1 year ago
Author Meera Iyer Advocates Preserving Bengaluru's Heritage
Meera Iyer, a writer, is passionate about preserving the history of Bengaluru.
She has written books like "Discovering Bengaluru" and "India in Triangles" to document the city's past.
The books talk about different areas and historical events, like the Great Trigonometrical Survey.
Iyer works with INTACH to protect historical places and shares their stories through walks and books.
She believes it's important to keep historical buildings and sites, like the GTS Observatory, safe while the city grows.
Iyer encourages the city to develop without destroying its heritage, ensuring future generations learn from the past.
Meera Iyer has spent years documenting Bengaluru's history, authoring books like "Discovering Bengaluru" and "India in Triangles."
"India in Triangles," co-authored with Shruthi Rao, explores the history of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, with a focus on Bengaluru's involvement.
Iyer serves as the convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in Bengaluru.
Her work includes documenting hyperlocal history, researching archives, and conducting heritage walks.
Iyer emphasizes the importance of preserving heritage amidst urban development, citing examples like the damaged GTS Observatory.
- Who
- Meera Iyer, author and heritage enthusiast.
- What
- Documenting Bengaluru's history and advocating for heritage preservation.
- Where
- Bengaluru (Bangalore), India.
- When
- Iyer has been documenting the city's history for years, with books published in recent times and active research since 2005.
- Why
- To preserve and highlight the historical significance of Bengaluru's sites and advocate for heritage protection amidst urban development.
Advocates
Critics
Development vs. Heritage
Advocates
Emphasizes that heritage should be retained.
Critics
Development shouldn't occur at the cost of heritage.
Key facts
- Occupation
- Author and Historian
- Books Authored
- "Discovering Bengaluru", "India in Triangles"
- Organization
- INTACH (Convenor)
- Focus
- Documenting Bengaluru's history
- Key Issue
- Preserving heritage amidst urban development
- Notable Project
- Documenting Great Trigonometrical Survey
Quotes
Meera Iyer
Author and convenor of INTACH in the city
“Of course, some great books have been written about Bangalore. Janaki Nair has written The Promise of the Metropolis, Fazlul Hasan has written a really popular and accessible history (Bangalore Through the Centuries). What we wanted was a book about the neighbourhoods, a hyperlocal kind of history. Something that is accessible to people, but when you read it, gives an idea of the evolution of the city.”
indianexpress.com
“You have access to information on the internet, so it makes things easier, but you still have to go back to the archives as not everything is available. It is such a connected world now, I can reach out to someone who is studying in a university in the US, etc, and ask them to find some information, because very often they have information that we do not have in our libraries.”
indianexpress.com
Shruthi Rao
Co-author of India in Triangles
“I really loved the process of going through the archives… We are blessed with the ability to read reports that (William) Lambton (the British infantry officer who initiated the Great Survey) wrote after his early surveys in Bangalore and Chennai. A lot of the documents have also been digitised.”
indianexpress.com
