Gandhi-linked heritage faces demolition INTACH sends appeal to PMCH principal area MLA

    New Delhi/Kolkata, Nov 9 (PTI) Invoking the medical institution's "shared heritage" with undivided Bengal and Mahatma Gandhi's interwoven legacy, INTACH in Kolkata has now appealed to the Patna Medical College & Hospital (PMCH) and Bihar authorities to spare the demolition of the remaining portion of the old Bankipore General Hospital building, which was visited by Bapu in May 1947.

     In early September, bulldozers clawed down the elongated north wing, which housed the hospital’s historic Hathwa Ward, and recently tore down the south wing, which housed the old Guzri Ward, leaving practically just the iconic building fronting the wing span.

     The frontal building -- endowed with double-storey-high graceful Doric columns on its eastern and southern faces, along with the adjacent old staircase lobby and a vintage but defunct British-era lift interposed between the two wings -- faces an imminent threat of demolition as part of an ongoing redevelopment project of the PMCH.

     Months before India's independence, Gandhi made a trip from Delhi to Calcutta (now Kolkata), and visited riot-affected areas in the Bengal capital on May 14, 1947, and also addressed a prayer meeting there.

     On May 15, 1947, he reached Patna and addressed a prayer meeting. The same day, Manu Gandhi, his grand-niece -- who was also his caregiver, chronicler and fellow crusader in the freedom struggle -- was taken to the general hospital for appendicitis surgery.

     So worried was Bapu that he watched the entire procedure wearing a surgical mask inside the operation theatre on the first floor of the general hospital building.

     INTACH West Bengal and INTACH Calcutta chapter of the Delhi-headquartered old heritage body, in their letter to the PMCH’s principal, have described this structure as a "national heritage" and urged the authorities to spare it from demolition and preserve it for posterity, both for its architectural value and historic significance given its link to Gandhi and the freedom struggle.

     The letter was also marked to Bankipur MLA, Prashant Kishor, the founder of the Jan Suraaj party.

     "We at INTACH Calcutta lean with great concern about the clear and present fear of imminent demolition of the remaining portion of the iconic old Bankipore General Hospital building, since this landmark structure stands as a symbol of shared heritage of Bihar and Bengal as well," reads the letter dated October 22.

     In the letter, G M Kapur, the convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in Kolkata, highlighted the evolution of the college out of the Temple Medical School set up in 1874, and named after the then Lt Governor of Bengal, Sir Richard Temple, when Bihar was part of the larger Bengal Presidency.

     The Bankipore General Hospital was attached to this medical school.

     In 1912, the Bihar & Orissa Province was carved out of Bengal, and the school was upgraded to a medical college in 1925.

     "When Temple Medical School was upgraded into the Prince of Wales Medical College (later renamed Patna Medical College after independence) in 1925, its very first batch of 35 MBBS students was transferred directly from Calcutta Medical College (then known as Medical College Bengal) to Patna to begin their degrees," the letter reads.

     The NGO also highlighted that the general hospital building was built largely with public endowments, and after demolition of most of the old buildings, including other Temple Medical School-era structures, it is now the "oldest existing building in the PMCH campus".

     The nearly 120-year-old building predates the medical college, further "amplifying its heritage value," Kapur says in the letter.

     "Having been visited by Mahatma Gandhi and his grand-niece Manu Gandhi being operated in the old OT of the building, which he himself watched, makes it a singular reason itself to preserve and restore the building for the current generation and the posterity," it adds.

     “Shared heritage of Bihar and Bengal, and demolition of the structure will tragically sever this historic link between the two neighbouring states," the letter says.

     PMCH Principal, Dr Geeta Sinha, on November 6 confirmed receiving the letter sent via email, and acknowledged the historic value of the Bankipore General Hospital building, and lamented its demolition.

     Sinha, who earlier served as the head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department, favoured the preservation of the remnant of the iconic hospital building, and said, "This is a heritage building with a lot of memories associated with it. So, it should be preserved."

     While acknowledging that Gandhi's visit amplifies the building’s heritage value, she conceded that any decision about its fate can be taken only by the Bihar government or its health department.

     The PMCH’s website still proudly recalls its roots in the Temple Medical School with a caption -- "One of Asia's oldest medical colleges, serving Bihar since 1874." It also mentions Manu Gandhi’s surgery and other eminent personalities treated there.

     INTACH, in its letter, also attached a memorandum on behalf of concerned citizens in Patna for preservation of historic buildings of PMCH.

     "The landmark institution, raised largely with public endowments, itself had evolved out of Patna's Temple Medical School set up in 1874, and therefore deserves a place not only in the annals of Bihar's rich history, but also in this historic city's rapidly changing urban landscape. However, in the race for development, the priceless built heritage of this august medical institution is gasping for breath," reads the memorandum.

     In its appeal, both INTACH and people of Patna have nursed the hope that the PMCH, which has healed millions of people across generations, will also get a "healing touch" from authorities.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)