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Picture Of Neglect

The 457-acre estate of the Roerichs near Bangalore is in a pathetic condition. But does anyone care, asks INDIA TODAY's Principal Correspondent Stephen David.

They lie side by side. The graves of Svetoslav Roerich and his wife Devika Rani. Covered with dust and dried leaves, there's an unmistakeable starkness about them. A stark contrast with the rich artistic tapestry that once made up their lives. There's nothing to suggest that they were great names in another time, not even an inscription to say which tombstone belongs to whom. But then, who cares.

Late last year, the International Roerich Centre in Moscow regretted the pathetic condition of Tataguni, the 457 acre
estate of the Roerich's near Bangalore on which the graves stand. It approached the Union Government to hand over the remains of the Russian painter so that they could be buried
again in St. Petersburg. In any case, the centre maintained,
that Roerich wanted it this way. It also requested India to hand over the priceless artefacts, paintings and other valuables that the Roerichs owned. But Russian Ambassador Alexander Kadakin's plans to follow up the request never stuck and a representative he was supposed to send to Bangalore in this connection earlier this year never turned up.

Neither has the 15-member trust to maintain the Roerich estate, chaired by the chief secretary of Karnataka, ever met. The trust has four representatives from Russia, including one from the Russian embassy, its cultural director from Delhi and the Russia-India Cultural Association chief from Moscow, but there has been no initiative to discuss the state of the estate.

It's a jinx, says a Roerich fan, among a group of the Russian painter's friends who plan to meet Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna next month in a bid to restore Tataguni's glory. But the state Government, it appears, is in no hurry to take note.

It was in 1996 that the state passed an ordinance to take over Tataguni, the home and heart of the Russian painter and his actress wife till their death in 1993 and 1994. Its plans to establish an art-gallery-cum-museum to preserve the valuables belonging to the couple have remained just that and if there's anything that is still keeping the Roerichs in the news, it's the dragging legal battle over their property.

There are eight cases pending in this connection in various courts. Primary among them is the one in which the couple's caretaker, Mary Joyce Poonacha, has challenged the Government's ordinance, claiming that she is the legal heir of the Roerichs. Subsequently, the Karnataka High Court in an interim order directed that the status quo be maintained regarding the property's possession but permitted the state Government to enter the estate to prevent damage to the property. The case, for reasons best known to the Government, still hangs fire.

The Bangalore police had also filed several criminal cases including theft, misappropriation of funds, forgery, breach of
trust and cheating, againt Poonacha but no follow-up action has been taken on them. A former high court judge says the only solution is to appoint a special public prosecutor who could dispose of the cases without further delay. But if the past is any indication, that decision itself could take a long time coming. Unless, of course, Roerich's friends make a difference.

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