Sprucing up Khada Parsi

With the beginning of the new financial year, the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) says it will at long last begin work on restoring to pristine condition the statue of the Khada Parsi, Seth Manockjee Cur­setjee, which stands tall over the Byculla flyover junction. According to Mid Day of February 28, 2012, work has already commenced on the delicate process of restoring the heritage fountain at the base of the iconic statue. City architect Pankaj Joshi is overseeing the restoration work.

Clockwise, from extreme right: Khada Parsi statue; fountain at its base; detailing on pillar

"Street urchins use the structure to dry clothes and store belongings... The lamps would be restored along with the structure,” noted a BMC official, describing the current plight of the fountain. The metal used in the structure has been eroded because of prolonged exposure to the elements, and chunks of it have gone missing, Mid Day notes. The total cost of restoration is pegged at Rs 1.16 crore.

Earlier, there had been plans to move the statue to a nearby site, but those were rescinded (see "Kha­da Parsi to stay,” Events and Personalities, Parsi­ana, March 7, 2009).

Mid Day reports that over four years have passed since the BMC announced its plans to restore the city’s old fountains which are in a deplorable state. After the Byculla fountain, it will be the turn of Flora Fountain in the Fort area to be refurbished.