The social importance of Architectural Conservation and Renovation is a subject that a large populace of Indian Nationals feels strongly about. However, their absence in the discussions towards executing such projects leaves their opinions and sentiments unheard. The most recent project may be the Amritsari location of Jallianwala Bagh, a pivotal event in uniting regional endeavors of freedom struggle to one national movement. On account of the 100th anniversary of the event, the Government of India decided to renovate the massacre site and the Memorial built-in 1961; convert it to an elaborate memorial, a national historic site, in tribute to the martyrs. However, on the Memorial’s opening, a significant part of the community disapproved of the work, starting from the family of the martyrs to historians at large.
This paper will talk about the two different aspects that are considered in the discussion of public projects. The first part shall cover what classifies as a memorial and how locations worldwide have constructed memorials over sites of tragic events taking two case studies under our purview. The second part shall focus on the patron’s intent in executing such a project and how it directly affects the public’s sentiment; the discourse between the Government and the people shall be visited. Who does the Government cater to when deciding the elements of renovation, what gets preserved and what gets enhanced? How does the proposal view the site of the massacre, and why is there a disagreement from the public? How does this renovation benefit the public? Who is the end-user/consumer of the heritage the building exudes? This paper aims to recognize how memorials of national historical relevance gain that status by studying the case of Jallianwala Bagh. By establishing the associations of public and sites of lived reality heritage, the paper aims to understand the intention of a renovation project and materialize the intangible gaps in community participation in decision-making. Keywords: Jallianwala Bagh, Restoration, Disneyfication, Memorial, Preservation of Heritage