That’s the problem with us Indians. We are ready to criticise without having an alternative course to suggest. The arm-chair critics who have pounced on the decision to allow a corporate house to take care of the historic Red Fort for five years under strict conditions do not seem to know what they are talking about. For 70 years, this 17th century heritage site was in neglect, its walls and ceilings and floors in terrible state. The babus are not good at these things; they couldn’t care less. Not unlike other historic monuments, the Red Fort was vandalised, with the ubiquitous so-and-so-loves so-and-so etched in several places.
The only time the Red Fort came into public consciousness was on the Independence Day. Now, if a corporate house is being given the charge for its maintenance for a limited period without being allowed to tinker with the original structures why should it evoke so much vitriol is beyond comprehension. A good example is another Delhi monument, the Humayun’s tomb, which ever since the Aga Khan Trust undertook its upkeep under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India has regained its old personality and elan. At another level, would the critics like to go back to the time when the babus used to run the Mumbai, Delhi and other airports? Public-private partnership strictly monitored can be good for everyone. So, relax. Nothing is going to happen to the historic Red Fort.
