The Legacy of Colonial Architecture in India
Introduction
Architecture represents more than the physical structure. It has symbolic and sentimental value. This is especially true when it represents three centuries of colonization. The Modi government, in New Delhi, India, is acting towards obliterating the colonial legacy which is represented by its architecture. The Central Vista project in New Delhi aims to re-make the main offices and center of the city, from that which was designed by Lutyens, a British architect, in the 1910-30s during British rule to one that will now be designed by an Indian architect for its Indian government. This transition and re-development have symbolic and sentimental affects for Indians who were colonized for 300 years and who through great struggle gained freedom in 1947 but remained under architectural occupation occupy for the next 75 years, until now. Therefore, the Central Vista project is using architecture to obliterate colonial legacy, thereby politicizing architecture to represent symbolic value.
Architecture as a Tool for Politics
The architecture of the British Empire designed in India by Lutyens is represented by the Modi government as a symbol of colonialism. To promote a spirit of national pride, Modi has launched the Central Vista project, which had planned to spend nearly $2 billion in the restoration project in New Delhi.[footnoteRef:2] Now the new plans have approached nearly $3 billion.[footnoteRef:3] The original Central Vista was the home of the British Raj and subsequently the seat of the new Republic after India gained independence. The Central Vista became a heritage precinct in the 1960sbut following generations of political leaders began to feel that the old British legacy infringed upon the national pride of India and had to be overturned: thus, new names were given to placesthus Bombay became Mumbai; Madras became Chennaiand an India freed from its colonial past was one step closer. However, the architecture of the British past remained, and so long as it remained it served as a reminder of Indias colonial legacy. In order to fully liberate itself from this past, Modi decided to begin the Central Vista project, partly to accommodate a need for upgrades but also to produce new Indian architecture that could symbolize Indias independence. [2: Government Allocated Nearly Twice of Cental Vista Cost on Vaccination, The Hindu, 2021. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/government-allocated-nearly-twice-of-central-vista-cost-on-vaccination-puri/article34506929.ece] [3: Suchitra, Central Vista: Indias Modi Blasted for $2.8bn Project Amid COVID, Aljazeera, 2021. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/17/central-vista-indias-modi-slammed-for-vanity-project-amid-covid]
As a tool for politics, architecture has great power. Even in ancient times, architecture was used to promote political propaganda: Trajans Arc was created to promote a military triumph. Constantine followed with his own, and in France one can find the same. America has its Statue of Liberty, promoting a political ideology of liberalism. The Third Reich created monuments meant to symbolize a national spirit,...
In India, Modi wants to use architecture as a way of asserting a political ideology of
autonomy.
Architecture represents in the built environment the message of the rulers of the realm. It can be used by leaders who want to take a political stance. For instance, as Cutieru notes, all architecture has a political dimension, in the sense that it expresses a set of values.[footnoteRef:4] Political leaders know this, which is why they turn to architecture to enhance their own political platforms. Hitler did it. Mussolini did it. Stalin did it. Napoleon did it. The Americans did it with the White House, and the Parisians did it with the Eiffel Tower. Architecture brings the political message to life and presents it before the eyes of the public in a real way so that it is literally tangible and...
…arbitrary politicized purposeand it is supported by those who support the purpose and opposed by those who
love the original art and
aesthetic value of the Vista. In the end, there can be no compromise between the two. Either one is for great architecture or one is for politicization of architecture; but one cannot be both things at once. In this battle, Modi is winning, and the Central Vista is changing to move the nation away from the
colonialism inscribed on its political past.
Conclusion
Architecture can be politicized to represent the symbolic value of legacy. Modi has framed the architecture of Lutyens as colonial and Bhatt has framed it as part of a legacy of racism. Others see it as a legacy of beauty, majesty, power and art. People havebeen coming to Central Vista for decades to marvel at the architecturebut now they will find Modis vision of what India should be, expressed through modern architecture that has no connection to anything substantial other than what is in Modis political playbook. In this way, architecture is politicized and art is lost. One can agree with or disagree with Modis intention to create a new India through the built environment. But the legacy of Indias British past is lost as the original design is changed and altered to facilitate a new architectural vision. It would be no different than the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia invading Italy, conquering it, and transforming Vatican City into something that accommodated his own tastes and expressed his own political purposes. Throughout history, such events have transpired. In India, it is transpiring now because Modi wants to promote a new kind of Indian nationalism. The new architecture is destroying the colonial legacy of India, for good or for bad. The new architecture is Modis political vision symbolized…
