Heritage Conservation- the Rajabai Clock Tower and University Library

Heritage Conservation- The Rajabai Clock Tower and University Library

The objectives of heritage conservation are:

a) To safeguard, restore and enhance University’s listed heritage buildings for the city which is its timeless heritage; and for national and international importance as these are part of UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai. This status was conferred by UNESCO in 2018. (ref: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1480 ) b) To conserve, educate and inspire best practices in the field of heritage conservation through restoration of its heritage buildings. These buildings are listed as Grade I heritage structures. c) To undertake heritage conservation for optimum functional usage of the heritage buildings namely the Rajabai Clock Tower and University Library which are visited by students, research scholars and Faculty from India and across the world. d) To encourage public-private partnership through its own conservation projects which has been a part of the University’s historical legacy. e) Honourable Mention in UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards (International) 2018. These goals were demonstrated through the Phase I of the restoration work carried out for Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library from 2012 to 2015 by University of Mumbai in collaboration with the Indian Heritage Society, Mumbai with financial support from Tata Consultancy Services.

However the challenges to be addressed are: a) The University houses Grade I heritage buildings that are symbols of the establishment of the University; The University of Mumbai was established in 1857 and the Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library was completed in 1878. These buildings are also a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2018. Hence preservation and restoration of these buildings is essential. b) Requires careful and meticulous processes for appointing specialized conservation architects and contractors for these buildings.

1 c) Being one of the city’s oldest library, it houses rare books and manuscripts collection that needs to be preserved and maintained. d) It is a functional library that is visited by students, research scholars and Faculty from India and across the world. e) Houses the city’s iconic 282’ high clock tower where its functioning and maintenance is an important part of the regime. f) Respecting the authenticity of the buildings, a genuine effort has been made to keep it well preserved, without any external transformations or any alterations to the built fabric through series of restoration works during Phase I of the project. g) It is important that the interventions are minimal, thus allowing these buildings to retain its authenticity, both in terms of scale and material.

The practice includes: a) Heritage conservation focuses on protection and care of tangible cultural heritage including architecture, artwork, archaeology, artefacts, etc. The practice includes preventive conservation, examination, documentation, research, treatment, maintenance and education. b) Preserving heritage structures is important as they are the physical evidence for the city and our students to learn about the history, its identity and evolution.

Uniqueness in the context of India higher education a) University of Mumbai offers an elective course in History, Culture and Heritage of Mumbai as part of its Semester III in the M.A. Degree programme in History offered by Department of History, University of Mumbai. The University of Mumbai also offers an elective course on Heritage Tourism in Maharashtra as part of its Semester VI in the TYBA Degree programme in History conducted in the various affiliated colleges. Field trips and study tours of these heritage buildings therefore offer the students an innovative learning experience in the study of these courses. b) Live conservation practices and works inspire the University students to learn more about the importance of the need for protection and preservation of our cultural heritage as these are precious and irreplaceable. c) This assist the students in getting inspired to opt for such practices for future studies and pursue it as a profession career. d) To create awareness for this practice, appointed architects Somaya &Kalappa Consultants (SNK) conducted multiple heritage sessions at the University Library. These were:

Presentation and tour for the Capacity Development Program in Built Heritage studies and Conservation (a joint initiative of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj VastuSangrahalaya (CSMVS) Mumbai, Sir J.J. College of Architecture, Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Heritage Conservation Society (MMR- HCS)) (course 2014-2015) (course 2017-2018) (more details at http://bhsc.in ) Site visit for 25-30 Local Doctors 2015 Private visit for Godrej family (2015), Roychand family (family of the original donor of the building – Late PremchandRoychand) (2015) Site visit for 20 Consul Generals organized by Turkish Consulate Generals and SNK (2017)

The major constraints are availability of funds. The University keeps separate funds for the maintenance and upkeep of these buildings. However, for large scale projects, public private partnership initiatives are undertaken.

Functional spaces: Since the heritage buildings like the Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library are functional spaces used by students, research scholars and visited by Faculty from India and across the world, restoration work is carefully planned to avoid inconvenience to the stakeholders.

The Phase I of the project and its appointed architect Somaya & Kalappa Consultants (ref: https://www.snkindia.com/ ) has won various awards: a) Commendation for Forbes India Design Awards 2019 (National) for Best Conservation & Restoration Architecture b) Honorable Mention for UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards 2018 (International) c) Second Prize for HUDCO Design Awards 2018 Conservation of Heritage (National) d) Honorable Mention for Arcasia (Architects Regional Council Asia) Awards (International) for Architecture in 2017 e) Commendation for Indian Institute of Architects Awards 2015 (National) for Excellence in Architecture (Category – Conservation & Adaptive Reuse), 2016

As a continued effort to spread awareness in Best Practices in Heritage Conservation, this project has been published in various publications such as Conserving Architecture (2017) by Kulbhushan Jain, (India), Bombay City Wise: Para-Situation Mumbai (City Speculations) by Dorian Wiszniewski (United Kingdom), Brinda Somaya: Works & Continuities: An Architectural Monograph (2018) by Brinda Somaya (India).

The problems encountered and resources required to implement the practice are: a) Since the Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library are heritage buildings which are used by students and visited by research scholars and faculty from India and across the world, the Phase I of the restoration project had to be undertaken with minimal disruption to these stakeholders. b) Availability of funds: University keeps separate funds for the maintenance and upkeep of these buildings. However, for large scale projects, public private partnership initiatives are undertaken. In the case of Phase I of the restoration of Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library project, Tata Consultancy Services provided sponsorship (Ref: Timeless Heritage published by TCS in 2015).

The restoration of the Convocation Hall was completed in 2006 with funding from Government of Maharashtra, Jamsetji Tata Trust and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Heritage Conservation Society. The work was carried out by Abha Narain Lambah, conservation architect and her team. The UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Unit gave an award of Distinction for the restoration of the Convocation Hall in 2007. In continuing with its commitment towards Heritage Conservation, the University of Mumbai undertook the following project.

A holistic proposal for the restoration of Rajabai Clock Tower and University Library was prepared by the appointed architects Somaya & Kalappa Consultants in 2012-2013. However, depending on the funds available, the project was divided into Phases. On completion of the Phase I in 2015, the University has now started with the Phase II of the project that includes Library furniture restoration, internal and façade lighting installation, clock restoration and surrounding landscaping works. SNK continues to be the appointed architect for this project and this phase will be funded by Tata Consultancy Services again as it was done with the Phase I under public-private partnership with the University of Mumbai. This indicates a continuing commitment of the University of Mumbai towards heritage conservation as one of the Best Practices followed by the institution. In addition, public-private partnership which has been a historical legacy of the University is being continued in Phase II of the restoration project of the Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library.

The University of Mumbai takes pride in its heritage buildings namely the Convocation Hall and the Rajabai Clock Tower and University of Mumbai Library which are a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS) Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai.

(Courtesy: In completing above format inputs were provided by Dr Manjiri Kamat, Professor, Department of History, University of Mumbai who is University Nominee on the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and Somaya and Kalappa Consultants who were architects appointed

4 by University of Mumbai for Phase I of Restoration of Rajabai Tower and University Library. The Phase I of the Project was sponsored by Tata Consultancy Services who published a Brochure titled ‘TIMELESS HERITAGE’ in 2015. We thank Mrs Anita Garware, Chairperson, Indian Heritage Society, Mumbai for her support).

Restoration work of The Rajabai Clock Tower