Rescue mission
By Ameta Bal
May 27, 2006
Mumbai Newsline
An artist’s talent is best described by the ability to transfer his individuality onto his work. But restoration architect Abha Narain Lambah belongs to a breed that is taught to do just the opposite. Nevertheless, she’s an artist whose canvas spans the entire city. And her professional expertise lies in how well she manages to keep her handiwork invisible.
She’s just about finished with her latest time-consuming project, the Mumbai University’s Convocation Hall, which will reveal its revamped face on July 18, in time for the building’s 150-year celebrations. Right from the rewiring, acoustics and electrical upgradation, to the intricate stone work and authentic stained glass, Lambah’s reworked all the fittings and even patched the leaky roof. ‘‘This is the first time this Victorian building is being touched by anyone other than its British designer Gilbert Scott, since its completion in 1974,’’ says the ace conservationist.
The work started with locating sepia-toned pictures of the hall, dug out of archives and private libraries. ‘‘Our best source was a 15th century photograph taken by the pioneering Indian lensman Raja Deen Dayal at the time, given to me by his granddaughter,’’ she says adding that the picture now hangs in her dining room. For most other structures, she usually turns to close friend and historian Sharada Dwivedi for references, who also serves as a source of inspiration.
Her team of six architects who’ve been on the project since last July, drew out plans, chalked out processes, hired contractors and supervised the execution of the task, to reinstate the structure’s lost glory. The task may seem overwhelming, but it’s just the kind of job she enjoys.
At 35, Lambah is already one of the country’s premier restoration architects and has her name dropped in conversations about the restoration of The Yacht Club, JJ School of Art, Tata Palace (currently housing the Deutsche Bank), Kodak House, Neville Tata’s House and the Gandhi Bhavan.
She has a Masters in Conservation from the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi—an institute that produces only eight graduates a year. Lambah first came to Mumbai in 1995 as one of only two conservation architects in the city at the time.
Besides having her finger-prints on most of the historical buildings in the city’s Fort area, she’s polished pavements in Walkeshwar, redone the statues of Justice and Mary atop the High Court, jazzed up DN Road and is also working on a 15th century Buddhist Temple in Ladakh and a Shiva Temple in Hampi, from approximately the same era. But Lambah isn’t keeping score. ‘‘The intent is to make the final product as close to the original as possible. I can’t put my ego before the builder’s ego,’’ she states.
Though she shrugs off credit for her work, there’s no denying that property values of all the areas where she’s restored buildings have appreciated considerably. Like Kala Ghoda, which became a coveted locale for retail brands after Elphinston College got its facelift. ‘‘After we did up shop fronts and implemented signages on DN Road, shop owners in the area also started pitching in,’’ she adds.
Lambah is a founder member of the Kala Ghoda, Horniman Circle and Heritage Mile associations, besides being on the executive committee of the Urban Design Research Institute. Her students conduct heritage walks around the city.
The architect who’s shifted six houses, moved into her own sea-facing apartment on Carter Road two years ago. She feels that Mumbai is the only place she can call home. ‘‘Although every project requires me to push myself to the limit, I absolutely love Mumbai’s Gothic Victorian architecture. It’s extremely challenging and time consuming to adhere to every single ornate detail of these buildings,’’ she says. Sounds like Mumbai has enough action to hold her interest for a lifetime.