Visitors share space with a sleeping dog and litter at Nandan

Debris and garbage lie by the water body behind the main building

The fountain with people sitting on the railing around it, ignoring the sign prohibiting them from doing so. Pictures by Bishwarup Dutta

Metro retraces Mamata Banerjee’s steps during her Nandan walk two weeks ago to see what she saw and find out the quick-fixes she came up with. We then walk the extra yard to find more sore spots crying out for attention in the culture hub that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had patronised but failed to protect from decay.

IN MAMATA’S STEPS…

Kolkata Information Centre

What she saw: The reading room and information kiosk that houses the West Bengal databank, where people can make online complaints and recommendations. She was surprised to hear that the official website is seldom updated.

What she ordered: The website must be updated twice a day and made more surfer-friendly, while the databank should be broadened and made specific.

Pond

What she saw: Trash fringing the banks and plastic floating in the waters. Residents of shanties nearby bathe and wash clothes in the pond, flanked by Nandan, the Calcutta Information Centre, Natya Akademi and Sisir Mancha. The iron railings have rusted and the pathway is barely suitable for a walk with bamboo poles piled on one side and dead leaves littering the entire stretch.

What she ordered: Immediate beautification. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee was asked to get the Calcutta Municipal Corporation to start cleaning and beautifying the zone. Involve the PWD in the project if necessary, he was told. Mamata suggested that the pond be used for boating and the entire area converted into an environment-friendly recreation hub.

Nandan I

What she saw: An empty hall with holes in the ceiling, broken for repairs after a chunk came crashing down in April.

What she ordered: Immediate restoration of the hall. Mamata summoned PWD officials to brief them on what needed to be done. When Metro visited Nandan I, the hall was being repaired with the entire ceiling being overhauled.

Nandan II

What she saw: A shut hall. Nandan II has had to be closed because it shares an air-conditioning plant with Nandan I.

What she ordered: Separate ducts or air-conditioners for Nandan II so that the hall can resume screening films even as Nandan I is being repaired. Air-conditioners were being installed at Nandan II when Metro visited the premises.

Nandan foyer

What she saw: A shallow fountain pool just outside Nandan II with mossy residue on the sides and dead leaves floating in the murky water. The fountain, the centrepiece of the spacious semi-circular verandah where Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee used to host his famous film festival tea party, wasn’t working.

What she ordered: That the fountain be fixed immediately, the water cleaned and a “small but beautiful food court” set up in the foyer.

...AND BEYOND

Library on the ground floor

What we saw: Two poorly planned levels with the lower one housing an apology of a reading room that can accommodate not more than 10 readers. A lone librarian manages everything, though other Nandan employees lend a helping hand when they are free. The upper level is meant to be the multimedia section for the screening of special or rare films for research students and budding filmmakers. Hard copies of old film journals are unavailable. Many may be unaware that the Nandan library, which had been shifted to the Chalachitra Shatabarsho Bhavan in 2008, has returned to its old premises on the ground floor of the main building in the complex. The number of visitors has dwindled.

What we recommend: A fresh look at the seating arrangements to create space for more readers. Inter-library tie-ups to give readers more study material, re-introduction of the film appreciation course, digitisation of old books and film journals, and Internet access. An awareness drive to make the library popular beyond the city should also help.

Film vault on third floor

What we saw: A 400sq ft room with rows of empty, dust-laden steel racks, blank cans, piles of old papers and broken projector machines. The room has been lying unused since 2008, when the vault that stocked films, spools and CDs was shifted to Chalachitra Shatabarsho Bhavan in Tollygunge.

What we recommend: The room can be used as an extension of the library to house the multimedia section. It can also be turned into a DVD library with adequate audio-visual material. A separate space for monitors and headphones would be helpful for students and film enthusiasts.

Main building entrance

What we saw: The line of small fountains along the main building sprinkling dirty recycled water that is cleaned only twice a year. The fountains malfunction because they aren’t maintained. As you ascend the stairs, there is a patio showcasing a small scale model of the Nandan complex, boxed in glass. The dusty glass case with the model placed on a table with wood peeling off is a sorry sight that mirrors the state of Nandan.

What we recommend: Make it mandatory to clean the fountains regularly, repaint the rusty railings and beautify the entrance with installation art, rare film posters and photographs.

Box office

What we saw: A kiosk with shutters down. Nobody seems to know what films are being screened, the show timings or when the box office opens.

What we recommend: Online booking for a certain percentage of the seats and updated information on events, preferably a downloadable monthly or weekly calendar of events, film screenings, retrospectives and exhibitions on a Nandan website.

Overall look

What we saw: Mostly shabby. People were loitering in the complex, some finding a place for adda under the shade of trees and others hanging around the stalls. Bamboos and ropes used in an outdoor show a few days earlier were still lying around.

What we recommend: First and foremost, a strict cleaning schedule. The authorities should set up an art cafe where people of all ages can hang out. Books and DVD stalls are also a must. The outdoors need more green cover along with a nursery or greenhouse.

What can be done to revive Nandan? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com.