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A tropical climate and real estate ventures are leading to the deterioration of historic buildings and art treasures in Kolkata. With support from the Goethe-Institut, a wall painting by Johann Zoffany was recently restored. Preservationist Gour M. Kapur tells us how.

Mr Kapur, you are an advocate of cultural preservation in your native city of Kolkata. How did this come about?

Kapur: In a round about way. Following school, I acquired by Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, then a degree from the Indian Institute of Management in Kolkata. I have been part of the business world for 25 years. My commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage arises from my love of the city in which I grew up. And the progressive decline of which was apparent.

Where did this decline originate?

The deterioration had mainly economic reasons. Since 1967, with brief interruptions, a communist government was in power in West Bengal. Not until May of this year was the Left Front alliance ousted in the elections for parliament. The long Communist rule led to an exodus of capital from Kolkata. Whilst other parts of India further developed and experienced an upsurge, Kolkata declined even more. This became apparent in the condition of the city’s cultural heritage.

What heritage do you mean precisely?

To begin with I mean the buildings. Kolkata is fundamentally a British colonial city. And it was the capital city of India until 1911, before Delhi was chosen. From 1757, when the East India Company established its domination, until 1911, the British ruled from Kolkata and wanted to demonstrate their power and greatness to the local population – by having magnificent and noble buildings erected. Many of these structures are replicas of buildings in London; Kolkata was known as the second capital of the British Empire. But, with the decline of the economy, these buildings were neglected.

When did you realize that you had to do something about it?

It was in 1984, when our Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Her son Rajiv Gandhi followed in her footsteps and initiated an organization, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, or INTACH. Rajiv Gandhi envisioned a movement that he called army of conscience keepers to the nation. He said that we need people who want to preserve what by rights belongs to them. I was fascinated by this, so I became involved.

And turned your back on the business world?

No, I continue to work as a business consultant. My work for INTACH is voluntary. I considered the organization a good platform from which to do something about the deterioration of my native city, and a large number of like-minded people became involved. And so we founded the regional chapter of INTACH, which I have been the director of since 1993.

What was your first project?

We restored a monument on the shoreline of Kolkata dedicated to the British merchant and philologist James Prinsep: Prinsep’s Ghat below the Hooghly Bridge, a monument erected by the English with Greek and Gothic style pillars. However, the idea was not to pay homage to British colonial rule, but to preserve a city landmark. There are people of the opinion that we should not take care of the buildings from this era. But we counter this by stating that these are not British buildings. They were constructed in India by Indian architects and workers, using Indian materials. Why should we not preserve something appealing that enriches the beauty of the surroundings?

It is a question of aesthetics and not politics?

Many of the buildings from this era were torn down and grotesquely ugly buildings were constructed in their place. We fought to have many buildings of historic and architectural significance or that play important roles in the social life of the city placed under monument protection. Prinsep’s Ghat, for instance, is now used as a venue for a festival with concerts and other events. Thus, we raised the awareness of the inhabitants of the city for the building’s cultural added value.

Last year, you gained public attention with a project that was part of the Goethe-Institut’s Culture and Development initiative: the laborious restoration of a painting by Johann Zoffany. How did this come about?

The then director of the Goethe-Institut in Kolkata, Reimar Volker, and I had been searching for a long while for a project with which our five young art restorers could enhance their skills. Reimar Volker’s condition was that it must be a work of art in the public space, not privately owned.

You found it in a church.

Correct, in the Anglican St. John’s Church, which was built in 1787. There we found this 220-year-old wall painting by Johann Zoffany, a German painter who lived and worked here. That was a plus factor, as you can imagine (laughs). Do you know what the painting depicts?

It is called “The Last Supper.”

Yes, but Zoffany reflected Kolkata’s society at the time in Jesus and his disciples. The auctioneer William Tulloh recognized himself in the figure of Judas. It is rumoured that we was not happy about it and attempted to destroy the painting. But, please, this is not substantiated.

What condition was the picture in?

In terrible condition. Earlier, dilettantish restoration attempts had left scars, there was bumbling overpainting, darkening, tears. If nothing else, we were faced with a logistical challenge. The picture – it is enormous and measures 2.4 by 2.6 metres – had to be lifted from the wall without a crane and removed from its huge frame. This was successful and we used room dividers to set up a temporary studio in the church.

Had your art restorers had any previous experience with a project of this size?

No, and to be quite honest I do not know if I would have had confidence in them. But Reimar Volker got the German art restorer Renate Kant involved in the project. She lives in Singapore and is an expert for tropical conditions. She drew up the plans for the individual stages of the restoration and supervised the work progress, sometimes in Kolkata, sometimes from Singapore. In the end, we had a very uplifting result.


A PR success for INTACH as well?

A success in every way. Many of the citizens of Kolkata were unaware that they had such a magnificent and valuable painting in their city; they saw the picture for the first time. And our art restorers learned a great deal. In particular, they gained more self-confidence.

Has your movement received broad acceptance in the meantime?

The press supported us from the beginning. The government behaved at first hesitantly, but little by little the economic dimension of our project has become clear to them. Our work makes the city more attractive to tourists as well as to investors. In the meantime, even the politicians are on our side, but in spite of everything, it has not become a popular movement.

With what difficulties do you continue to be confronted in your work?

With more than I can count! (Laughs). First of all, raising money is always a problem. What is even more difficult is that the high population in India is astronomically raising the property prices. There is a powerful construction lobby with an interest in tearing down old buildings and putting higher ones in their place. And finally, the climatic conditions are leading to the decay of the cultural heritage in private ownership – books, manuscripts, paintings.

Cultural preservation is considered a luxury?

You mustn’t forget that India has major problems, for example in the health system, infrastructure and educational system. So, the government often sets priorities. Not wrongly, don’t misunderstand me. On the other hand, I am convinced that one cannot live without one’s history.

On the invitation of the Goethe-Institut, you visited the Dresden State Art Collections and the National Museums in Berlin with a group of Indian conservators. To what extent does cultural preservation profit from an international exchange?

We discussed this a great deal. We experienced an impressively high level when it comes to work processes, exhibitions, archiving and documentation. But much of this, even the storage, cannot be transferred to Indian circumstances. For example, due to the higher humidity and heat, our paintings are at risk of fungal decay; no German conservator has to deal with this problem. We have to see what is practicable under our conditions. And how we can derive the greatest possible benefit from the research work we have seen.

Conversely, what can the German conservators learn from you?

The problems we are faced with and how we master them under far poorer circumstances. For example, in the restorations we use many organic pigments and pesticides. I am convinced that an exchange is always an enriching experience for both sides.

Have you tackled a new project?

It is not decided yet, but one of my projects deals with the preservation of audio recordings. In Kolkata we have one the oldest recording studios in India, perhaps even of this continent. After the phonograph was invented, British EMI set up a branch in Kolkata. We have recordings as old as 1910. The first Hindi song ever recorded is stored in the archives. We are discussing this and other projects with the responsible people at the Goethe-Institut. We wish to continue the partnership by all means.

Patrick Wildermann asked the questions.



This article was taken from the latest issue of the Goethe-Magazin. You can discover even more exciting reports, backgrounds, and interviews on the subject in the issue Kultur und Entwicklung.