Heart of city feels nostalgic
By Debayan Sinha | Express News Service | Published: 01st November 2017 11:02 PM |
Last Updated: 02nd November 2017 08:40 AM | A+A A- |
1. An elementary school in Murphy town founded in 1913
BENGALURU: There are homes that are nearly a century old or older in the heart of the city. Owners who are still residents here say that it is not easy to maintain them, when concrete commercialisation marches in.Seventy-two-year-old D Subramani, who lives in Murphy Town, off Ulsoor, is planning to sell his home to builders. “I have been living in this house from the time I was born,” he says. “My father, the late CR Doraiswamy Mudaliar, bought this in 1942 from a businessman.
There have been disputes over this in my family and now I want to hand it over to builders. It is not easy to share ownership and I have spent money renovating this house often. But now I need to find a solution to the disputes, for my future generation.”
Maintenance of such homes are difficult, particularly if you are struggling to make a living. Rajashekhar, 67, stays in the more than 140-years-old Kannun Hall in Veerapillai Street. He lives alone after his wife passed away, the couple did not have children. “I was born here,” says this roadside snack seller. “My wife died last year and my siblings left over a dispute, now I am left here alone. I am too tired to run around for the upkeep of this house and I do not know what is to be done.”
Sneha, 23, stays in a house built by her great grandfather in 1926 on Laxman Mudaliar street. “This house is very special to us, we have been living here for a long time” she says.
“But, since this is beside Commercial Street, the pollution is damaging the building and we are planning to construct an apartment and a shopping complex here. That way we get to stay in the same place and our memories are safe,” she adds.
Few owners like 52-year-old Mazhar Pasha are redesigning their buildings, to include a commercial space that will give them an income. His home was was built in 1924 by his grandfather, by the same name.He says, “It was necessary for us to convert the basement into a shopping complex. We have been staying here for the past 50 years and when the street was commercialised, we thought we could get a regular income by converting a portion of the home”.
