Introduction

Mangesh Rane ji (93) who is the owner of the house, was born there on Nov 7, 1917. The house has seen four generations of the same family and eager to continue itself, as stated by Mangesh ji himself.  The house was built by Mangesh ji’s father sometime in the 1850s, and it was extended in 1930 when a roof garden was converted into a room, among other moves. The house has two floors in addition to the ground floor which is approximately 1200 sq feet. There are about 10 tenants paying Rs 300 to 350 per month as rent. Mangesh Rane ji lives with his son, Hemant Rane, on the first floor while the rest of the house is rented out.

Mangesh Rane Ji

Architecture

Built in 1850s, the building comes under the heritage zone.  The building has a Mongolian roof, wooden staircase, wooden windows and other wooden facet. Around three years back, the wooden pillars were removed by the MHADA when they renovated the building because they didn’t consider the wooden structures to be strong and safe enough. The building has 18 inch thick walls which keeps it cool during summers. The roof is very strong since high beams are stacked with wood. Some wooden structures have been maintained by the owner himself for eg; the wooden name plate (picture shown below).

Sinharudh Niwas

The debate

Presently the owner is facing problems in maintaining the building as the rent given by tenants is very low (Rs 300- 350). There has been no initiative or effort from the Government to maintain the beauty of the site. Rather, the Government maintenance is insensitive to the ‘heritage’ part of the building. The wooden staircase of the house shifts considerably, the roof leaks during the monsoon and few other wooden structures like windows need attention. But due to a shortage of finances these structures are deteriorating gradually.

Dilapidated Staircase

The future

The owner is interested in a redevelopment plan of the house since he is not able to maintain the same but also wants to conserve the heritage building, provided he gets support from the government.

Posted By:

Amruta Ponkshe, Anushree Deb, Khushbu Prajapati and Shreya Kalra -(TISS Habitat StudioX 2011)