Sir,
Call it as “Desi” architecture or whatever, the fact is that old buildings constructed with lime, sand and “surkhi” are still standing tall and strong like a rock. We in Jammu and Srinagar still have some remains of such a splendid architecture which if not promoted further at least needs to be protected . The instances or examples need a lot of space . Added one such feat is the art of lifting the whole or a part of the building without its base support and either elevate in height the base or reconstruct its lower portion to ensure the longevity of the building. In Gorakhpur, a Raj- mistri Radhey Sham Yadav has so far lifted more than 100 whole buildings from above the plinth level to either make the base stronger or raise them above by some feet to prevent damages from flood, drain waters. He has attained mastery in building lifting techniques purely local or “Desi” bewildering the engineers and technical experts in the art of building residential or commercial houses.
We need to honour at the national level such masons and open institutions to train others to keep this technique alive. The cost not only is exceptionally cheaper but excepting the loss of flooring of the base , nothing gets wasted and the entire building gets new lease of life.
Yours etc…..
Vinod Mahajan
Gandhi Nagar
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