The Hindu 07.04.2013
Sculptors work through the night to restore Ripon Buildings on time
Skilled Panruti labourers break from tradition, carry on after dusk, until 3 a.m.
As the deadline for the restoration of Ripon Buildings
draws near, the Chennai Corporation is leaving no stone unturned to
complete the work on time.
Sculptors engaged at the
work site have discounted some aspects of their spiritual obligation in
the race against time to restore the heritage symbol of local
administration in the country.
The Chennai
Corporation, this week, started using floodlights at Ripon Buildings to
carry out the work at night. Traditionally, the group of sculptors
restoring the building do not work at night. After a ritual at dawn,
they start work at 8 a.m. and finish by sunset.
A few months ago, the civic body sought the services of a team of 20 sculptors from Panruti to expedite the restoration work.
The
number of sculptors at work touched 67 after the new members joined the
team and the work gained momentum. This was the largest group of
sculptors carrying out restoration work at Ripon Buildings at any point
of time.
Unlike other construction labourers, most of
the sculptors shouldering the responsibility of restoring the civic
body’s headquarters have been strictly following key aspects of their
tradition.
“We used to avoid working at night and
remain clean in the spiritual sense. We also have to bathe before the
daily rituals and strictly stop work before dusk,” said one of the
sculptors.
“Many of these aspects are strictly
followed in temple architecture. Now, we work through the night, until 3
a.m., under artificial conditions, to complete the work soon,” he said.
Last
week, a group of sculptors had to return to Panruti for urgent
restoration of a place of worship they have been maintaining
traditionally. As a result, the remaining sculptors had to resort to
working at night to finish the restoration on time.
The
civic body is unable to find more sculptors as artisans from other
areas do not have the skill to work on lime structures. Earlier, a
different group of sculptors had developed severe skin allergy and quit.
The
restoration project, funded by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM), has been delayed by a few months because of the lack
of skilled labour.
In addition to
the sculptors, a number of construction labourers too are at work,
restoring the Indo-Saracenic structure for the centenary celebrations of
Ripon Buildings this year.
The sculptors have been
able to restore a chunk of the façade but more than 50 percent of the
exterior of the building is yet to be completed.
Ripon Buildings is the first heritage building in the country to have received funds under JNNURM.
