Aug 05, 2024 09:04 PM IST
The delisting of unworthy MNIs is not merely about de-colonisation but also about solving a practical problem
India currently has 3,695 Monuments of National Importance (MNIs) that are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. The majority of these were inherited from a colonial-era list of protected monuments, along with a few hundred others from the princely states. Some changes have been made over the decades, but there was no systematic attempt to rationalise the list, that is until now.
In our EAC-PM report titled ‘Monuments of National Importance: An Urgent Need for Rationalization’ (https://ln.run/tNqeU), published in January 2023, we pointed out that there were many monuments that were simply missing or were unworthy of being on the list of ‘national monuments’. The issue of missing monuments has also been raised in Parliament several times. On March 8 this year, ASI issued a gazette notification to delist 18 monuments that have not been found despite years of effort. Suggestions and objections by the public were sought within two months. Now that two months have elapsed, the final notification is awaited. This is the first attempt to delist missing monuments since 1978.
However, there is an equally important problem with monuments that are unworthy of being deemed of national importance. While some of these monuments may be of local importance and should be transferred to respective states for protection, there are many monuments that are simply not worthy of special treatment. As recommended by our report, such monuments need to be removed from the list of MNIs. This would include around 75 graves/cemeteries of British officers and soldiers of neither architectural significance nor cultural importance that are currently protected as MNIs. The good news is that the process of delisting for this category, too, has begun. The initial notification of delisting the statue of John Nicholson, which once stood in Kashmiri Gate in Delhi, was issued in end-July 2024.
Note that the grave of John Nicholson, across from Kashmiri Gate Metro Station, is also an MNI. This brings us to the intriguing question: Who was this John Nicholson in whose memory we grateful Indians have protected two national monuments?
John Nicholson (1821-1857) was a British brigadier-general who played a crucial role in suppressing the Great Revolt of 1857-58. His brutal methods were considered excessive even by the standards of the time. Lord Canning, then governor general, wrote that Nicholson “sweeping the country like the incarnation of vengeance had struck terror into wavering hearts”. Nicholson himself made his feelings clear: “I dislike India and its inhabitants more every day”. Even colonial apologists like writer Charles Allen have commented on Nicholson’s extreme brutality. Another British writer William Dalrymple dubbed him as a “great Imperial psychopath”. He was fatally injured while fighting Indian rebels during the capture of Delhi, and died a few days later. He was then buried in a cemetery near Kashmiri Gate which is now called Nicholson Cemetery.
In the early 1900s, the British colonial government erected a statue of Nicholson in front of Kashmiri Gate. They included both the statue and the grave in their list of protected monuments. This list was unquestioningly adopted by independent India. In 1958, on the request of Lord Brookeborough, then Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, the statue was shipped to Nicholson’s birthplace of County Tyrone in Northern Ireland. While rededicating the statue in County Tyrone in 1960, Louis Mountbatten said that he “well remembered” the statue when it stood outside Kashmiri Gate.
Although the statue was sent abroad in 1958, the spot remains to this day in the list of MNIs! The only sign of its existence now is a memorial stone at the site that pays tribute to other British officers killed in 1858. If one visits Nicholson Cemetery, just a short walk away, the grave is to the immediate right of the entrance. It is well-marked and fenced and has a blue ASI board that threatens dire consequences to anyone who may damage the site. Nicholson’s statue and grave are hardly the only examples of unworthy national monuments. Our report has listed several others. The state of Nagaland, for instance, has only four MNIs and three of them are graves of minor colonial officials who had been killed by the Nagas!
The delisting of unworthy MNIs is not merely about de-colonisation but also about solving a practical problem. Being deemed an MNI means that a 100-metre radius is considered a ‘prohibited area’ where all construction activity is banned. An additional 200 metres is considered a ‘regulated area’ where special permissions are needed. As one can imagine, this leads to all manner of red tape and rent-seeking, especially in a dense urban area like Kashmiri Gate.
It is good to see that ASI is finally beginning to rationalise the list of MNIs. The removal of several missing monuments can be expected soon. With the recent notification regarding Nicholson’s statue, the effort to delist unworthy monuments has also begun.
Sanjeev Sanyal is member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM)and Jayasimha is Consultant, EAC-PM. The views expressed are personal
