A prominent lawyer from Chandigarh has urgently appealed to India's External Affairs Minister to intervene and stop the overseas sale of the city's iconic institutional furniture, which is slated for auction in New York.
Lawyer's Plea to Protect Public Heritage
City-based advocate Ajay Jagga has written a formal letter to Union External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, seeking his immediate intervention. The cause for concern is an auction scheduled for January 14 in New York, where heritage furniture originally designed for Chandigarh's public institutions is being sold.
In his communication, Jagga highlighted that furniture valued between Rs. 1.12 crore and Rs. 1.29 crore is listed for sale. He provided detailed information on 11 specific items and the auction house involved, laying out a clear case for the government to act.
The Historical Significance of the Auctioned Pieces
The items under the hammer are not ordinary furniture. They are original pieces attributed to the legendary architect Pierre Jeanneret, who designed them during his work with the Government of India in the 1950s. Jeanneret, a cousin and collaborator of Le Corbusier, played a pivotal role in shaping Chandigarh's architectural identity.
This collection includes chairs, tables, cabinets, and daybeds. Crucially, they were created exclusively for public institutions like Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College, and various Chandigarh administrative buildings. "These objects were procured with public funds and were never meant for private ownership or overseas sale," Jagga emphatically stated in his letter.
A Matter of National Cultural Patrimony
The issue transcends mere property sale; it touches upon the preservation of India's modern architectural heritage. The furniture represents a significant chapter in the nation's design history, embodying the vision of a post-independence India. Its dispersal into private, international collections through auction is viewed as a loss of public cultural assets.
Jagga's appeal to the EAM underscores the need for diplomatic and legal channels to potentially halt the auction or repatriate the items. The move has sparked a conversation about the protection of publicly funded heritage artifacts and the mechanisms needed to prevent their commercial exploitation abroad.
