IT IS in the natural order of things that the past should make way for the future. Natural, perhaps even necessary, that crumbly old buildings set amidst vast plots be pulled down and replaced with vertical business centres, given the growing space crunch.
For all that, it is hard not to feel regretful when it happens. Unfortunately, it’s been happening all too frequently.
In the last decade alone Prakash and Starlit cinemas as well scores of colonial-era bungalows on MG Road, buildings with both character and history, have been knocked down to construct the ubiquitous “commercial complex”.
Joining them soon in building Valhalla would be Jhabua Kothi on RNT Marg. The property, spread over 74,000 square feet, is being demolished to make way for a “state-of-the-art mall” being promoted by Manish Kalani.
With this the curtain has come down on yet another kothi constructed by rulers of principalities adjoining Indore to house wards studying in Daly College - as well as the retinue of cooks and attendants necessary to keep them in comfort and luxury.
A slew of such buildings were constructed in the City in the 19th and 20th centuries, most notably Gwalior Boarding house that hosted scions of the Scindia family, Bhopal Compound
{{/usCountry}}A slew of such buildings were constructed in the City in the 19th and 20th centuries, most notably Gwalior Boarding house that hosted scions of the Scindia family, Bhopal Compound
{{/usCountry}}that served as Nawab Yasin Mohammed Khan’s residence during his stint at Daly College, Dewas Kothi, Ratlam Kothi, Rajgarh Kothi, Sitamau Kothi, Banda Compound and, of course, Jhabua Kothi.
While a few like Gwalior Boarding, now the office of the MP Public Service Commission, were taken over by the government most others fell into disrepair and were sold off by their increasingly pressed-for-cash owners.
Most of Bhopal Compound and Ratlam Kothi are today taken up by shops and commercial complexes while a mosque near the Bus Stand is the sole remaining relic of the Banda Compound.
With Jhabua Kothi, too, making way for a high-rise structure the day may not be far off when the last remaining traces of these princely abodes may be wiped off altogether.
Jhabua Kothi mall
TO BE spread over 74,000 square feet the proposed mall at Jhabua Kothi would be a three-way joint venture between Pantaloon, Atul Ruia Group and Manish Kalani of the Treasure Island multiplex at MG Road.
Indore Central, a large format store along the lines of similar shopping-cum-entertainment centres developed by Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited in Hyderabad and Bangalore, will be the anchor tenant for the property.
“The project would be a ‘seamless mall’. That means instead of leasing out shops independently the mall would be leased to a single entity, which may then either sub-lease units or avail the entire property itself,” revealed Kalani.
If its predecessors are anything to go by, Indore Central would be floor upon floor of consumer fantasy packed with the best brands in apparel, toys, books, music, sports and lifestyle accessories.
Everything from the basic to the extravagant, from home furnishings to groceries, from couture to white goods and ATM’s to restaurants, all under one roof!
“The mall will be a JV between Kshitij, Pantaloon’s real estate fund, Phoenix Mills multiplex developer Atul Ruia and Naman Mall Management Private Limited (NMMPL), of which I am one of the directors,” informed the realtor. He is, however, cagey about revealing the stake held by each as “things are still in a state of flux”.
Kalani, whose MG Road multiplex has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, says the property has been purchased outright and the land was registered in mid-December. “We expect to begin the project within three months,” concludes the builder.