Fri, March 27, 2026. 4 PM 

Haapus (LH-1), NCBS

 

Abstract:

What does it mean to label a building as heritage? Why should we conserve and restore built heritage? European ideas of heritage conservation emerged in India in the 19th century, around the time that the Archaeological Survey of India was established. Early conservation policy hence centred exclusively around monumental and ‘ancient’ structures. Over time, however, the conversation around heritage moved, both in India and globally, to thinking about cultural landscapes, urban fabric, and intangible heritage – what we can call living, everyday heritage. Thus, while the Venice Charter (1964) was strongly focused on archaeological sites and the conservation and restoration of architectural monuments, Australia’s Burra Charter (2013) incorporated ideas of cultural significance and values-based conservation. INTACH’s Charter of Conservation (2004) was drawn up to recognise the importance of living heritage and community stakeholders in India.

This talk will explore the status of, and some of the challenges around, conservation and restoration in India, with a particular focus on Bangalore and its vicinity. It will outline some recent conservation and restoration efforts, including the restoration of an observatory associated with the Great Trigonometrical Survey, a 19th century colonial project to map the subcontinent. This and other examples will illustrate questions and issues around conservation, such as public spaces, economics, ownership, and different visions of urban futures.

 

Bio: 

Meera Iyer is a writer and independent researcher. She is the author of the popular Discovering Bengaluru: History. Neighbourhoods. Walks, and co-author of the crossover book, India in Triangles: The Incredible Story of How India was Mapped and the Himalayas Measured. She is a former columnist with the Deccan Herald where she wrote about heritage and architecture in Bangalore and elsewhere in Karnataka. She co-authored the Nomination Dossier to have the 12th-13th century temples of the Hoysala kingdom inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites. She volunteers with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage and is currently the Convenor of its Bengaluru Chapter. She has a PhD in Forest Ecology from Michigan State University.