We speak of heritage with extraordinary euphoria as well as nostalgia. But we seldom think and act how the heritage can be protected and preserved. And when we open our eyes to the dilapidating specimens of heritage, it is too late to retrieve them from extinction. Some manifestations of heritage are shrouded in history and if these are allowed to disappear, the history also disappears with them.
In 1905, the Prince and Princess of Wales paid official visit to Jammu. At that point of time India was under British rule and the State of Jammu and Kashmir, though ruled by her Dogra rulers was under the tutelage of the colonial power. In memory of this historical visit, inception of a college in Jammu was announced by the then Government and it was named Prince of Wales College, Jammu. The college building came up and reflected the constructional art and style of those days. POW College was destined to produce some of the most renowned officers, bureaucrats, professors and teachers of Jammu. For so many decades it remained the hub of academic and cultural activities of Jammu and embodied all that was immensely dear to the Jammu citizenry. In 1910, Maharaja Pratap Singh formally laid its foundation and the structure that we see today has been raised on that foundation and continues down to this day, a period of 109 years. It is the oldest college in the State. Apart from its antiquity, the college has rich and amusing library and museum adding to its historicity. The Prince of Wales College was known for its Department of Geology and the Museum, unique in its collections and artifacts. Eminent professors had built it with great interest and dedication and these artifacts remain preserved.
At the dawn of independence, nationalists forced the Government to change its name from Prince of Wales College to Government Gandhi Memorial College, now commonly called GGM Science College. In 2004, the then Education Minister of the State declared the GGM Science College of Jammu and Sri Pratap Singh College of Srinagar as national heritage colleges. In order to give these two historical institutions their tag as heritage institutions, the University Grants Commission, under its existing rules, sanctioned rupees one crore each for undertaking all such works as would make the two institutions veritable heritage monuments. But alas, the apathy of the State Government and the lack of sense of history have blinded our authorities to the fact that if these monuments are not taken care of, time will wear them out and not a trace will be left. The walls are giving in, the balconies are hanging, and valuable artifacts preserved in the Museum are collecting dust and loosing their shine and the library books so unique and historically valuable are eaten up by moth. What is the meaning of declaring these as heritage institutions when nothing has been done for last ten years in preserving its historicity? Such is the apathy or the prejudice of the authorities that even the two crore rupees that had been sanctioned have never been claimed. On the other hand the institution has been doing small repair work here or there out of its meager funds.
This tells us that we have no right to claim to be the preservers and protectors of our heritage wealth. We are committing a sin and posterity will not absolve us of our failings.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel