Amrit Lal Nagar’s kothi to get a new lease of life
LONG OVERDUE State government to convert the building into a memorial of the renowned litterateur; seeks report from culture department
After lying in neglect for long, Shahji ki Kothi, the mansion in Chowk where renowned Hindi litterateur Amrit Lal Nagar spent many years of life, may finally hope for a new lease of life. The state government has asked the culture department to submit a report on the kothi, with the idea to convert the building into a memorial.
A meeting of the culture department officials and family members of Nagar was also scheduled in this context on Saturday.
Yashwant Singh Rathore, director, state museum said, “We visited the kothi today to ascertain the situation. Some portions of the building are locked while the others are in a bad shape. We will submit our report to the state government within a week.”
Situated in a narrow bylane in Chowk’s Mirza Mandi, the kothi encapsulates a literary history. “The building does not belong to us. So the government will first acquire it and then the procedure for its conversion into a memorial would begin,” said Vibha Nagar, Amrit Lal Nagar’s daughter-in-law.
Amrit Lal Nagar shifted to the kothi in 1957 and stayed there till he breathed his last in 1990. “Soon after Babuji’s demise, Mulayam Singh Yadav, the then chief minister visited us and said that the house should be converted into a museum,” said Achala Nagar, Amrit Lal Nagar’s daughter during the centenary celebrations of Nagar recently.
“As per the plan, the building would be converted into a memorial—much on the lines of the Bindaddin Maharaj ki Deodhi, displaying the writings and life of Amrit Lal Nagar,” said Yashwant Singh Rathore.
Amrit Lal Nagar’s son Sharad Nagar who died two years ago tried a lot to get a road in Lucknow named after his father and even made efforts to get the memorial made. “He was pushing things hard but unfortunately he could not succeed,” lamented Achala Nagar.
The building has a unique architecture, with fishes on its arch. There are five huge courtyards (open space within the house), rare to find in modern day architecture. The pillars are made in Roman architectural style.
The courtyard of the house was witness to many a literary discussion and drama. All famous littérateurs of Hindi, including Maithili Sharan Gupt, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Yashpal and others frequented the kothi.
Cameras zoomed here during the shooting of Satyajit Ray’s popular film ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ and Shyam Benegal’s ‘Junoon’. In addition to popular Hindi films, portions of a Tamil film, ‘Nandu’ were also shot here.