Blog by Elkane Constructions

The joggerstrack and the shaded, paved pathway which at present abruptly terminate at a distance from the regulator end, have been extended up to the existing peepal tree, where seating has been planned to create an important nodal point. Taking advantage of the serene environment, a meditation corner enclosed by low mounds has also been proposed along this stretch. At the lower level, the area between the lake dam and the Sukhna Choe, is proposed as a garden with meandering steps and seating at different levels interspersed with planters. A Series of columns with capitals inspired from light fixtures of the assembly Building and the Lake club enclose the space, which along with a central platform/stage, will provide a perfect Setting for an informal outdoor amphitheatre and also a beautiful foreground to the proposed acquarium. The slopes of the earthen dam which at present are devoid of any vegetation due to the de-silting activity of the lake are proposed to be planted with a ser

Besides the development of the forest land the Students and faculty of Chandigarh College of Architecture also presented proposals for the upgradation of the existing facilities on the lake. Areas like the parking and the promenade were studied and solutions proposed to cater to the increasing demand of infrastructure required to cater to the ever increasing number of people visiting the lake.With a zeal characteristic of youth, the Students came up with innovative ways of increasing the parking and seating areas along the lake promenade. New sculptures and elements of interest were proposed to rejuvenate the lake environs. The guiding principle behind all the proposals had been to provide more facilities to the visitors without compromising on the natural ambience of the Sukhna. special attention was paid to the materials used and the aesthetic treatment of all proposed structures. Development at the Regulator End The promenade that forms a necklace-like configuration around t

Landscaping Proposal of Lake-forest Area The Chandigarh College of Architecture was approached by the administration to propose development Schemes for the forest area behind the lake. The College faculty and Students provided Some Solutions to the existing problems facing the green belt Surrounding the lake and also proposed facilities to rejuvenate the Lake Forest. The inspiration for the landscaping of the forest area and its walk ways was taken from nature itself. The proposal included a well laid out nature trail made for fire safety, ways to enhance and maintain water inlets, formal entry gates, and interpretation huts for guiding visitors. For making a trip to the forest area more enjoyable, relaxation and Seating areas have been identified and placards and direction boards proposed all along the trail. Great emphasis was placed on the aesthetics of the proposed structures and street furniture with ecofriendly materials being used. Near the regulator end where the nature trai

The Chandigarh administration has numerous ambitious projects for further development of the lake into a world class facility. It is also in the process of setting up a big aduatic park near the lake. It is planning to acquire almost one Scuare kilometer of land adjacent to the Lake Reserve Forest in the north of the Lake. This project has been divided into three sections. In the first Section, the park will have an aduarium, awareness Centre, museum and a few enclosures for aduatic forms. The acquarium is planned to include ornamental and commercial species of fishes. The other aduatic fauna would include turtles, crocooiles, etc. A museum depicting the life of aduatic fauna will be an attractive part of this section. The second section of this aduatic park will comprise shallow water bodies, small islands, bushes and trees of smaller height to develop it as a sanctuary for aduatic birds. The aduatic park will be connected to the existing habitat for migratory birds at the regulato

On December 31, 1957, he wrote to DP Nayyar, the then Secretary to Punjab government, "The footpath must simply become a part of the adjoining road made for the trucks for maintenance without change in level or change in material. Otherwise when the dam will be injured it will be too late!" The embankment and the low parapet along the promenade are constructed in simple riverbed stones bound by mortar. Such simple materials impart a natural ambience to the lake precincts. The steps from the promenade to the lake water below are similarly made in dressed stonemasonry. Choosing to have an asphalt Surface for the promenade out of considerations of economy as it covers a huge area along the entire length of the dam. One cannot forget that Chandigarh was created at a time when the nation was limping back to normalcy after an emotionally and financially draining partition. The very creation of Chandigarh and the funds that a mammoth project of such magnitude required had become

However, there were many Indian engineers and architects who tirelessly Campaigned for the Creation of the lake and Surmounted many a bureaucratic hurdle to make sure that the proposal did not get Scrapped off. The perseverance of PLVarma, the then Chief engineer of the Chandigarh project, and the dedication of A R Prabhawalkar, a Senior architectplanner associated with the Chandigarh project, Were tremendous in this matter. In fact, PLVarma is attributed with Sowing the seed for the Creation of the lake. The Government of Punjab had previously selected this brilliant engineer to undertake the task of Selecting a permanent Capital City for the now truncated State of Punjab, after the 1947 partition. He passionately monitored the development of the idea of the lake and over saw its execution too. When the need was felt for making a dam to check the flow of the Sukhna Choe, PLVarma realised that a large water body with the majestic backdrop of the Shivalik range could be made into som

