Archive · 2 Aug 2026
Pune Artist Paints Wadas to Preserve Vanishing Heritage
Charudutt Pande is an artist from Pune who loves old houses called wadas.
He started painting them in 2023 because many of these houses are being torn down.
He thinks of each wada like a portrait, showing its personality and the people who lived there.
He has made 30 paintings and taken pictures of 100 more.
Pande’s work helps people remember the history of these houses even after they are gone.
Charudutt Pande began painting Pune’s historic wadas in 2023 to document their architectural and cultural significance before redevelopment.
He describes wadas as “portraits” that capture the personalities of the structures and the people who once lived there.
Pande’s work highlights the decline of wadas, noting that many are now rented to low‑cost workers or neglected by former elite owners.
The artist has completed 30 paintings and photographed 100 more wadas, aiming to preserve their stories through visual records.
Pande’s background includes a difficult academic path, but he turned to art after failing polytechnic and later studied at an arts college in Pune.
- Who
- Charudutt Pande, a Pune‑based artist
- What
- Paints and documents Pune’s historic wadas
- When
- Started in mid‑2023 and ongoing
- Where
- Pune, India
- Why
- To preserve the architectural and cultural memory of wadas before redevelopment
- Artist
- Charudutt Pande
- Medium
- Oil painting
- Subject
- Pune wadas
- Started
- Mid‑2023
- Collection
- 30 paintings, 100 photographs