Delhi's recent passion for preserving its old structures is proving to be a tough task. Especially in the walled city, where owners of havelis like Namak Haram ki Haveli and Ladli Devi ka Bada Mandir are resisting any kind of government interference.

LEAVE US ALONE: Owners of 300-year-old Ladli Devi ka Bada Mandir and Namak Haeam ki Haveli (below left)

The city's heritage patrol-with delegates of the MCD, intach, DDA, the ASI, the Delhi Department of Archaeology and the Urban Arts Commission (forming an ominously bureaucratic umbrella)-had singled out 750 pre-1947 structures in June in what is a commendable move. No changes could be allowed in them. But since then there has been confusion about the term "heritage building", and the extent to which they could be tampered with. Anil Wilson, principal of St Stephen's College, a listed building, has a question: "Does that mean that when we need to get a window pane replaced, we have to write an application. By the time the letter passes from one babu to another, the door would need replacement."

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St Stephen's is lucky. Many of the buildings in the list have been completely destroyed since the list was made, adding to the confusion. In south Delhi's Munirka village, earlier a distant outpost but now eaten by the city, Pawan Kumar is not even aware that his ancestral house is honoured in the list. Not much of the building is left anyway. "After six months even the old arched doorway will disappear," he says.

The authorities are now revising their inventory. V.K. Bugga of the MCD says that they may even allow maintenance changes as well as re-enforcement of the shell and façade. But when a consensus is finally reached between the authorities and the residents, it could be too late.

-Teresa Rehman

Fitness In The Family

For her aerobics video voguishly called Fitness Fundas, Kamala Selvaraj roped in a crowd-puller Chennai cannot resist-her sister and Hindi film actress Rekha. Selvaraj, who is also the associate director of GG Hospitals, partnered with aerobic tutor Suraiya to produce a 45-minute toning session, presumably disturbed by Chennai's growing incidence of obesity. When clippings from the video were shown to an audience, also consisting of actress Radhika and her husband Sarathkumar, the two fondly held each other's hands in a touching display of sibling affection. Rekha, of course, doesn't need a copy.

-Kavitha Muralidharan