When I felt like Royalty...

Posted by James Kirkpatrick in memoirs

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This post is by Kavitha Vennelakanti, who studied in Women's College in early 1990s.

I remember my first day when I walked up the stairs of Durbar hall. I felt so royal as I watched the fountain in the garden from the durbar hall steps. The cellar just below the Durbar hall was an amusement park for most of us. I always imagined prisoners being dragged and tortured in those small cells. I loved the large class rooms and the beautiful gardens near the canteen after I passed out from the college, I used to talk and boast to everyone about the college and the campus.

And after a few more years, I still enjoyed spotting the college in the movies ... and my family and especially my husband got bored of it and my stories of what all movie shootings I saw while I was in the college. Now years after years passed by, I became busy with my family and have forgotten about my college and my student’s life.

Until recently, when I heard that the college building was in a pathetic state, deteriorating day by day and lacks basic hygiene and amenities. And some parts of the beautiful monuments have fallen apart and no way can be restored back. I was so shocked to hear this, and looked for pictures of the current state of the college. The beautiful college building going in you can also have a look at them

This really upset me. Thru my years after my college I was lucky to see many places within and outside India While I toured, I paid such huge entry fees and saw monuments which were not even half historical as my college . A sense of guilt came into me and I started looking at options of what I can do for my own college. The same college in which I studied and walked in the beautiful lawns and watched myself everyday in Durbar hall mirrors, sat in the huge Lions on either side of the entrance steps.

What Can I do? Can I do something? - Being far away from the site? I do love my college and I want to continue to be proud of my college and tell stories to my next generations. What do I do? These were immediate questions I had.

What is it that is stopping people from ensuring that the buildings are restored? But why is the ignorance and carelessness. I am not sure who would answer these...

While the authorities are reluctant, refusing to take responsibility and passing on the blame, the building is deteriorating. So, it means that the in spite of all the struggles and getting the required funds there is no progress towards the building

And when I spoke to my friends and my network about this, they all had a similar feeling towards it. They have all unequivocally expressed their distress at the monument being in this bad state now.

Can we do something to preserve this? I guess we should all try and see what best we can do.