The Interiors of Rashtrapati Bhavan has undergone sea change with coming of PRanab Mukherjee. The famous Durbar Hall inside Rashtrapti Bhavan designed by Edwin Lutyens is being refurbished for more functions and to attract the general public.
Durbal Hall was known as the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones for the Viceroy and Vicereine.
The south drawing room and the long drawing room of President Pranab Mukherjee’s official residence are also under renovation.
“The Durbar Hall had not been in much use for a long time but the president wants every corner of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to be used. The hall will be used to host functions while the two drawing rooms will be used for meeting dignitaries and diplomats,” Venu Rajamony, press secretary to the president, told IANS.
As part of the refurbishing, old carpets, artifacts and paintings are being brought out.
“We will be displaying portraits and photos of leaders who inspire us as well as how the Durbar Hall used to look like in the olden days. It will be a trip down memory lane,” he said.
Floors, walls, lamps and vases are being scrubbed, cleaned and polished with chemicals approved by the Archaeological Survey of India so as not to damage heritage, Rajamony said.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan is open to general public on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
In addition to the Durbar Hall, they can visit the museum, Ashoka Hall and two drawing rooms.
At least six teams of Central Public Works Department personnel are working round-the-clock with consultants to spruce up the interiors.
However, pigeons are keeping the workers on their toes.
“It is a big challenge to keep them out as they always find a way to come in from some gap,” said Rajamony.
“We are always on the look out for bird droppings on the walls, floors and paintings.”
The Durbar Hall, called the Throne Room during the British era, is set to host the 9th Asean-India Commemorative Summit Dec 20-21. The hall has a two-tonne chandelier hanging from a height of 33 metres.
On Aug 16, 1947, the hall played host to the swearing-in ceremony of the new government, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru, by then Governor General Lord Mountbatten.
The hall has a 2-ton chandelier which hangs from a 33-metre height. The two state drawing rooms, the state supper room and the state library are each on the four corners of the hall.
The President has also expressed a desire to have foreign guests stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This is a long-term plan to refurbish the guest wing
Mukherjee’s move to step up Indian hospitality by offering the President’s guest wing is in line with other countries like the US which hosts world leaders at Blair House or the UK where the monarchy’s guests stay at one of the official palaces.
The practice of guests staying at Rashtrapati Bhavan was discontinued in the 1980s following international trend of dignitaries staying at hotels with their delegations. This was due to the increasing size of the delegations, accessibility of the leader to visitors and security concerns.
First restoration project at the Rashtrapati Bhavan was performed in 1985 and ended in 1989, during which the Ashoka Hall was stripped of its latter additions and restored to its original state by the work done by architectural restorer, Sunita Kohli. The second restoration project, begun in 2010, involved Charles Correa and Sunita Kohli.
(Input by IANS and other sources)