History does not die a natural death, it dies of ignorance, and blindness. It dies because of the human inability to replenish, conserve and protect its sources. It dies slowly, hopelessly, and irrevocably. The Bastion, is history trapped inside the asphalt jungle called Mahal. The bastion built brick by brick in the 16th century is the only remaining evidence of the old walled city of Nagpur. Today, one curve of the bastion serves as a wall of a house, while the other curve faces a heap of garbage. One cannot find it without the help of the local residents. The entire structure is covered under wild vegetation, the original edifice of the bastion exists only in the collective memory of the residents living there.

This is the story of the Bastion -- the fortified inner yard -- of the Gond Palace. Today, this inner yard of the Gond Palace estate is in utter ruins, in total neglect, identifying Nagpur’s lack of sense of its own ‘past. Not only has the wall of this inner yard been breached at several places, but also exhibits what not -- plants, holes, collapsed bricks, and the city’s collective apathy. This place, from where the Gond dynasty was supposed to have ruled the region, is in ruins, thanks to us all.

Of course, the Gond Palace was the target of the enemy not once but several times -- even as the Gond armies fought back the invaders. But there did come a time when the attackers could destroy the bastion. And, to be sure, the Gond Palace had not one but as many as four bastions. The enemy succeeded in destroying three -- in just one attack. The present one is the survivor. Here, the story takes another and saddening twist. What survived the enemy attack could not survive the current social apathy. But first, the older details:

According to a paper published by Hemant Sane ‘The Deogad-Nagpur Gond Dynasty’, Khan-I-Dauran, a Sardar of Shahjahan, was ordered to attack Koka Shah in 1636. He was assisted by Jai Singh and Sipahdar Khan. Three teams of Sappers were employed to prepare three mines under the walls of the fort. Darvesh Pahalwan was given the task of filing the moat around the fort, all mines were fired except one. Three bastions and parts of the wall were destroyed. This is the first recorded invasion of Nagpur. The bastion is the only physical, material reminder of the past. It’s current condition is not only disturbing and humiliating but also dangerous. The vegetative growth threatens the stability of the structure, it may cause the bastion to fall threatening the life of the people living there. Immediate actions must be taken to remedy the situation. True, the common people in the street may expect the royal Shah family to take care of its own property -- so-called. But this argument has no meaning, in the sense, the history and legacy of the Gonds is the property of the whole city and the administration. And that is where the black-hole of apathy is. This city -- our very own beloved city -- has done precious little to preserve the remains of the royal