From Hyderabad’s British Residency to Delhi’s stepwells, ‘heritage is worth investing in’
The Hindu
Explore why heritage conservation in India boosts tourism, creates jobs, and drives economic growth, according to Bénédicte de Montlaur.
Heritage conservation + tourism = more jobs. This was the formula spelt out by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during the Union Budget presentation on February 1.
Weeks earlier, the New York-based World Monuments Fund (WMF) had shared the same recipe of private-public partnership that it used to restore Hyderabad’s historic British Residency building in 2023. WMF, which has been involved with the Residency project for over two decades, is now working to restore the gardens in the complex, and the Musi riverfront in Hyderabad along which it stands.
It has collaborated with the Telangana government to restore 25 heritage structures across the State. WMF is also at work to conserve community stepwells scattered across India.
Recently, WMF’s Chief Executive Officer Bénédicte de Montlaur was at the British Residency to mark 60 years of the non-profit’s inception, its 10th anniversary in India, and 30 years of couturier Tarun Tahiliani’s fashion label. Sharing her thoughts on adaptive reuse and community involvement, de Montlaur elaborates on why heritage conservation is central to India’s future as an economic driver. Edited excerpts:
Bénédicte de Montlaur, Chief Executive Officer of World Monuments Fund, at British Residency in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
WMF had a long association with the British Residency project. Why was it significant?
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