Who is destroying  Braj heritage?

CITY'S URBAN PLANNING GOES HAY-WIRE

 

The construction frenzy that has gripped the mandarins in the Mathura-Vrindavan  Development Authority (MVDA) is causing a lot of anxiety and fear among environmentalists and land scape designers who have expressed concern at the lack of long-term vision and commitment to conserve the essential heritage character of the Braj Mandal, revered by millions of Sri Krishna bhakts globally.

 

Mathura traffic movement is chaotic, the sewage system doesn't work, encroachments dwarf the heritage temples and havelis, the ghats are poorly maintained, the lush green clusters are turning grey and brown with modern structures, the holy kunds (ponds) are struggling to survive. "The original flavour of Braj culture is dying a slow but sure death. Its a conspiracy against Braj culture. Not the temple but failty and values must go sky high," said Mathura's leading light Mohan Swarup Bhatia.

 

"The development efforts are in bits and pieces, ad hoc, sporadic, and lacking in a grand vision. The ADA babus have never heard of heritage ambience or architectural compatibility," rues author-activist Dr Ashok Bansal. The city seems to live in three different ages from stone age to 21st century. "If Soor Das  were to rise  and walk down to Vrindavan, he would have no problem of losing his way, nor would he need to ask anyone for the directions. Really nothing has changed in the twin towns of Braj fundamentally," he adds. Bansal has produced a documentary on the blind bard of Braj Bhasha Soor Das.

 

Conservationists are particularly angry at the utter lack of sensitivity to the historic architectural compatibility in new structures being built in Vrindavan that each day draw thousands from all over the world. Many also wonder the utility of the proposed skyscraper temple of Sri Krishna which will put addtional pressure on water and power resources and only "defile the rustic-pastoral ambience basic to Sri Krishna lore." Only in August the National Green Tribunal had directed that concrete structures in the name of development should not be allowed within the Braj area and certainly not 100 metres on both sides of the parikrama route. "They now want to ferry pilgrims in a chopper and buy plush bunglows that would shame five star hotels in comforts," lamented activist Madhu Mangal Shukla.

 

"The pilgrims who spend so much money and time come to see and be part of our rich cultural-religious and architectural heritage and not the ghettos or the box type concrete jungles that are mushrooming everywhere so thoughtlessly," said Vineet Narain, CEO of the Braj Foundation that is engaged in resurrecting and renovating ancient shrines associated with Sri Krishna-Radha. "Its not just Mathura  but the entire Braj area, Gokul, Vrindavan, Goverdhan where you see concrete jungles replacing old grand heritage structures. The ghats on the river Yamuna have disappeared, even the green mangroves of Sri Krishna have vanished," Vineet Narain added.

 

Architectural monstrosities, haphazard urban planning, disorganised traffic movement along the main roads due to increasing number of encroachments, lack of pattern and thinking are self-evident, says conservationist Rajiv Saxena. "In the name of beautification, obstructions are being installed at road crossings.

 

For Braj mandal as a distinct cultural entity, there was a crying need for an Urban Arts Panel to guide and advise town planners how to retain the pristine purity of the original Braj flavour. Some years ago, a bureaucrat in Mathura had drawn up a project for a ropeway in Vrindavan to reach Bihari ji ka Mandir, Surendra Sharma recalled. "In Braj poetry the narrow lanes ..the kunj galies of Vrindavan," find special romantic description. Instead of preserving the heritage they want to bypass and destroy the originality.

 

Demands have also been made to constitute an urban arts panel in the city which should oversee and suggest suitable modifications in the urban plans. But the mindless and often haphazard urban constructions. Abhinaya Prasad, an activist says "all arts and architecture loving people of Braj area that includes even Agra will have to raise their voice in a crescendo to force official agencies to stop visual pollution."

 

One hopes with the first steps taken to constitute the Braj Heritage Development Board which will draw up a comprehensive long term vision statement the contradictions and flaws in existing plans would be rectified, hopes Friends of Vrindavan convener Jagan Nath Poddar.