The Kathgola Palace, where the then chief of the British East India Company had met Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, has regained some of its lost glory. The house of the Jagat Seth family, pre-eminent for its powerful moneylenders and bankers in the first half of the 18th century, has been restored, too.
Decrepit and prey to vandals till a couple of years back, both buildings are now popular tourist spots in Murshidabad, which was the capital of undivided Bengal during the Mughal era.
“They are now sustainable heritage properties and generate Rs 10 crore in tourism revenue,” said Pradip Chopra of the PS Group, who is also president of Murshidabad Heritage Development Society.
The Murshidabad model of conservation will be showcased along with other successful conservation projects in a seminar titled “Get the best out of your Heritage Property/Assets” at Palladian Lounge on November 22 and 23. The seminar will be part of “Resurgence — 3rd Murshidabad Heritage Festival 2014” to be held at Hazarduari palace and Kathgola palace in Murshidabad.
The Murshidabad Heritage Development Society is organising the festival, along with CREDAI Bengal, The Palladian-Asian Hotels North Limited, Hotels and Restaurants Association of Eastern India, The Calcutta Gastronomes, Intach and ASI.
“It will bring together stakeholders like property owners, developers, tour operators, hoteliers, restaurateurs and conservationists to develop a sustainable conservation effort,” said Anjan Mitra, architect and seminar coordinator.
The seminar will have an eclectic mix of speakers, including Debasish Nayak, the director of the Centre for Heritage Management, Ahmedabad University, civil engineer R.K. Anil, Aman Nath of Neemrana Fort Palace Hotel, Raj Basu of Help Tourism, Kasturi Gupta Menon, the chairperson of Crafts Council of India, and Sunil Rampuria, a heritage property owner in Bikaner.
Heritage is not just the building but also history, memories, lifestyles, craft, cuisine and a host of other things that need to be conserved holistically, said Mitra. So the inclusion of stakeholders like The Calcutta Gastronomes represented by chef Shaun Kenworthy.
The teaser launch of the seminar at Palladian Lounge on Tuesday showcased the royal vegetarian cuisine of Murshidabad, called Sheherwali cuisine.
source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph, Calcutta / Front Page> Calcutta> Story / Thursday – November 13th, 2014