Our Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex (parliament building), designed by the renowned architect Louis Kahn, is recognised globally as one of the greatest architectural monuments of the 20th century. Today it may be considered as part of our cultural heritage.
However, the sanctity of the design of this majestic building complex could not be protected due to lack of artistic sensibilities on the part of government officials, the greed for land, and paranoia about security of public servants.
All these factors have led to the creeping disfigurement of this national monument; the latest being the mindless construction of a metal bar fence around the main building of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban.
The unplanned urban expansion of Dhaka city over the last few decades has meant that today the fields surrounding the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex are one of the handful of open spaces where the citizens can go for recreation.
The current wall construction project will effectively cage the parliament building and fence off the citizens from the surrounding fields. This will mean that yet another open green space will be taken away from the citizens.
History of the construction
Louis Kahn, the famous and well-respected American architect based in Philadelphia, was commissioned to design a national assembly complex in the 1950s by the Pakistan Government. Apparently, the Pakistan Government wanted to create a monument, which would rival and surpass the Chandigarh Legislative Assembly Building in India designed by another leading architect of the time, Le Corbusier.
Kahn was thus commissioned to design what was to become the “second capital” of Pakistan in Dhaka. When Kahn provided the initial Master Plan it contained a blueprint for the future construction of the entire city. The Master Plan envisaged a planned urban city with the national assembly building as the focal star at its centre.
The construction of our Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex began in 1961, almost a decade before the birth of Bangladesh. Louis Kahn himself visited Dhaka and supervised some of the initial works. During his visit he inspected the site and got a feel for the country and this was reflected in his designs.
He ensured that the materials used for the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban could be obtained from local sources. He went as far as to train the local masons and the construction workers how to create the rough concrete blocks which are inlaid with bands of white marble. He supervised the creation and production of the red bricks which were to be used in the surrounding buildings.
The construction of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban took over two decades and was completed in 1982. Since its completion it has come to be recognised as not just the most significant building in Bangladesh but, architecturally, one of the most significant works of the 20th century in the world.
Significance of the compositionof the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex
Louis Kahn designed the entire complex and designated appropriate spaces for the buildings, lawns, water bodies, stairs, and columns. The geometric patterns of the buildings of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex has been designed, laid out, and built after careful and thorough consideration by one of the greatest architectural minds of the last century.
Each segment, each space, each column of light, and each brick has significance and contributes to the overall ascetic beauty of the entire complex. Deviations and changes in the composition and structure of the individual buildings, without any thought as to the overall composition and beauty of the complex, only diminished the value of the entire monument.
When one gets a bird’s eye of the entire complex one realizes that the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban is actually meant to be a star in the middle of a crescent, signified by the crescent lake. This was symbolic of the star and crescent that existed in the Pakistan flag at the time the project was commissioned.
The core of the building that houses the legislative assembly is a domed amphitheatre that also allows natural light to enter the premises. These spaces and corridors surrounding the amphitheatre in the centre are meant to be surrounded by what has been described as “light and air courts.”
Kahn’s aim was to create a modern building while utilizing the local heritage and culture. To this end the water bodies on the three sides of the core of the building portray the rivers of Bangladesh. The steps from these water bodies leading to the main complex are meant to represent the riverbanks of Bangladesh.
The open green lawns surrounding the main building complex obviously represent the greenery of Bangladesh. However, there is a deeper symbolic meaning to the lawns. The lawns were designed in such a manner so as to be open and accessible to the citizens of the state.
It was envisaged that citizens, young and old, would be able to visit the areas surrounding their national legislative building, which would house the members elected by them. The purpose of this openness was to make the people realise that the elected legislature in a democratic polity belongs to them, the people. The lawns and open spaces were never meant to be restricted areas. The legislative assembly of lawmakers inside the house was meant to complement the assembly of citizens on the lawns.
This was designed to reflect the deep-rooted notion that in a democratic society the people were the ultimate source of power. They were never meant to be marginalised. In a philosophical sense, the institution of democracy was meant to emerge from the light, columns, and open spaces of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex.
Attacks on the design envisaged in the Master Plan by Louis Kahn
Much like the state of democracy in Bangladesh, the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex has suffered periodic attacks and defacements in violation of the Master Plan envisaged by Louis Kahn. The scars borne by the building today are testaments of the authorities, who have been insensitive to the architectural beauty of the majestic complex.
At present the grave of Ziaur Rahman lies at the base of the crescent lake, which was symbolic of the crescent of the Pakistan flag. This place was never designated as a shrine. The bridge over the crescent lake was never meant to dissect the crescent of the Pakistan flag. The space where the grave is was designed in Louis Kahn’s Master Plan for the Secretariat of the Government in order to facilitate the smooth functioning of the bureaucracy at the door-step of the national parliament.
