6SpecialDECCAN HERALD Features Sunday, April 30, 2017 Ahmedabad’s very own residential Musee du Louvre everal French travellers since mid- walk the extra mile to restore their her- an important concern that many historic Each room at French Haveli– Chabu- 17th century have penned down the itage to its pristine glory. cities like Ahmedabad are losing their rich- taro, Malo (nest), Ordo (room), Agaashi Surban, economics and industrial his- The French Haveli of Dhal ni Pol (abode built heritage and cultural identity. The (terrace) and Mahajan (great man) suite tory of Gujarat and Ahmedabad. The con- on slope/slant as situated on a small haveli is the living example of investing in room-- too has its own individual charis- nect between the European nation and hillock) encompasses within the old world heritage and culture preservation by cre- ma. And the food served at the haveli re- Ahmedabad has since been growing deep- charm and city’s rich heritage legacy. ating partnerships with community and mains fresh and traditional made of veg- er, with French setting up multiple edu- The restoration work on this 150-year- developing sustainable ecosystems. etables and ingredients purchased from cational institutes in the city known for its old structure was begun by the French With the adaptive reuse of this house, nearby markets at the historic Manek trade and business. team, which also lived in it as it went Patel worked on making sensitive inter- Chowk. This relationship got a further boost around helping preserve city’s rich her- ventions like reviving the “tanka” (water No wonder, it has become a charm for when the Ahmedabad Municipal Corpo- itage. It later became a residency--Arts tank) for storage. The interiors have subtle travellers from across the globe who make ration joined hands with a French team, Reverie – for artists and other creative pro- mix-- both contemporary and traditional- French Haveli their abode, even if it is for led by architect Pierre Cadot, for a project fessionals. However, when those running -providing a unique blend of living amidst a few hours or a couple of days. In fact, to restore and renovate the walled city. Arts Reverie found it difficult to carry on, the community combining Gujarat’s cul- during kite festival–Uttarayan – in Ahmed- The team walked the narrow by-lanes of a group of passionate individuals, led by ture with comfort and luxury. abad, the roof of French Haveli gets bid the walled city, traversing multitude of pols 48-year-old real estate developer Rajiv Pa- The soul of the haveli happens to be its for as high as Rs 1,00,000. (small residential units) and khadkis tel, took over. central court, open to sky, air and light. It Rajiv is now working to replicate this (smaller enclaves encompassed within the They named it French Haveli, despite also has a retraceable roof for everyone to model to restore more than a dozen prop- pols) that had their roots in the foundation the fact that it was a traditional haveli of a enjoy monsoons. The jhula (traditional erties in the old city. He says people buy in 1411 AD, the year in which Ahmedabad Jain family in an area that was primarily a Gujarati style swing) in the central court real estate but do not know its worth. was founded. residence of mercantile and jewellers be- is the best place to relax and calm your French Haveli, he feels, is a successful Ahmedabad has over 600 pols over- longing to Jain community. The swing in the central court of French Haveli in Ahmedabad. nerves. model for every stakeholder. For the mon- looked by a group of houses on a single “The name French Haveli is intriguing The community space of the French eybags, it is better return on investment; street protected by a massive gate at the but we named it so as it is famous here as had taken a heritage walk in the old city? “The next big challenge was to hunt for Haveli has a Chabutaro (a place for birds for heritage enthusiasts, a great way to entrance. Densely populated, they togeth- the place where the French team stayed “I just went out of sheer curiosity but got artisans as the whole field is dying without to feed as found in most of the pols of old preserve richness of our culture; for trav- er create a maze of winding narrow lanes and worked. And they were the ones who introduced to a whole new world. It was any workable revenue model or econom- Ahmedabad) and a century-old heritage ellers, to revel in history and great oppor- forming a series of micro-neighbourhoods. educated people on heritage by beginning very inspiring and six months later when ics,” he says. Jain temple. tunity for living communities to cleaner It is this unique self-sustained town plan- the revitalisation of heritage anywhere in the French Haveli was on the block, I sim- It is then that he thought of creating a And walking towards French Haveli environs, better earning opportunities and ning that gives old city of Ahmedabad its India from here. They did so by restoring ply bought it,” he says. model that would show to the world a from the main street in itself is a remark- to welcome the world to their doorsteps. identity. An identity it has maintained till the dilapidated structure, without disturb- However, with the purchase began the workable and economically viable way of able transition from the chaotic urbane “This is a legendary effort for life. It is date. ing its heritage value. The name is to com- series of challenges to restore the property. restoring heritage structures to their pris- life to serene and historic period. One gets passion married to economic reality. It is A large section of Amdavadis continue memorate their whole effort and a tribute To begin with, he had no background in tine glory. He did so by turning it into a transformed to the world of past as one the model that can turn old dying cities to reside in these pols for over six cen- to the French,” adds Rajiv. restoring heritage properties. So he began heritage homestay. traverses amidst cluster of rows of houses into economic hub. It is the model that turies. While most have remodeled their Rajiv’s tryst with restoring heritage by travelling to Europe to see how entire What one needs to understand here is bundled together by labyrinthine streets can now be replicated across historic cities abode to suit modern living, there are a buildings began almost a decade ago when cities were preserved. This is where, he that it may come across as an artistically that open into sub-lanes or khadki and in our country,” Rajiv adds. few who continue to revel in the past and his architect friend asked him whether he says, that vision of restoration started. decorated heritage home but it addresses public squares or “chowks”. Sunil Raghu in Ahmedabad Life convicts manage the cafe Restoring the ruins or building a resort? Brewing beyond just uldhara in Jaisalmer district in Ra- cultural productivity, without a correspon- jasthan is a deserted village. But ding reduction in tax demands from the K those staying in nearby villages claim Jaisalmer state. they occasionally hear whispering sounds According to him that could have forced from deserted lanes. A septuagenarian Paliwals to abandon Kuldhara. However, says he has heard rustling and whistling local folklore has it that Paliwals left the sounds from the abandoned huts in the village to save the honour of one of the coffee in hill town village. Seventy-nine-year-old Bhim Singh girls of the village with whom Salim Singh could not muster courage to see what the was besotted. Tawarikh-i-Jaisalmer, a sound is all about. book written by Lakshmi Chand in 1899, A visitor can hear scores of such tales states that a Paliwal Brahmin named Kad- from young and old alike. han was the first person to settle in Kuld- Now, Rajasthan Tourism Department hara village. He excavated a pond called has decided to make the abandoned Kuld- Udhansar in the village. hara village a tourist place and soon it will The ruins of the village include 3 cre- lose its eerie tag. Once a prosperous village mation grounds, with several devalis inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins, it was (memorial stones or cenotaphs). The vil- abandoned in the early 19th century. But lage had a settlement by early 13th century, now on the map and website of Rajasthan as indicated by two devali inscriptions. Tourism Department, the village has These inscriptions are dated in the Bhattik found life. Samvat (a calendar era starting in 623 Kuldhara is about 20 kms to the west of CE), and record the deaths of two residents the desert town of Jaisalmer. The village in 1235 CE and 1238 CE respectively. has just patches of vegetation. Goats that Attempts are being made to restore the stray into the village, which was a pros- place as it was some 200 years ago. perous one when it was founded by Paliwal Tourists and historians disapprove of the Brahmins in 13th century, feast on the veg- restoration work conducted by Abha etation. People abandoned the village, Narain Lambah Associates. The company some 200 years ago, possibly due to severe is not following the terms and conditions water crisis. Local legend has it that the in the MoU, historians alleged. villagers fled because of persecution by Uma Devi, 44, a worker and a nearby the Jaisalmer state's minister Salim Singh.