The State of the Buildings in New Delhi

By Roderick Gradidge

At our meeting at Rashtrapati Bhavan I was asked by the President of India to give my views on the state of the Lutyens/Baker government complex.

Generally Rashtrapati Bhavan is well looked after, though one or two unfortunate things have crept in, particularly on the ground floor were unsightly ‘go downs’ and kiosks have been built; there have been some unsightly lighting additions; but worst is the painting in dark red of the great sandstone chujja (Mughal cornice) that runs round the whole of the building. There is little Lutyens furniture to be seen.

The Mughal gardens seem extremely well kept. It was nice to see the correct level of the ponds being maintained; though here again red paint on the marvellous fountains needs removing.

The only buildings on the President’s estate that we got to see were Lutyens’s remarkable stables. They were badly maintained, the stucco is peeling, the chujjas are badly broken.

The Baker parliament building is well looked after and Baker furniture is being reproduced. The Baker Secretariats are fine from the outside but the interiors have been much altered with temporary screens.

The working drawings for New Delhi, the most complete set of Lutyens drawings anywhere in the world, are suitably kept in metal tubes, though they should be in a fire-proof room. Copies should be made so that the originals are not used for day to day work as at present.

A full report is being prepared for the President.