Even the provision of parking for the lake was kept on the Other side of the road to keep the noise and Confusion of Vehicles entering and exiting the parking as far away form the lake promenade as was practically feasible. However, the lake can also be accessed from the road along the Golf Club. On the Southern side of the lake. This not only provides easy access to the people Coming from this side but also eases the pressure on the entrance and main parking. While deciding the Zoning of various activities along the lake, the Security Concerns of the adjoining Raj Bhawan (presently Haryana Governor's residence) were also kept in mind. No activity that Could have disrupted its tranduility and Security was allowed along the periphery of this property. But at one point of time, the proposal for the lake came horrifically close to being aborted. In Consultation with Corbusier, it had been decided that the headquarters of the western Army Command Would be located in the Chandimandi

In Corbusier's master plan, the "Care of Body and Spirit' - one of the four Cardinal principles of the City - had been given Critical Consideration, resulting in Chandigarh being laid out as a City. With planned and intensive landscaping.The Leisure Valley - Chandigarh's linear city park - that meanders through the entire length of the City and the various aesthetic landscaping features are all in keeping with the spirit of making it a green and leafy City. In the Creation of the Sukhna Lake,Corbusier found an ideal opportunity to see his vision of urban planning being realised, and evolved more intensely. Since its very inception, Corbusier had wanted the lake to be a 'Zone of peace' and to attract people from all walks of life for the "Care of Body and Spirit'. Therefore, in the original concept, it was decided that Vehicles would not be allowed on the dam promenade and it would exclusively be a pedestrians' Zone. Corbusier even suggested fram

A team of American architects Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki laid out the initial master plan for the new Capital city of Chandigarh. Much of the structure and Configuration of the urban pattern of Chandigarh master plan is based on the tenets of Mayer's Scheme. After the tragic death of Novicki, Mayer also withdrew from the project. Another Worldwide hunt for a suitable architect-planner for the chandigarh project was launched; and after much celiberation, Le Corbusier was invited to complete the Chandigarh project. Corbusier retained the key planning principles of the Mayer plan, such as the concept of Sectors and the location of the capitol complex on the north-east of the city plan. The need for the Sukhna Lake had already been felt and it had been incorporated in the original master plan of Albert Mayer. He had placed the capitol complex in the middle of the proposed lake to be fed by the two branches of the existing Sukhna Choe. The intent of Such a placement of the build

Not many people know that it was not aesthetic but environmental and functional needs of the newly planned city that led to the birth of the Sukhna Lake. The need for a lake was born out of the necessity of creating a dam on the existing seasonal rivulet, the Sukhna Choe, towards the north-east of Chandigarh. The Sukhna was a broad seasonal stream originating near Pinjore, which after a course of 15km south, fell into the river Ghaggar at Mubarkpur, in the erstwhile Ambala district of the composite Punjab state. The lake, as it is now seen was created from the Sukhna Choe in 1958 with an earthen dam of about three kilometre length and 14m height. There was an existing natural low-lying basin whose edges were raised to dam up and create the lake. The Curvature of the promenade is largely dictated by the profile of the former basin. This is now fed by mainly two hilly torrents, Kansal and Neplichoes. The total catchments area of the lake is 4,207-hectares, out of which 3,312-hectares

While the seeds of urban fragmentation were sown by the garden city movement, it was Le corbusier who campaigned against the corridor street and encouraged architects to look at urban buildings as sculptural objects sitting in space. This powerful concept has permeated into the modern movement ethic to the extent that even today many architects have difficulty in designing larger layouts in which buildings are not arrayed as shapes on a plan that have no meaning viewed at ground level. More recently, deconstructivist design has played games with building forms and hard landscape which are intelligible only on reading the plan, not even when walking around the completed Scheme. But perhaps the most disruptive has been the effect of catering for motor vehicle movement, circulation and parking. This form of thinking assumes the car to be the Smallest element in the city scape - not the human. Vast tracts of urbanscape in Europe and much of North America are mute testimony to this. Cle