The palm trees around the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex were planted during General Ershad’s time apparently to decrease the visibility of the National Assembly Building and increase security. Symbolically, today it probably also represents a time when the state went through a process of Islamisation with the palm trees imported from the Middle East by a military dictator paranoid about the power of the people. In a sense the palm trees are remnants of the paranoia and lack of transparency that epitomised that military regime.
Even during democratic rules of both the BNP and Awami League the design and composition of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex was not immune from attacks. In yet another violation of the Master Plan by Louis Kahn, the NAM (Non-Alligned Movement) flats were built for the Members of Parliament in the 1990s.
And to top all these, the most egregious violations were the grabbing of a huge segment of the open lawns, meant for the citizens, by the public authorities to build houses of the speaker and the deputy speaker. The projects were initiated at the insistence of the then honourable speaker of the parliament.
This action of the authorities to build the houses for the speaker and the deputy speaker were challenged before the High Court Division of the Supreme Court and buildings were declared to have been constructed illegally by the High Court.
Unfortunately, in the face of opposition by the State, spearheaded by the then Attorney General himself, that judgment was overturned on appeal, in unusual circumstances, at the end of the last BNP regime.
Duty to protect the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex
The significance of the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex as a masterpiece of architectural beauty is often not appreciated by us. The public authorities responsible for preserving and protecting this monument are often the very people with the least respect for the cultural and architectural significance of the complex.
On numerous instances, over the years, mindless constructions and alterations have been made to the complex. In most occasions the duty of making these changes is handed over to constructors, civil engineers, or bureaucrats involved in public housing works.
These individuals, more often than not, have little or no sense of the architectural significance of the complex, which is considered the magnum opus of Louis Kahn.
When dealing with the constructions in and around the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex, the public authorities in Bangladesh have not only been insensitive to the aesthetic significance of the monument but have been acting in violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh. Article 24 of the Bangladesh Constitution states:
“The State shall adopt measures for the protection against disfigurement, damage, or removal of all monuments, objects, or places of special artistic or historic importance or interest.”
Public officials have also ignored the fact that they are not free to deal with public property in any manner they please. The Constitution of Bangladesh does not give unfettered power to the public authorities to deal with public property in any whimsical manner they please. Iconic cultural heritage monuments have not been bestowed upon the public authorities so that they can be dealt as their private property.
The Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex can be compared to the Taj Mahal in Agra, St Paul’s Cathedral in London, or the Washington Monument in Washington DC. In each of those countries there are building codes and laws which are effectively implemented to protect the respective national monuments.
These landmark buildings are seen to represent the heritage and culture of the states that house them, and the public authorities are bestowed with a special duty to preserve and protect them. In India, the courts have held that factories resulting in air pollution causing damage to the Taj Mahal are to be removed from the vicinity of the monument.
In Washington DC there are building restrictions which ensure that none of the buildings are built higher than the Washington Monument. Similarly, the authorities in London ensure that the views of St Paul’s Cathedral from various prominent locations around the city are not obstructed by construction.
Unfortunately, in Bangladesh neither laws nor the public authorities have been active in preserving and protecting our Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex.
The present fencing of the complex
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that one has to see the start of another mindless project to ring fence the Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex with metal barriers. All this is being done in the name of security even though there has not been any security breach or incident which would merit such a draconian measure.
The current plans would not only destroy the architectural beauty of the complex, but would also make inaccessible to the public a large portion of the open spaces around the main building. In addition it would be a violation of Article 24 of the Constitution of Bangladesh.
These open spaces had always been open to the public. In this city of ours, with ever-shrinking open space for the citizens, this latest fencing off attempt is another of the series of measures aimed to take away from the public what should be rightfully theirs.
Conclusion
Regrettably, no attempt has been made to explain why such a measure of fencing off the main building was required or how it was proportionate to the so-called security threat to the National Legislature.
As far as security is concerned, while the parliament is in session, the area around the parliament can been guarded or patrolled without having to fence off the entire area.
It may be pertinent to consider whether we want a democracy where the citizens have to be cordoned off from even the lawns and steps outside of the parliament, which is meant to reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people.
If military generals could run their parliaments keeping the adjacent fields open to the public, why would a democratic parliament need to fence off the lawns? Why should we be so insensitive to the architectural value of the only globally recognised building that we have in Bangladesh? Is this the price of security?
We, the citizens, appeal to the Speaker of the parliament, under whose Secretariat the construction is taking place, to take necessary steps to halt construction of the wall or fence. Madam Hon’ble Speaker, you have taken an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.
Please help us prevent the disfigurement and damage to our Jatiya Sangshad Bhaban complex in violation of Article 24 of the Constitution. Please explore alternative means of ensuring security, which would not destroy the artistic and architectural beauty of the complex. Please do not deny the citizens the open lawns which they have always enjoyed.
