Manu Khajuria
A Banagalore based photography     project  Sacred Spaces explores how people relate to different spaces in  the city through deeply personal and emotional experiences. Their social media page describes the evolution   of the project as – ” The spaces revealed themselves in different      corners of the city and were       sacred for different kinds of reasons.
Therefore, once seen through the eyes of emotional connections and memories, the spaces seemed to develop their own emotional quotient as sanctuaries, where people were going to connect with themselves, develop strength, find answers to their prayers and problems, cry tears or claim their freedom”. This project forces one to dwell upon the relationship between man and physical structures.
Buildings influence and inspire, recreating history for us and preserving our roots. Forts, palaces, places of worship that dot the land, tell us stories of battles lost and won, policies that were made and implemented, the brilliant geo political strategies that built the State , success and failures are retold within the ramparts of a fort; the mandirs,

World Heritage Day Special

gurudwaras and dargahs showcase the type of plurality that embraces the land; paintings adorning the walls tell us of art that was patronised and promoted. These places document dedication, duty and service – of Dogra soldiers both Hindus and Muslims, who fought sometimes at 15000 feet, artists that flourished and told many a stories with every stroke of their brush; the masonry speaks of hard labour and techniques that helped build structures in difficult terrain, the priest that kept the temple bells ringing and the Sufi Saint who taught love to all. The heritage buildings and sites speak volumes to us, if we care to listen.
The power of immovable structures to create sentiments which can move people was in evidence on 27th of February, 2016, at Balidaan Stambh in Jammu Kashmir’s City of Temples – Jammu City. candlelight vigil for the Pampore Martyrs was held in a venue, where it rightly belonged. Literally translated as monument of sacrifice, it is a place to celebrate and contemplate upon the heroism of men, who were martyred protecting our borders, upholding the sovereignty and dignity of our Nation. Hundreds from the Jammu civil society gathered that day and stood in solidarity to pay their respects to the martyrs. Amongst others, this was organised by soldiers of the Ex Serviceman League, who have gallantly served the Nation. It was an event important in more ways than one. It took people back on the road leading to this revered site. It brought them together in a place, which they all belonged and could claim as theirs, for the sacrifice/ Balidaan that the venue marks, was made for each one of them. The people gathered there, echoed each other’s prayers and gratitude for the soldiers. Many eyes shed tears that day, but the reason was one. The fact that hope, redemption, gratefulness, sense of oneness has the power to unify, was in evidence that day. On the other hand the sad truth also staring at us is, that instead of being the nerve centre of a city and a State which is characterised by the heroism and gallantry of soldiers even historically, Balidaan Stambh had eroded from our memory. The Army which is now responsible for the maintenance of Balidaan Stambh was also happy to see such a large gathering that day.
We, the people of Jammu Kashmir, who are under constant threat from across the border, are dependent on our soldiers to keep us from harms way. We are indebted to our men in uniform who battle it out far away from home in a hostile environment. If they are lucky enough to dodge the bullet, an avalanche or a deep gorge may become their final resting place. In their line of duty it is not just their mortal lives that is under fire, but along with them, their families make huge sacrifices. It is a soldier’s child who  may not have a father to play cricket with him. It is the soldiers wife who may wait for weeks, before her husband can call her from a remote outpost. Many tasks at home are left unattended to, as the old parents wait for their young son to come home. And even after all this, the soldier does his duty silently. He neither makes a show of it, nor does he demand recognition for his selfless service. Even if we tried we cannot repay their debt. The least we can do is visit this revered site, remember our young men, reflect upon their sacrifice and pay tribute to the values of duty and service to motherland.  As said famously in the poem, ‘The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak’ by an artillery officer of World War I, Archibald Macleish : “They say, We were young. We have died. Remember us. They say, Our deaths are not ours, they are yours: they will mean what you make them.”