THE FUTURE OF THE PAST In most Asian Cultures, the idea of simply keeping an old building or parts of old urban fabric, simply because they are old, would not be thought to be at all reasonable. From this viewpoint, every building, city, or city quarter, has an indestructible soul - a permanent reality that can survive any number of renewals and rebuilding and still remain intact. In the case of most revered ancient monuments and temples, entire structures may be destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up without losing any cultural or social significance. Historic spaces of a city are valuable for their contribution to the setting and disposition of the enclosing buildings. They are also important for creating a sense of place and providing a vehicle for memory-imagine the Taj Mahal as a traffic island surrounded by high-rise offices. Responsibility for the care of these spaces and sustaining a sense of place is borne by no single discipline. All must be Committed to stewardship and

The economic objectives of urban conservation, as of any other human activity, have been impacting heavily on urban conservation projects during the last 20 years or so. Cultural tourism has become the major Source of finance for costly urban conservation projects and a major determinant of their form and methodologies. This economic impact of cultural tourism directed the methodologies of urban designers to create place to attract tourists. Both urban designers and city administrators became interested in the concept of genus loci, the power of place. The spin-off was the other urban phenomena that reflected a 'personality and identity of the place. Having a historical identity in urban conservation became desirable and capable of attracting tourists to the place through honesty and authenticity. The physical and historic identity of an urban area may stem from its Streets, its urban mass and its overall urban character. The concepts are simple. The urban conservators/ designer

HERITAGE & URBAN DESIGN Urban design Conservation has evolved dramatically during the last 30 years or so as an urban design discipline necessary for dealing with older city districts that were previously reduced to being the location of monuments worthy of architectural restoration. Recent international experiences in urban conservation vary greatly in their focus and intent and still demonstrate the conflicting interests of archaeologists, who focus on monument restoration, and urban designers whose interest is in Conserving the spirit of the past. However, it is probably best for the skills of planning, archaeology and urban design to collaborate to create a truly lasting and significant urban experience that has a historical identity. sustainability, a global issue of our time, is not yet so well-defined or covered by practical policies or guidance, but is readily integrated into both conservation and urban design. It is concerned with how we develop in this generation.

There are some buildings that are worthy of preservation for their own sakes, these may be celebratory and magnificent; rare and curious; commemorative and associative; exemplary and instructive or perhaps pleasing and picturesque. These are usually monuments in our cities, and ample evidence exists of preservation and conservation efforts for these kinds of buildings through history. As early as 1877, societies such as SPAB(Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) in England, have led these efforts. The manifesto of SPAB can be summed up in three basic tenets: •    We are custodians of the ancient buildings we have inherited. We should not regard ourselves as free to do as we please with them. •    Effective and honest repair should always be the first consicleration. •    We should do no more than prudence demands. In particular, we should not fall into the trap of allowing scholarly or artistic ambitions to dictate what is done. The manifesto had another thought whi

Larger cities have also been making great efforts to accommodate major international events, such as the Olympic Games and international exhibitions. These kinds of events are Considered Catalysts for major urban makeover exercises. For example, the Olympics at Barcelona in 1992 served to accelerate the city's physical, economic and social restructuring during the period 1986-92. Smaller Cities flourished in the late 197O’s and 80’s - a period which was marked by counter-urbanisation. Smaller cities were the major beneficiaries of this phenomenon and exhibited rapid growth due to a series of factors. The diseconomies associated with larger cities, such as congestion, lack of space, high costs and expensive overheads for services prompted decentralisation of certain economic sectors (e.g. manufacturing industries) from metropolitan regions towards smaller cities. However, the majority of smaller cities usually suffer from major structural weaknesses: inadequate infrastructur

Globalisation: More than ever, markets appear to transcend the borders and interests of nation states, while the ability of individual countries to direct their internal economies and shape the way in Which they interact with external forces has declined. These changes reshape urban networks and rearrange the distribution of opportunities and income in cities, regardless of a City's participation in global economics. Due to the modern-day capacity and ability of Capital to switch locations, all cities - with the exception of 'global Cities' which are decision Centres - have become interchangeable entities to be played off against one another from positions of comparative weakness for the investment of capital. In this situation, the task of urban governance has become the creation of Urban conditions attractive to lure investments. In many places, there has been a shift in the attitudes of urban government from a managerial approach to entrepreneurialism. This entr

