Siddharth College started by a trust founded by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar And these are just reported cases that are in the public eyeStill despite an endless battle we must raise a toast to these champions of our citys heritage for continuing to take knock after another to ensure that the real Bombay and its treasures can lead a protected life for future generations These awards make the journey sweetermiddays Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the citys sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes her She tweets bombayana Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom