JOIN USSeveral French travellers since mid-17th century have penned down the urban, economics and industrial history of Gujarat and Ahmedabad. The connect between the European nation and Ahmedabad has since been growing deeper, with French setting up multiple educational institutes in the city known for its trade and business.
This relationship got a further boost when the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation joined hands with a French team, led by architect Pierre Cadot, for a project to restore and renovate the walled city. The team walked the narrow by-lanes of the walled city, traversing multitude of pols (small residential units) and khadkis (smaller enclaves encompassed within the pols) that had their roots in the foundation in 1411 AD, the year in which Ahmedabad was founded.
Ahmedabad has over 600 pols overlooked by a group of houses on a single street protected by a massive gate at the entrance. Densely populated, they together create a maze of winding narrow lanes forming a series of micro-neighbourhoods. It is this unique self-sustained town planning that gives old city of Ahmedabad its identity. An identity it has maintained till date.
A large section of Amdavadis continue to reside in these pols for over six centuries. While most have remodeled their abode to suit modern living, there are a few who continue to revel in the past and walk the extra mile to restore their heritage to its pristine glory.
The French Haveli of Dhal ni Pol (abode on slope/slant as situated on a small hillock) encompasses within the old world charm and city’s rich heritage legacy.
The restoration work on this 150-year-old structure was begun by the French team, which also lived in it as it went around helping preserve city’s rich heritage. It later became a residency--Arts Reverie – for artists and other creative professionals.
However, when those running Arts Reverie found it difficult to carry on, a group of passionate individuals, led by 48-year-old real estate developer Rajiv Patel, took over.
They named it French Haveli, despite the fact that it was a traditional haveli of a Jain family in an area that was primarily a residence of mercantile and jewellers belonging to Jain community.
“The name French Haveli is intriguing but we named it so as it is famous here as the place where the French team stayed and worked. And they were the ones who educated people on heritage by beginning the revitalisation of heritage anywhere in India from here. They did so by restoring the dilapidated structure, without disturbing its heritage value. The name is to commemorate their whole effort and a tribute to the French,” adds Rajiv.
Rajiv’s tryst with restoring heritage buildings began almost a decade ago when his architect friend asked him whether he had taken a heritage walk in the old city? “I just went out of sheer curiosity but got introduced to a whole new world. It was very inspiring and six months later when the French Haveli was on the block, I simply bought it,” he says.
However, with the purchase began the series of challenges to restore the property. To begin with, he had no background in restoring heritage properties. So he began by travelling to Europe to see how entire cities were preserved. This is where, he says, that vision of restoration started. “The next big challenge was to hunt for artisans as the whole field is dying without any workable revenue model or economics,” he says.
It is then that he thought of creating a model that would show to the world a workable and economically viable way of restoring heritage structures to their pristine glory. He did so by turning it into a heritage homestay.
What one needs to understand here is that it may come across as an artistically decorated heritage home but it addresses an important concern that many historic cities like Ahmedabad are losing their rich-built heritage and cultural identity. The haveli is the living example of investing in heritage and culture preservation by creating partnerships with community and developing sustainable ecosystems.
With the adaptive reuse of this house, Patel worked on making sensitive interventions like reviving the “tanka” (water tank) for storage. The interiors have subtle mix-- both contemporary and traditional--providing a unique blend of living amidst the community combining Gujarat’s culture with comfort and luxury.
The soul of the haveli happens to be its central court, open to sky, air and light. It also has a retraceable roof for everyone to enjoy monsoons. The jhula (traditional Gujarati style swing) in the central court is the best place to relax and calm your nerves.
The community space of the French Haveli has a Chabutaro (a place for birds to feed as found in most of the pols of old Ahmedabad) and a century-old heritage Jain temple.
And walking towards French Haveli from the main street in itself is a remarkable transition from the chaotic urbane life to serene and historic period. One gets transformed to the world of past as one traverses amidst cluster of rows of houses bundled together by labyrinthine streets that open into sub-lanes or khadki and public squares or “chowks”.
Each room at French Haveli– Chabutaro, Malo (nest), Ordo (room), Agaashi (terrace) and Mahajan (great man) suite room-- too has its own individual charisma. And the food served at the haveli remains fresh and traditional made of vegetables and ingredients purchased from nearby markets at the historic Manek Chowk.
No wonder, it has become a charm for travellers from across the globe who make French Haveli their abode, even if it is for a few hours or a couple of days. In fact, during kite festival–Uttarayan – in Ahmedabad, the roof of French Haveli gets bid for as high as Rs 1,00,000.
Rajiv is now working to replicate this model to restore more than a dozen properties in the old city. He says people buy real estate but do not know its worth. French Haveli, he feels, is a successful model for every stakeholder. For the moneybags, it is better return on investment; for heritage enthusiasts, a great way to preserve richness of our culture; for travellers, to revel in history and great opportunity for living communities to cleaner environs, better earning opportunities and to welcome the world to their doorsteps.
“This is a legendary effort for life. It is passion married to economic reality. It is the model that can turn old dying cities into economic hub. It is the model that can now be replicated across historic cities in our country,” Rajiv adds.