Although pre-designed urban surroundings existed long before any definition, it was in the 1970s that the concept of urban design was introduced. The reasons for this conceptualisation may be embedded in specific situations, acknowledged by professionals and the public in the late 1950s. They formed the raison d'etre for the newly defined sphere of activity and were constantly reaffirmed in urban design discourse: to give people back that which modernist Sterility, abstraction, uniformity and minimalism had taken from them. The outcome of modernist urbanism was placelessness. Urban design was directed towards placemaking. Urban design was established in opposition to modernist urbanism and there was a broad common denominator among creators of normative theories, such as, the intention to re-establish duality of place in the public realm. Just as the renewed interest in postmodernist urban fabric arose from the need to exploit all possible local assets to assist the reorg

The dynamic of the city is to be seen in the tension between the existing city scape and the demands of later periods for change. It is in this struggle with the landscape, and later in the Zones between landscape and the city, between natural place and man-made space that the city arises and develops. It is in the struggle between tradition and renewal, between permanence and change that the city matures, gathers and incorporates the many cultural statements and achieves its individuality. Whatever the conditions, certain fundamentals have held over the last couple of thousand years. The cities that have flourished have been planted in favourable locations on trading routes, and yet far enough away from each other to not compete directly. They impress us with their compactness, which partly comes from being walled in for protection, and also because narrow streets serve to minimise oppressive natural elements and maximise land values. The key to survival, however, is ensuring that

In the traditional context, Viduthis were affiliated to village temples with religious attributes and were integral parts of Chettiar community life and local governance, whereas in the new place of residence, the Viduthis Were primarily established as places of transit accommodation for Chettiars facilitating and establishing trade links. As business and devotion to gods were in dissociable components of Nagarathar life, Viduthis built by this transient community accommodated shrines within them incorporating the religious attribute within it as a secondary function. Amongst these changes, there is continuity in characterisation of the spaces and the choreography of spatial rganisation in the Viduthis at Chennai. There also exists a commonality in the architectural vocabulary based on basic modules of intercolumniation, Spatial organisation and its Secuence, Characterisation of spaces, traditional materials, techniques of construction and details used, principles of axis, symmetry,

Chettiars from all over chennai come to take part in this festival. The ceremonial procession is from coral Merchant street to the Theradi, in the Therku Mada street of Thiruvottriyur. Masi magam ther thiruvizha is a collective festival. It generates a system of ritual transactions between the Nagarathar community, the priest, deity and people other than their community. By participating in this annual festival, their recognition and their social identity are ritually sanctioned. During this festival, when the street is cleaned, kolams (traditional art drawn with dots) are put in front of the buildings where in Chettiars live. Chettiars conglomerate in huge number, distribute and share sweets and provide annadanam to all who participate in the procession. The street- a connecting link space gets its heterogeneity and is articulated as a ritual space. The otherwise commercial street space becomes a ritual path during this procession. Lord Muruga stays in Thiruvottriyur Nagara Viduth

Creating ethnicity through tangible material culture of architectural vocabulary as identity:  Built environments and the techniques used to make them are also a part of culture, as sister Violita AC says, "Culture represents man's behaviour and the way he carries on his daily activities. Culture includes not only the techniques and method of art, music and literature, but also those used to make pottery, sew clothes or build houses." As an interesting piece of architecture, these Nagarathar Viduthis are well identified as Chettiar establishments as they continue the Vernacular vocabulary of Chettinad by bringing skilled sthapathis from Thirupanavasal, Eluvankottai and Illupakkudi. Architecture and architectural Character were used to create an ethnic identity in the new place of residence. Behind the facade, the spatial organisation and distribution of functions facilitated the continuum of the intangible customs and traditions, which the transient community kept al

The Karaikudi Nagarathar Viduthi run by the Pudhiya Thandayuthabani Trust was built next. This also has the thinnai and low paved area in the first zone and the double floor height hall behind it, and then followed by a courtyard for services. Here again there is a vertical distribution of functions with the lodging provided in the lower floor and the temple based activities and ceremonial and ritualistic activities on the upper floor where the temple to Lord Muruga is located. The third one to be established was the Rangoon Viduthi or Kasi Nagara Viduthi in the year 1907. Here in the first Zone, the thinnai is transformed into a Verandah with an in-built bench. Behind this are the Clerestoried columned hall and then the open-to-sky courtyard giving access to the arais (rooms). Behind this is the service Courtyard accommodating the kitchen with traditional choolas (traditional Stoves) behind which is the toilet and bathing zone. Thiruvotriyur:  It is a very auspicious place f

