In a development that has raised serious questions about the protection of India's architectural legacy, four heritage furniture items from Chandigarh, designed by the legendary architect Pierre Jeanneret, were sold at an auction in the United States. The items fetched a total of Rs 18.87 lakh in the sale conducted on January 8.
Official Sounds Alarm, Seeks MEA Intervention
The auction has prompted a strong reaction from Ajay Jagga, a member of the Heritage Items Protection Cell of the Chandigarh Administration. Jagga has written to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, flagging the illegal export of national heritage and seeking the ministry's protection. He expressed grave concerns over the sale of these culturally significant artefacts.
According to details, the auctioned pieces originally belonged to prominent Chandigarh institutions funded by the public. The items were sourced from Panjab University (PU), Punjab Engineering College (PEC), and the MLA flats. The sale was handled by the WRIGHT Auction House based in the US.
Violation of Export Ban and Public Trust
Jagga highlighted that the auction took place despite prior intimation about the issue. He thanked the Indian Consulate in Chicago for its prompt response to the matter. Crucially, he cited a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order from 2011 that explicitly bans the export of furniture designed by Pierre Jeanneret.
"Such original furniture, commissioned using public funds for government and educational institutions, was never meant for private sale or export," Jagga stated. He argued that the removal of these pieces not only violates the central government's ban but also weakens the authenticity of Chandigarh’s UNESCO-tagged heritage architecture.
Calls for Inventory Audit and Strict Action
The official has raised critical questions regarding the chain of custody and authorization for the disposal of these assets. He has demanded to know who authorised the removal and whether any heritage clearance was obtained before the items left the country.
In his appeal for decisive measures, Ajay Jagga has called for:
- An immediate inquiry into the incident.
- A complete inventory audit of all heritage furniture across Chandigarh's institutions.
- The formulation of clear policy guidelines to prevent such occurrences.
- Fixing accountability for the illegal export of public heritage assets.
This incident underscores the ongoing challenges in safeguarding India's movable cultural property, especially pieces of immense historical and design value linked to the modernist city of Chandigarh. The response from the Ministry of External Affairs and other concerned departments is now keenly awaited.
