Sir,

This refers to the letter titled “Heartbeat of a lost legacy: Bal Bhavan” in SOM dated June 11. I have said it before and I will say it again. We seem to have lost our sense of pride in our heritage and culture. Today, our focus appears to be largely on power and money.

Until every citizen of Karnataka learns to take pride in our ancestry and the legacy left behind by previous generations and develops the desire to leave a similar legacy for future generations, few will care about a historic building, a monument, literature, poetry or art.

The questions that inevitably arise are: How does it affect me? How does it improve my standard of living? How does it make my life easier?

This sense of pride must be instilled in our children. It begins at home and must be reinforced in schools, colleges, workplaces, among friends and within  the community.

From what I see, there is only one issue that consistently stirs emotions in Karnataka: Language. But what about honesty, respect for the law, cleanliness, civic responsibility, pride in our State and community and the desire to build a better future for our State, our country, our families and our children?

Many buildings are declared heritage structures. On several occasions, I have asked what exactly constitutes ‘heritage’ and what makes a building worthy of that designation.

The most common answer is its age. If age alone is criterion, then why have so many buildings that were more than a century old been demolished to make way for new buildings?

— George Rego

Mysuru

12.6.2026