Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 3
The Punjab and Haryana High Court it seems is restoring what it has lost to time and modernisation, while losing what it has preserved over the years from the winds of change.
It has, on the one hand, pulled from beneath the dust of time the lost glory and artefacts in an attempt to give nine of its courtrooms the original Le Corbusier designed look. On the other hand, it has directed the erection of multi-storey buildings and a seven-foot wall around the High Court that will keep the heritage away from sight, if not mind.
The courtrooms over the years had lost their authentic look with change not just in décor but also the furniture and furnishings. Cabinets to stack away books were added along the walls, the sofas were replaced, and the original cane-woven chairs found their way out of the courtrooms. Even the dais lost its sheen. Wooden railings were installed to segregate the lawyers and litigants and hand-woven tapestries designed by Le Corbusier, too, started showing signs of wear and tear.
In an apparent display of apathy towards heritage, a tapestry at one point in time was removed from the Chief Justice’s courtroom. It was, however, restored following an uproar by eminent citizens of the city and a campaign by The Tribune.
Travelling a step further, the High Court has now started the process of restoring nine of its courtrooms visible from the Vidhan Sabha to its authentic shape. To begin with, the High Court has chosen courtroom number six to bring the past into the present.
The High Court already has a museum “to recount and recapitulate the historical background of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana”. But available information suggests even the courtroom depicted in the museum is nothing compared to courtroom number six expected to be inaugurated on Monday.
The courtroom to be occupied by Justice Rajan Gupta promises a blast from the past and is believed to have everything that was original and in the same form. The witness box carved out of fine teak is authentic, so are the tables, the cane chairs and the sofas the High Court staff managed to retrieve from somewhere. The dais too has the “original planks”. The traditional electrical fittings are expected to bring to light the rich heritage.
It is believed the tapestry, too, has been restored to its original form after taking help from experts from an Arab country. The entire exercise is being carried out by an agency having vast experience in restoration work. Initially, the plan was to restore 50 courtrooms, but the number of has been restricted to nine because of the expenses involved.
All this and much more is happening at a time when the High Court’s building committee has given its nod to the setting up of buildings, even as “conservation architect” appointed by the Chandigarh Administration expressed opinion that it would have an adverse visual impact in viewing the heritage building from both the sides “allegedly creating a serious issue regarding the world heritage nomination”.
Courtroom renovation
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While the HC is restoring nine of its courtrooms to original Le Corbusier-designed look, it has directed erection of multi-storey buildings and a seven-foot wall around HC that may block its visibility
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The first to be restored to its past glory is courtroom number six. But info suggests the courtroom depicted in HC’s museum is nothing compared to courtroom number six likely to be inaugurated on Monday
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2NH5jTM
via Today’s News Headlines
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