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Defiling our cultural spaces

Zarina Hossain
ANY city worth its name respects and reveres its cultural spaces. In so many ways, they define who we are. These cultural spaces may be in various forms, and evoke diverse emotions. They may be in different stages of development, but rarely are they engulfed with mindless commercial enterprises. I speak of the Police Plaza at Nandan Kanon Chittagong.
Nandan Kanon means an aesthetic garden. This is perhaps what the area generally was. Once upon a time, the site of this Plaza was a park -- which some call the ’Hands Park" It is a small triangular area of some 2.7 acres, dating back to a hundred years if not
more. In one corner stands the superbly proportioned, singlestoried, octagonal-domed structure of the Society of Arts and Literature. The Public Library is next to it.
Disdain for our public institutions has lead to its poor image and utilisation, but with innovative leadership this may change. Next to it is the Muslim Hall -- an auditorium for some 1000 people. It is widely used for cultural events -- music, dances, dramas of local, regional, national and international status. The hall also stages public discourses and discussions of socio-political interest. It is the meeting ground of the scholarly and the novice, and everyone in between.
Next to the auditorium is the
Studio Theatre -- a small inexpensive venue to host movie festivals, book launchings and occasionally to remember those who made their mark in society. With some financial support the facilities could be made more comfortable.
In the other comer of the triangle is "Bose Brothers," a sweatmeat cum teashop, which is more than a shop. It is the meeting ground or Adda khana of the many who had dreams for this country and its people. The shop sign, visible from the road junction, evokes a vivid mental image of the node. One that persists long after one has passed the corner, just as had been described by Kevin Lynch in his bookThe Image of the City.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to explain to builders and devel-opment partners why it is vital to preserve these images of a city. The only exception to all these cultural spaces is the odd shops engulfing the mosque -- one that could have been elsewhere.
Sub-soil drilling and piling is going on in the central open area of the once upon a time park surrounded by all the cultural spaces mentioned above. A Mela is going on to sell shop spaces for electrical and electronic goods that are to be housed in this Police Plaza.
But before 1 delve into this new multi-storeyed commercial building, I would like to note what lies across the street. One is the Theatre Institute, which is the hub of theatre activities, art exhibitions, photography exhibitions and other cultural performances. But the most significant edifice is the Shaheed Minar -a symbol of our freedom and independence. Citizens congregate here and often have to spill over into the street to express collective feelings of solidarity that is so vita) in a free society.
In constructing the Police Plaza
history has been erased. Standing on the southern side of the open space was an octagonal gazebo built to commemorate the victory of the British Indian policemen who died in the armed struggle against Surja Sen, Zamindar R.K.Ghosh, who was one of the jurors in the Surja Sen trial, gifted the open space to the then police force for recreational use.
This generous act was a demonstration of allegiance to the British and was definitely against our nationhood at that point of time. But now it is a part of our history. The struggle led by Surja Sen between 1930-34 eventually led to the Quit India movement, and Chittagong was making history across the continent.
Thus, the above-mentioned site with the octagonal gazebo should have been a conservation site. Some facilities for the police may have been designed which would have enhanced the historic value. Architectural talent could have been engaged to prepare a sitesensitive design for consideration
by designers and builders. The city and the owners could all be gainers. But sadly this is not to be! Must all urban spaces be allowed to be built-up for maximum profit? An electronic market in the middle of cultural spaces?
When the local plan recommends that this space be left primarily open, not only for cultural reasons but also for urban sustainability (reduce traffic generation, reserve soft surfaces in an area surrounded by higher elevation), isn't it an irony that in the midst of all these cultural spaces the most conspicuous and pompous structure should be an electronic market?
Whose responsibility is it to determine the use of such sensitive urban land, if not all land? We wait for the day when citizens can have a say in shaping their cities, and when professional judgements are considered. Till such time, who should we look to for an answer?
Zarina Hossain Is an Architect and Urban Planner.