Memorials often have a way of being ironic. While the building named after the person finds a way into our life, the face of the person is either forgotten or never been heard before. Take for example the Mayo Hall facing MG Road on one side and Residency Road on the other. Even to this day Mayo Hall is a well-known bus stop and is the prime destination for litigators — the civil, sessions and traffic courts that are housed here, but do we stop to ask who Mayo was or what he did to deserve a memorial?Lord Mayo, yes a Britisher, was the fourth viceroy of India. It is said that he consolidated the frontiers of India and reorganised the country’s finances. He also promoted irrigation, railways, forests and other useful public works. The European-oriented Mayo College at Ajmer was founded by him for the education of young Indian chiefs, with £70,000 being subscribed by the chiefs themselves. While on inspection to the convict settlement at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, he was assassinated by Sher Ali, a Pathan convict.His death incidentally lead to a number of memorials being built in his remembrance like Mayo Hospital and Mayo School of Arts in Lahore. In 1883, the brick and mortar memorial in Bangalore was also built in his name. It was to be used for public meetings and municipal offices. The upper storey of the hall was reserved for public meetings free of charge while the ground floor housed the offices.Up until last year, the Mayor’s meetings were held on the first floor. Now, the Mayo memorial has been converted into a memorial of the founder of Bangalore — Kempegowda. The memorial is the work-in- progress Kempegowda Museum. One can find scrolls of information and pictures of Kempegowda’s territories and the forts and temples built by him with historical facts and even inscriptions. The most endearing display and only statue of the otherwise empty museum is an elegant Kempegowda in bronze, right at the centre of the hall, welcoming visitors with his hands folded as if to say Namaskaara.A fun engaging aspect of the museum is the old map of Bangalore laid out on the floor of the hall under a glass. You can spot old names of places and buildings of old Bangalore.The adjoining blocks which now houses a variety of public offices and courts, previously referred to as ‘station public offices’, were built in 1904. They are built in a style same as that of the Mayo Hall. It won’t be a surprise if there comes a day in future when the Mayo Hall will be known as Kempegowda Museum. Hopefully, it will be one of those memorials that actually serve the purpose and don’t remain ironic.
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