When will Brookside get the heritage tag?
The state government must look into the matter and declare Brookside a heritage site in the near future
Editor,
Buildings are to be constructed on the heritage Brookside campus on the right side of the heritage Brookside Bungalow. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore stayed in this place for the first time in October 1919 during his first visit to Shillong.
This year, Tagore admirers will commemorate the 106th year of his first visit to Shillong. On October 11, 1919, Tagore set foot at Brookside and left the place on October 31 for Guwahati.
Tagore’s eldest son, Rathindranath Tagore, rented Brookside from the then Assistant Commissioner of Chittagong Division during British Rule in India. In 1961, the then Assam Government installed a plaque in front of the Brookside campus to preserve this place as a heritage site.
On September 9, 1989, the Government of Meghalaya purchased the Brookside property from the descendants of K.C Dey. Then Chief Minister of Meghalaya, late PA Sangma, wanted to set up Rabindra Bhavan at Brookside. But the plan did not come to fruition.
On January 24, 1992, then Governor of Meghalaya, Madhukar Dighe, inaugurated the ‘Art Gallery’ on the campus. Brookside turned into a dilapidated property during 2006/2007. It was renovated, after which the state government opened the ‘Rabindranath Tagore Art Gallery’ on October 21, 2013.
On that evening, former President of India, late Pranab Mukherjee, visited Brookside Bungalow.
The state government and Tagore admirers of Shillong installed the bard’s statue in May 2011. In March 2024, Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Lyngdoh laid the foundation stone of the ‘Tagore Cultural Complex’.
A road has been constructed behind the heritage Brookside campus. Now, two buildings are going to be set up in front of the Brookside Bungalow. The PMO has requested the Directorate of Arts and Culture of Meghalaya to protect Brookside after the memory of Rabindranath Tagore. They sent their letter on May 9, 2023.
Despite this, Brookside has not been declared a heritage site. Unfortunately, a century of history is fading into oblivion. The heritage site is turning into a jungle of concrete.
We hope that the state government looks into the matter and declares Brookside a heritage site in the near future.
Yours etc.,
Malabika Bisharad
