Taxidermist Van Ingen’s nephew suggests community use for disputed properties in Mysuru and Wayanad

Years after a dispute erupted over the properties of noted taxidermist Edwin Joubert Van Ingen, including a large bungalow at Nazarbad in Mysuru and more than 200 acres of plantation land in Wayanad district of Kerala, his nephew, documentary filmmaker Nick Gifford, has proposed that the assets be used for community-led social projects.

Taxidermist Edwin Joubert Van Ingen was laid to rest in Mysuru on March 13, 2013.
| Photo Credit:
M. A. Sriram

Although the properties remain the subject of litigation — Van Ingen, who died a bachelor at the age of 101 in March 2013, had allegedly lodged a police complaint accusing a former horse trainer from Bengaluru of attempting to grab his properties — Mr. Gifford, 83, believes the assets should ultimately serve social causes.

Mr. Gifford is the son of Van Ingen’s only sister Rosamond Van Ingen.

Edwin Joubert Van Ingen with his hunting dogs at his bungalow in Mysuru.
| Photo Credit:
File photo

According to him, the Mysuru bungalow, named Bissal Munti, and the Wayanad plantation should be used to support social movements and local communities. “This is part of the growing global movement for colonial reparations,” Mr. Gifford said during his visit to Mysuru on December 18.

During his visit, he screened his 1974 documentary on Van Ingen’s taxidermy work in Mysuru, titled Burra Sahib, at the Indian Institute of Educational Theatre at Hardwicke School.

Mr. Gifford recalled that his mother Rosamond, who grew up in Mysuru before moving to England in her teens, had fond memories of Bissal Munti and often narrated bedtime stories about Mysuru to her grandchildren. She had expressed a wish to ‘give Bissal Munti back for India’s use’, he said.

Rosamond Van Ingen died 20 years ago at the age of 89 after battling cancer.

“I have the same conviction, and so does my daughter. This is now three generations,” he added.

Referring to the Wayanad plantation, Mr. Gifford said the land had been taken from Adivasi communities through European colonial processes. “Ours is no exception. Across the world, indigenous people are reclaiming their ancestral lands. As a member of the Van Ingen family, I support this,” he said.

He further proposed that Bissal Munti in Mysuru be owned collectively by a trust and used for the benefit of the most marginalised sections of society. “Each room could be used by a different organisation. There could be education in local languages, spaces for women to meet and organise, and places where people can share food and culture. There could also be a market selling farm produce directly from farmers — papaya, ragi, bananas and more,” he said.

“I come forward as one of the legal heirs with this commitment regarding my share, in the hope that other legal heirs will follow,” Mr. Gifford said.

“We humbly urge local communities and the legal system to act so that justice is ultimately delivered to uncle Joubert, and to the Adivasi people of Wayanad and the local communities of Mysuru,” he added.