Badal Majumdar, a former employee of the Visvesvaraya Technological Museum, has captured the city of Bangalore through his sketches. Looking at them, one feels as if the past has come alive

In times of despair, don’t we often receive this advice: ‘Don’t look back, move on’? But when your past is so beautiful it ought to be remembered and preserved. Artist Badal Majumdar does so in his sketches. The old, lost and forgotten Bangalore of lush greenery, a clear skyline, heritage structures and well-kept roads finds space in Badal’s evocative renderings. Badal Majumdar isn’t caught in a time warp, but is simply in love with all the good things we have left behind in the name of progress.

“You know there used to be a Metro Bar and Billiards Parlour right next to Cauvery emporium on M.G. Road, and an opera theatre on Brigade Road. While Metro Bar has been demolished, the Opera House located on the intersection of Brigade Road and Residency Road is now used for different purpose,” retells an excited Badal, putting out his sketches at his house in Rajajinagar, a locality where he has lived ever since he came to the city. In the city’s remnants -- its tree lined streets, old eating joints, shops, landmarks and the architecture, Badal visualizes the past.

Badalwas born and brought up in Tripura where he did a five-year diploma in fine art following which he shifted to Ahmedabad. The artist moved to the garden city in 1986 and acquired information about it through his experiences and curiosity. "I wanted to be a visualiser, so I had joined an advertising agency. I also worked with a publishing house and designed a few books for them. I was doing different kind of work in Ahmedabad. Samir Mandal, my mentor, advised me to do water colours. I was doing landscapes, figuratives etc. My sketches started only in Bangalore," recalls the artist.

Some of the restored heritage structures in the city Neemrana's Villa Pottipati - A 19th century bungalow in Malleshwaram

Basava Ambara - A 116 year old building in Basavangudi

The Hatworks Boulevard - A 200 year old structure on Cunningham Road

The Taj West End Hotel - A colonial building built around 131 years ago

Balabrooie Guest House on Palace Road

In his new home, the heritage buildings fascinated Badal and he was inspired to work on sketches in 1987. Badal made good use of the library of the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, where he worked as an exhibition officer. Not only would he read the books available in the library, but also would stock it with seminal art publications. "That's how my knowledge about the city increased. Bangalore used to be so beautiful, I can't tell you. It used to evoke the artist in me. I would go to the location, settle down to work right there. I don't take photographs, and make my sketches from it. It's a thrill to paint something live."

Till now, Badal has documented 80 structures of the city, ranging from the major landmarks like - Vidhana Soudha, Lal Bagh, MG Road, Raj Bhawan, Russell Market, St Mary's Basilica, Jehangir Memorial Hall, Cubbon Park Police Station, Sheshadri Memorial Hall (now known as Central Library of Karnataka) Mayo Hall, Victoria Hospital to those which are no more in existence - Shivaji Talkies on JC Road, PF Building (Rajaram Mohan Roy Road), Opera Theatre on Brigade Road, Metro Bar and Billiards Parlour on MG Road and many more.

He speaks fondly of the 108 year-old Poorna Prasad Building. Badal came to know about it through his colleague and well-known sculptor Venkatachalapathy. "It took me three days to find this building as it was hidden behind other structures but the two-storeyed granite building is really beautiful. It has got Italian tiles."

The artist was particularly taken in by a key element of Bangalore's architecture which is monkey top, a legacy of the Colonial times. A sharp pointed hood, While in summer it kept the sun at bay, during monsoons, monkey top prevented the water from coming inside. Monkey top is an A shaped hood composed of metal slats placed on the entrance or the upper part of the window.

"Every place's architecture is different as it depends on the history, weather and culture. The architects in Bangalore used the locally available stone karpa which is what makes the buildings distinct. I also wonder why so many buildings in the city were made in 1910." The artist laments the loss of so many important buildings to modern day constructions. He recalls the demolition of a building opposite Trinity Metro Station because of the construction of metro. "In 1987, I sat on the promenade and sketched a panoramic view of MG Road. Where is the promenade now? It's gone and can't be restored to its original glory, however hard you may try.

Out of so many structures that the artist has documented, his favourite is Mayo Hall. Making a sketch right on the location is challenging. The hustle bustle of street life, weather and being out in the open, comes with its own set of problems. "Sometimes you don't find the correct angle like in the case of Poorna Prasad Building or the GPO whose facade is covered with trees. Sometimes the weather conditions bring in challenges. I remember a beautiful incident when I was making a sketch sitting opposite Shoolay Police Station (now demolished) on Brigade Road and it started drizzling but I didn't realise it till I finished the sketch. After I finished, I realised, a roadside vendor stood next to me covering me with an umbrella so that I could complete the work."

Poorna Prasad Building It was built in 1910 by Dewan P.N. Krishnamurti on Race Course Road, who named it after his great-grandfather Dewan Purnaiya, who was the first Dewan of the partitioned Mysore State. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar was a minor, Dewan Purnaiya along with Maharani Lakshmi Ammani, the regent queen of Mysore were believed to have taken all the major decisions on his behalf.

Another hassle arises due to the rules and regulations around heritage structures. "I am not too sure but strangely you are allowed to photograph these buildings but not sketch. I think it is because they think the artist will go there with his easel, which can be inconvenient to the visitors. You have to take permission to do the sketch on the location. That's why I haven't been able to do sketches of Kempegowda Fort, Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan and Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, a cave temple in Basavangudi."

Now, Badal has compiled around 60 sketches into a book called "Seen and Unseen Sketches of Bangalore" and is looking for a publisher. With buildings that have disappeared from the cityscape, obscure structures and landmark historical sites the city is known for, it will be a seminal documentation.

(Badal Majumdar's sketches and watercolours can be bought online from Mojarto)