The eternal flame burning at Balidaan Stambh is symbolic of the power of such a place to create values of honour, sacrifice and nationalism time and again. In times when the Country is lamenting the waning of these values, places with the power to remind and recreate the very qualities they stand to mark, have faded from collective memory. We have to only connect the dots to answer our own angst ridden questions on why the value systems have changed such and why our culture is under threat. Our youth will have to be reintroduced to these places which reflect these values and glory. They must be told who they were and what they need to become. Drugs and alcohol don’t get your name written in the pages of history is a conclusion they will themselves arrive at. Negative messages will not get us far. Psychology says that show not, what must not be done, but what must be. Strong societies and and nations are built on the foundation of examples of positivity, heroism and selflessness.
Our monuments, silent sentinels that they are, are also great educators. They are our historical and cultural ambassadors. A Balidaan Stambh is also the bridge that links the past and the present. Jammu Region is defined by its rich martial tradition and this is in ample evidence not just in literature but also in its folklore and folk songs. Balidaan Stambh is a reminder of those traditions that  have lived within us for more than a century. It is part of our identity. In a land which has historically nurtured an ethos of sacrifice and valour, stand many monuments, which bear testimony to these qualities.These structures both old and new not only speak to us but also speak of us. A burial site far away in Tibet, lonely and wanting in upkeep and attention nevertheless roars of courage and fearlessness of our people. If only we were listening. The hero long gone is not wanting for a song sung in his glory but a walk through his life story has the power to create more Zorawar Singhs married to their land for eternity. These sites encapsulate and hold within themselves our history and culture.  Every fort that stands tall and strong shows us a mirror to who we are.
Everywhere we go in the Jammu Region, memorials from modest to grand in scale, serve as reminders of our legacy. From the forgotten and obscure memorial of a soldier from the 1947 war, in front of the Pandori Bungalow, the Govt Guest House, enroute my village Burmal in Bishnah Tehsil, to the unmissable grand gates constructed for soldiers on the way to Salaher or Suchetgarh, these are a part of our cultural heritage. The way a city elsewhere in the Country produces talented singers and classical dancers, our Region produces soldiers who ensure times of peace, allowing arts and cultures to flourish in the Nation. We must recognise and celebrate our strengths to better ourselves. No outsider is going to come and set our house in order. The responsibility for this rests on us. For both the individual and the society to grow and grow well, we must know where we came from, what we stand,for, who we belong to and what our purpose is.
Even when melancholy, architecture has optimism rooted in it and a notion of a future. The young not finding their way to the Dogra Art Museum or the Balidaan Stambh, also because the old forgot to take them there, will prove detrimental to our very existence as a people. It is most dangerous, when we do not know ourselves anymore and the onus of the destruction of self that will follow, will be ours alone. A Maharaja Hari Singh Park on the banks of Tawi cannot lie derelict. Our bridges must be named such, that they also serve as a historical and cultural reminder. Mubarak Mandi, the seat of the Dogra rulers, must be preserved as must be the Bhimgarh Fort tucked away in the Reasi hills. We must first familiarise ourselves with these places, the tourists will automatically follow. Only when many visited Balidan Stambh on 27th February, they could correct the social media map check in, which curiously showed Balidaan Stambh to be in Srinagar. Ironically the threat is not external and as we point that one accusing finger outwards, there are three pointing back at us.
Architect Daniel Libeskind says that “In great cities, the great buildings tell you things you don’t know and remember things which you’ve forgotten. It’s a collective wisdom. Architecture is the biggest unwritten document of history.” It is true that the splendour reflected in our heritage sites is ours to claim but the squalor that they lie in today, is also our personal shame. We cannot undermine their impact and must realise their power to touch our heart and soul. The more we give these places, the more we will get back. Only when we build upon and also reclaim such public spaces for the purpose of not just profit or pleasure, but to preserve, promote and connect with our past and each other, we will begin to see ourselves clearly, the road ahead will rise infront of us and the tribe shall grow stronger and prouder.

Follow our WhatsApp channel