Similarly, Nakarattar businessmen constructed Vitutis in every major place of business throughout South-East Asia: in Colombo, Rangoon, Penang, Singapore, and so on.. Gradually Chettiar families came to build their permanent residences on the coral Merchant street of which only a few are visible today. After the decline of trade activities, money exchange and lending, the Viduthis are used as lodging houses for Nagarathars bachelors who study or work in Chennai. Today, these Viduthis act more vibrantly as a venue for temple based festivities and rituals, and its related Community interaction and Conglomeration during Masi magam, krithigai, navarathri, ammavasai. During these festivals, food is cooked here and served for the devotees like that at the Nagara Viduthis at Chettinad. Though trade and trade based money opperations do not exist now, the tradition and culture of temple festivals and rituals continue today giving these Viduthis a significant place in maintaining a continuu

The Vituti was directed by a board of trustees and employed a manager and staff to provide services for travelling Nakarattars. These services included, in addition to provision of lodging and meals, provision of mailing facilities, making travel arrangements, Clearing baggage at local customshouses, and arranging for absentee prayers at local temples. In short, vitutis were extremely useful in the mobile world of the Nakarattar. Vitutis were normally financed primarily by large gifts or endowments (kattalais) and operating costs were also subscribed through endowment. In addition, every guest paid what amounted to a nominal rent (called makinai, like the Nakarattar religious tithe) fixed by the manager of each Vituti and subject to revision according to need. Thus, many of the redistributive functions were performed by the endowment of temples and temple festivals were performed by the endowment of the closely associated nakaravituti. This housed a shrine dedicated to Lord Dhanday

The third zone is the service zone in the form of courtyard for cooking and Serving food. The toilets also are located here. Sometimes there are exclusive bhojana halls to serve food. The Central axis is how ever maintained and the planning is Symmetrical. Some Viduthis are divided into two, three or four divisions, paralleling each with their own central axis about which it is planned. These axes run parallel to each other starting at their respective entrance with well detailed main door flanked between the colonnaded thinnais on either side. The Illupakkudi Viduthi has two divisions, one for administrative functionalities and other for performing rituals. The soorakudi Viduthi and Pillayarpatti Karpaga Vinayagar Nagarathar Viduthi has exclusive bhojana halls. The Mathur Viduthi is the biggest of all. It has two divisions with a common wall between them. Both the halves are accessed from the main road. The western half, with more elaborate entrance is further divided into three

When disputes between Nakarattars arose due to private misunderstanding, Nakaravitutis along with temples and Saivite monastries (matams), provided venues for extraordinary meetings of the Community to resolve disputes. These meetings Were held under the jurisdiction of a respected elder or elders in the Concerned Community and were called Panchayats - on the pan (Indian model) - although disputes were typically mediated or arbitrated by a single person. Besides Nagarathars from different places get together attemple festivities making their affiliation to the temples and the bonding to their Pangalis stronger. These Nagarathar pilgrims stay in the Viduthis by paying any minimal amount feasible to them, as Mahamai. The Viduthis hold an Undiyal (Hundi- money Collection box), in which the pilgrims deposit their Mahamais which is used for the running of the Viduthi. Spatial vocabulary of Nagaraviduthis in Chettinad: In the traditional context of Chettinadu, the edifice of Vidut

Ideology of Nagaraviduthi: Viduthis in the ancestral Villages of Chettinad Were extensions of major Nagarathar Village temples Conceived primarily as places of Stay. Viduthis in Chennai Were primarily meant to provide trade links and facilitate money transfers. Incidentally, they also housed members of the transient Community. The Viduthis established at Chennai, by transient Chettiar migrants Were of two types: Nagara Viduthis established for business based migrants in Coral Merchant Street and the Viduthi established at Thiruvottriyur for religion based needs of the transient Community. Nagaraviduthis in the context of Chettinad (Place of origin): NakaraVituthis (Vitutis belonging to Nakarattars) were ostensible community - supported lodging houses located adjacent to Nakarattar - that supported temples to which they are affiliated. It takes care of the administration of the temples as well. These institutions also performed two other functions: the facilitation of information an

The Nattukkottai Chettiars of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, basically being traders migrated away from their homeland of Chettinad to various places within and outside Tamilnadu, and also to overseas for trade. They are a community who has a strong Cultural milieu and are commonly called as 'Nagarathars' or townsfolk people, or Nattukottai Chettiars. They represent the major banking caste of south India during the period from 1870 to 1930. KS Nair, when discussing the concept of ethnicity and ethnic group states that a group of immigrants who simulate their native culture in the urban area may be said to constitute an ethnic group. Such migrant groups would exhibit all the attributes of an ethnic group and are organised in the city on the basis of a common culture. In accordance to K S Nair, we find Nagarathars as a transient community, in their new place of migration before Settling, always first built a nagara Viduthi which was a social institution besides being a lodging house

Thus, in analysing the impact and consequence of migration on the tradition and culture of the migrant community, a contradiction prevails between the two notions: One states that there is a break in Cultural and traditional ties from that of the homeland, and the other, states the existence of continuity of tradition and Culture of migrant community. Historical Background: The British founded Madras in the 17th century as a trading Centre. By 1674, three distinct areas of the town of Madras was recognisable: the Inner Fort, containing the factory house; the outer Fort or white Town, the European quarter with 118 houses; and the Black Town to the north of the Fort, an Indian residential area of 750 houses already dotted with bazaars and markets. In the Course of 17th century, the East India company encouraged the Armenians and Jews, who were experienced merchants to move to Black Town from other parts of the country to assist the British in establishing trade networks." One suc

From evidences of migrant communities, presence or absences of the ethnic traces help to identify their continuity or break in tradition and culture from their place of origin through time and space. The search for ethnicity in this article is discussed with the case of the Chettiar Community in transit' in erstwhile Madras in the process of migration and establishing trade links overseas. This transient community through the establishment of 'Viduthis' on Coral Merchant Street creates social institutions in the new place of residence while preserving the ideology of the traditional 'Viduthi’ attached to temples in their hometowns. RB Mandal, in defining migration, states that "migration is known as the movement of people from one permanent residence to another permanent or temporary residence for a substantial period of time by breaking social and cultural ties''. Contrary to Mandal, in the analysis of Indonesian settlements, Waterson discusses that mi

Prioritising Conservation Can culture underpin mainstream development? There are many instances and successful endeavours in the past that illustrate it can. cultural reserves must be seen as not on the symbols of past but as anchors of a community's secure future. Heritage can go hand in hand with health, education gender parity and livelihoods. True, conservation theory and practice have always been hurled with the fundamental question, time and again: Who should be conserved and how much should be conserved heritage stands at risk from neglect but more important from misguided interventions. The limited financial, technical and administrative capacities of our authorities need rationale through which we can take decisions. In developing democracy as ours, legislations, protection laws and heritage-related decisions often dictate the lives people. whereas, the prime focus always is to raise the standards of living and improve quality of life...People build perish...Building

Another vital area to address in physical conservation is the understanding of structural engineering and traditional building construction. Medieval builders explored the 3-D equilibrium creating complex forms which do not follow the equations of determinacy. The knowledge involved in the construction techniques and the structural properties of these sophisticated forms are still scantily understood. Conservation and Heritage Education The aim of education is intellectual capacity building at all of the communities. Ideally, heritage awareness and education should be totally mainstreamed and be functional at educational levels from schools to the technical colleges. the architectural colleges/departments study of tradition building construction and techniques, craftsmanship, historic structural engineering are often unallied. At the graduate le. it is usually hard for the students to conceive anything beyond concrete, brick and glass. The postgraduate courses conservation by Variou

Thus, many queries remain unanswered and the tendency to fall back on rhetoric is rampant. A lot of this may be the fallacy of the present educational culture where an excessive tress on theory alienates the budding professional from the realities and problems on the ground. The problems are many those related to legislation, protection, conservation, management and implementation: The issues of inadequate legislations; independent listings; inappropriate conservation interventions; unique problems of unique places; the operational issues and others. The Challenges related to training and capacity building are paramount. The problems of conservation in the Indian conditions- climatically and in response to natural hazards must also be seen as topical issues. Certainly, Indian heritage offers immense complexity. conservation and management of such heritage/heritage sites go beyond theory and academic discourse. More so, when no readymade solutions can be applied for specific context

The Gulf between Theory and Practice The end-purpose of any theory is to achieve ethical results or a principled practice. But what is ethical conservation and who defines it? The parameters, or rather the principles and the methods of ethical conservation are constrained and defined by the context in which it is going to be exercised and are moderated by the temporal dynamics. However, a continuous dialogue on the same helps US grow and build an understanding of the exclusive Indian situations. Who is responsible for defining "ethical conservation'- the international Charters? the national constitution? the bureaucrats? the local authorities? an obsolete conservation manual written half a century back? NGOs? the Scholars/academicians? the conservation professionals? the local building Workmen? or the different and presupposed indifferent people to whom the heritage belongs? There exists a strong widespread and conspicuous culture of arm-chair conservation in our country w