THE RENASCENCE

Ganja (Cannabis), one of the most controversial products, was once a part of the socio-cultural life & used traditionally in the Bengal region. Its legalized cultivation helped a city to grow socio-economically & infrastructurally named Naogaon. Back in 1917, a cooperative association, “Naogaon Ganja Cultivators Co-Operative Society Limited-” was registered with the cannabis farmers in the Naogaon district for the cultivation, processing, and marketing of Cannabis (Ganja). Besides forming several structures such as an administrative building, accommodations & warehouses on the bank of Little Jamuna River, the society also promoted education & other necessary facilities for the city. The area beside the River is known as Ganja Mahal or Palace of Cannabis. But the function of the ganja Cooperative society faced a threat when Bangladesh signed the Anti-narcotics treaty in the Geneva Convention in 1974. According to the treaty, there was a declaration of illegality in the cultivation, processing & marketing of cannabis. As a result, people find it taboo to speak about it & structures related to cannabis history became abandoned & the city neglected the root that once fueled the seed of growth. Also, unplanned encroachment, the lack of regular use & maintenance, and proper urban development thinking of the historical footprints impeded the city from connecting with the past and turning them into a background entity. So, the structures are at threat of demolishment if the negligence continues. So, the project provides a holistic design framework to preserve the historical traces of Naogaon. The design framework considers three different zones on the master plan with three thematic concepts Revitalization, Rejuvenation & Reminiscence. After analyzing the existing situation of historical structures, their relation with the surrounding fabric, and the land use of each zone, the conceptual framework has evolved. The framework includes conserving historical structures with a new identity & opportunity to serve the local people & tourists through adaptive reuse and integration of new design interventions fusing surrounding forces. The Masterplan proposal offers visitors a heritage walk starting from Zone A to Zone B & finally ending at Zone C. The identifiable Red Colored & textured Pedestrian network serves as an indicator to the people to walk through this. The journey starts with Zone A, where visitors can experience the interpretation center exhibiting the documentaries of Ganja Society and the public gathering spaces that blend the surrounding landscape, modern interventions & the historical Entity. Water is used as a medium to experience the historical structures in Zone B and accommodation for tourists reusing the old abandoned semi-detached Houses. Multipurpose, Library functions are injected within the abandoned Cold Storage of this Zone to serve learning & creative spaces for the students and also a cafe to experience the taste of local food. The abandoned & non-accessible Zone C has transformed into a riverfront development with the preservation of old trees, adaptive reuse of warehouses & other structures with modern needs such as book shops, Butik Stores, Library, and Book cafe & gallery space, etc. Lastly, this comprehensive approach rebuilds the lost connection between the city & its glorious history through conserving & redeveloping the territory. Also, the proposal brings to light the taboo issue is also necessary to enlighten the young generation to know about the past & create awareness against the illegal consumption of drugs.