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Saving Kolkata's colonial heritageBy Andrew Stevens ON CNN INTERNATIONAL TV
SPECIAL REPORTYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSKOLKATA, India (CNN) -- For more than five decades, British buildings in Kolkata were left to rot as authorities wrestled with the uncomfortable legacy of British rule. The communist-controlled city government lacked both the resources and the inclination to preserve what many saw as a glorification of colonialism, and the city's magnificent architectural gems crumbled and decayed. But times are changing, and even the government is starting to see the city's heritage in a different light. Crowded, colorful and chaotic, Kolkata's sprawling architectural heritage -- including some of the finest monuments to the British Raj -- is beginning to be restored. Once considered only second to London as the British Empire's most important city, ideological differences over Kolkata's past have seemingly been put to rest. "Once upon a time there was a lot of anti-imperialist feelings, because the British ruled us for 250 years. They did a lot of good things and a lot of bad things," a Kolkata government official says. "I'm not going into the political aspect of it, but I think of the heritage and cultural aspects the British have done." Nothing underscores the changing mood in Kolkata better than the story of the city's second-oldest British building, the Currency Building, which stands in Dalhousie Square. Five years ago, under the orders of the central government, a demolition team moved in at the dead of night and began work. By morning they had brought down two massive dome ceilings and were starting on the exterior. But a public outcry reverberated across the country; work was halted, and now a major restoration project has begun. Manish Chakraborti, an employee of the local heritage conservation agency, works with the government and the private sector to conserve buildings in the square. He's optimistic that old Kolkata, at least the central part, can be saved. "If this momentum continues, which has picked up only recently, I think Dalhousie Square in particular will show a very bright side of Kolkata," he says. But despite Chakraborti's sanguine outlook, questions remain over the future of many buildings. There are still hundreds of state and privately owned structures in need of repair, including row after row of derelict mansions and warehouses on the city's Hugli River. Very few overseas tourists who visit India come to Kolkata. But for those who do, the heritage of the city is a powerful draw. Tour guide Anup Saha says the city could be a major tourist attraction, but time is running out for many of its historically important buildings. "There are many beautiful palaces. I can count and show you 50 places in north Kolkata -- none of them preserved," she says. But preservation is costly, and the city has other pressing issues -- especially poverty and infrastructure needs. So while some buildings are being saved, for many others, it's becoming too late. 
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