when the false ceiling in murli deoras office at parliament house caved in last july it turned out that the rot had set in right at the top the main kitchen located right above the ministers room was spewing more sewage than the pipes could handle it was a disaster waiting to happen sir herbert baker the imperial architect who designed the magnificent building that was to become the symbol of indian democracy had created kitchen space for 1000 servings a day instead its dishing out more than 4000 servings every day to satisfy the demands of a burgeoning population of parliament secretariat officials security staff media persons and parliamentarians friends and families deora is not the only victim of the seepage from parliaments overflowing kitchen drains a thorough examination probably the first of its kind since the building came up in 1928 revealed that at least three adjoining offices including union home minister p chidambarams were similarly affected and needed extensive repairs some real dangers lurk behind the mellow sandstone faade of the stately buildings on delhis raisina hill here beauty is obviously skin deep the external grandeur of the creations of edwin lutyens and herbert baker hides the rot that has set in inside years of neglect abuse and overuse of spaces and facilities have eaten into a legacy that would have been preserved as a national treasure anywhere else in the world the deora shocker seems to have shaken the custodians of delhis power buildings into launching the first major effort to turn back the clock since rajiv gandhi undertook the restoration of the prime ministers office hyderabad house and parts of rashtrapati bhavan in 1985 three separate projects are under way to restore rashtrapati bhavan parliament house and north and south blocks to their original splendour it is of course easier said than done few have a feel for conservation or understanding of what it entails this is particularly true when it comes to retaining the original character of the interiors in a land with a decided preference for glitzy marble and parquet flooring the stone floors put in by lutyens and baker are hardly valued every incumbent of the heritage property has introduced his or her quirks and whims over the decades sometimes making structural changes and often altering the architects vision of the building former president abdul kalam for instance put in a manipuri hut in the grounds of rashtrapati bhavan he called it his thinking hut it has now been removed because it was thought to clash with lutyens grandly classical style kalam also had a modernday musical fountain installed in the mughal gardens this too is considered an eyesore in an area where mughal and english landscaping styles combine to create a unique ambience conservationists feel that the first step towards preserving a heritage building is to ban changes that alter its integrity and feel these are public properties and should be treated like national treasures said wellknown restorer sunita kohli who