June 26, 2003

Sculptures from the Raj remain neglected and require preservation, writes Zofeen T. Ebrahim

A chipped nose, tar and bird droppings soil her imperial robes, the right arm and left hand missing as are the orb and the sceptre. The queen seems devoid of any semblance of royalty but for the widow’s veil and its long trail poised gracefully on her head which, ironically, has remained intact. She seems distant, as if belonging to an era long gone.

This huge statue of Queen Victoria, standing in all her royal glory on a chipped marble pedestal, seems quite out of place, dumped unceremoniously in the backyard of the Sindh Archives building in Karachi.

Next to her stands the equally regal but headless marble statue of King Edward VII. A closer look reveals artistic acumen, with a beautiful pattern, engraved painstakingly in marble to show the embroidery of the fabric royalty wore in that time. However, there are no markings to show when these were made or who the sculptor was behind these stone figures.

Whoever the artist and whatever the age they depict, Kaleem Lashari, Director General of Sindh Archives, is resolute in wanting to bring these dumped art pieces back to life. He plans to clean and repair them if possible, and then put them up around the compound of the archives.

A few steps away you see a slightly smaller marble statue of an Englishman with one hand holding on to the lapel of his jacket, and the other casually resting on a pedestal with a book.

The detailing is impressive, even showing the chain of the pocket watch popular in those days. Judging by the way he was formally dressed in a jacket and a bow-tie, he would surely have been embarrassed to see his shoes so badly chipped, if he was to come alive. Close to his feet are about three dozen broken marble pieces, remnants of these and perhaps some more statues that are no more.

On the far wall, you find six more statues, sculpted in bronze. “These formed part of a fountain,” says Mr Lashari. There are two huge statues that greet you when you enter the archives building. There have been many curious queries regarding these statues. “People have asked us all sorts of questions and some students have even enquired if we hold sculptor classes, how much they cost and would it be possible for them to join up?

“Put up during the colonial rule, these depict the glory of the Raj and the munificence that it conferred upon its subjects. Take for example the angel protecting an Indian girl-child. It symbolizes colonial rule protecting her from the abhorrent customs of child marriage and sati (Hindu widows burnt alive at husbands’ funeral pyres).

The British are seen empowering the women. There is also one of a poor child with a takhti and Britannica shielding the child with her wings, and at the same time, imparting knowledge and spreading enlightenment.

Around the corner, at the back of the archives, we see a blindfolded woman sitting, holding a book in one hand, a sword lying on her lap and presumably holding scales, which are now missing, in her other hand.

Sitting and imploring for justice is the statue of an Indian woman. There is also one of a woman carrying a water pitcher with water gushing out. The base on which it sits reads — ‘Irrigation’. And the last one is that of a lone British soldier, musket in hand. Made of bronze, somehow it does not look part of the earlier group of statues.

“There are no records to show who made them, but the workmanship is excellent,” says Mr Lashari. Nilofur Farrukh, art historian, critic and dean of the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts in Karachi, is of the opinion that stylistically their origin lies in the aesthetics of the Victorian era but there are borrowings from Greek mythology. “Perhaps prototypes were brought from Britain and local craftsman then made them,” she says.

But what is of paramount importance is whether they can be restored. “Restoration of marble statues is difficult, as it means recreating. Unless we have the design or even photographs of these statues, it would quite impossible since we may not have the expertise nor the funds to take on this task. But cleaning is easy, so we can remove the tar and polish the marble. The bronze pieces are still in good condition and all they need is a rigorous cleaning job,” she added.

But then what? Nilofur Farrukh is of the opinion that these should “be put in their original locations.” She believes these pieces should be treated as part of the historical monuments, not vandalized at some government’s whim.

Dr Ahmed Nabi, DG of the Department of Archaeology, too, believes that these works of art are “part of our history” and need to be restored and repaired. He remembers when they were removed and recalls some 70 such statues all over Karachi — Burnes Garden, Frere Hall, Gandhi Garden, etc.

Although Nilofur does not remember exactly when they were removed from the garden adjacent to Frere Hall, she is certain that they were “up there till the mid-1960s,” when she “used to rollerskate around them” with her friends.

However, Arif Hasan, Karachi’s eminent architect and social scientist, remembers that these were destroyed during the “latter part of Ayub’s regime, the same time when the names of roads were changed.”

Kaleem Lashari remembers the time of Fatima Jinnah and Ayub Khan’s election. “There was general unrest and people started destroying anything that belonged to the state.”

Saifur Rehman Grami, District Officer, Culture and Sports, City District Government, recalls: “Thirty years ago, during Ayub’s regime in the early ’60s, there was a religious movement and people demonstrated violently and razed the statues.”

While going through some books on Karachi, one found references to these marble statues in Karachi — Megacity of Our Times, edited by Hamida Khuhro and Anwer Mooraj, Oxford University Press, 1997. “The Queen’s Statue, which is by Sir Hamco Thorneycroft, R.A., was unveiled by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in March 1906. The monument consists of a classically treated architectural pedestal with statues of bronze around the base, and crowned with a colossal white marble statue of the Queen Empress, wearing a widow’s veil and the imperial crown and robes of state, and holding in her hand the sceptre and the orb. The principal groups at the foot of the pedestal represent India approaching justice and peace. On one side is a lion, and on the other a tiger, with heads erect, guarding the monument. At the rear the River Indus is symbolized by a woman carrying an urn and pouring water on the thirsty soil.”

In 1994-95, when Saifur Rehman Grami was Director, Culture, Government of Sindh, he was informed of some statutes lying buried in the KMC workshop. These had remained buried there for years, as successive governments were either not interested in displaying colonial culture or feared the wrath of the extremists.

Whatever the reason, he decided to have them dug up and had these transported to Mohatta Palace for safekeeping — where there was room for them, and someone responsible for safeguarding them against further vandalism.

“These were heavy and it took ten men to lift one statue out of the ground. We even found some broken pieces like limbs and busts, but we were unable to piece them together,” he informed us.

According to him, “These are part of fine art and our history, and you cannot erase the colonial period, however hard you may try. These form part of our cultural heritage and our children should know about them.”

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