Heritage British bungalow in ruins

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The British bungalow once occupied by John Allan Broun, a Scottish scientist and the second director of Travancore observatory, is currently in a dilapidated condition. Located behind the Indian Meteorological Department office at Observatory Hills here, it was opened in September 1857. The ruined foundation stone reveals that the 5,000 sq-ft mansion later housed the Meteorological Centre, Trivandrum, which  was inaugurated by former chief minister C. Achutha Menon and the then union minister Dr. Sarojini Mahishi.

It was  Broun who paved the way for the first museum in Kerala, which went on to become the Napier museum  in 1857. Broun  had lived in this mansion  for 17 years as per the records of the conservationists and  he was the  director of the observatory from 1852 to 1869. Suresh Elamon, conservationist and documentary film maker, told DC that the bungalow is of priceless historical importance. “The bungalow even has a dance floor which explains the huge area. In any other country, it would have been preserved as a museum befitting its cultural heritage. But  it cuts a sorry figure now,” said Suresh Elamon who is busy with a documentary on the Travancore observatory.

Abu Sivadas, superintendent of Natural History Museum, told DC that if not for Broun, Kerala would never have got Napier museum to its credit. He recalled that Broun’s first official quarters were near the Napier museum as per the historical records. Meteorological department director S. Sudevan  told DC that his predecessor had given a proposal to the Central Public Works Department in New Delhi to restore the old bungalow of Broun. “My department had given the proposal to CPWD over  two years ago with an estimate of '2 crore. We are yet to get any  feedback from them,”  said Sudevan.