Chinese New Year Celebration at Tieretta Market
Kolkata: The World Monuments Fund (WMF) on Wednesday announced that the old Chinatown Tyreta market in central Kolkata has been named in the 2022 World Monuments Watch, a selection of 25 heritage sites of worldwide importance, that are being conserved by communities. necessary and important. around them.
The list, second in Kolkata after Dalhousie Square in 2005, may have catalyzed conservation and rejuvenation efforts in the country’s oldest Chinatown, where the neighborhood served as Chinese sailors on Indo-China trade in the mid-18th century. began to be recognized. The Margas took their traditions, customs and architectural styles to settle in the area. However, the mass migration of Chinese in the 1980s and 1990s has led to the closure of Chinese shops and establishments and the population has declined from around 6,000 to just barely 1,250 now.
“Tyretta Bazaar is a testament to the pluralistic society that flourished in central Kolkata since the Raj era. Although a mild reflection of what it used to be, the neighborhood still represents a distinct community that shares its cultural identity within the city. and preserves ethnic identity. However, the community is marginalized and its heritage at risk. The neighborhood suffers from a lack of recognition and basic services, such as reliable garbage collection. The adjacent development encroaches on the historic neighborhood and threatens its existence. danger,” said Sohini Pine, conservation architect nominating for the site.
The 2022 Watch advocates the importance of the Tyrata market and to the Chinese community that has made it a thriving commercial and cultural centre. While individual temples are recognized and protected, recognition as a historic district will protect the entire neighborhood and draw attention to the need for better services.
“Shared history, unique architectural styles, socio-cultural continuity in traditions are opportunities that can be used to boost a neighborhood’s local economy through cultural tourism, as well as to instill a sense of pride in an underrepresented, declining community.” Can go. Kolkata sugar,” Paine explained.
The dossier prepared by Payne is taken from the Culture Heritage and Architecture (CHA) project, undertaken by INTACH in 2012-13, to create a study on the heritage and tourism potential of the region. “A decade of awareness, documentation and advocacy for Chinapara, initiated by the CHA project and carried forward by community members, is gaining momentum. It is hoped that now local authorities will drop their apathy towards the plan,” says Kamalika Bose, principal conservation architect of the CHA project.
The Watch is announced every two years and includes designated heritage places by individuals and community-based organizations. The program has been a proven tool for raising awareness of sites in need of protection. So far, WMF has contributed over $110 million to projects across more than 300 watch sites.
“Preserving an irreplaceable cultural heritage has never been more important,” said Benedict de Montlaur, President and CEO of WMF. “By supporting communities in preserving the places they cherish most, we can strengthen social bonds.”
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