Adverse climate and poor maintenance had taken their toll on the structure, built in the 1870s to the design of British architect George Gilbert Scott. Restoration work on the several glass panels that encircle one of Mumbai's most towering landmarks crystallised in a project initiated by the University of Mumbai, the British Council and the Department of Trade and Industry in London.

The story goes that a certain British minister got so carried away after a spectacular Son-et-Lumiere organised at the university some years ago that he pledged money towards a heritage project to conserve thestructure. The minister was roundly pulled up on his return, but the promise was kept.

Officially, of course, the British Council's involvement is at the level of ``restoring an Indian national landmark with strong Indian connections,'' and to ``develop conservation skills in India by trained Indian glaziers''. Thus since 1997, six British glaziers have been associated with the project, training a pick of Indians on conserving the stained glass panels. And the last of the glaziers to see the project through its final phase is Mark Bambrough, conservationist and stained glass artist.

Jokes Bambrough, who was with the project in its first phase as well, ``I'm just a window cleaner.'' But conservation is serious business for him. ``Heritage reinforces people's roots, their sense of belonging. A building tells you not just about architecture, but about how people lived, how they conserved their work and how they regarded their ancestors,'' he says.

Bambrough says he found the Rajabai Tower to be in poorshape. ``It needed care and lavish attention. But what is welcome is that now, there's a seachange in attitudes towards conserving heritage.'' Already, restored panels, their colours touched up and their frames soldered anew, loom over stacked bookshelves and solemn visitors to the library. Supervised by conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, the last of the panels should be up before the rains. While the British Council could not provide the exact project costs, an additional 70,000 pounds would be needed to complete the project. An integral aspect of the project, adds Bambrough, is training Indians to carry on the legacy of conservation long after visitors like him return. ``If the project has to be a success, it is important that people are taught in the right way. And when we leave, there'll still be enough knowledge and skills left to continue the work,'' he says.

Bambrough has worked on several churches in England and Ireland, on conservation projects in Honk Kong and has also toured on the lecturecircuit. The panels are, for him, not merely pretty shapes on coloured glass pieces. ``Glass is dead without light. When you stand in the path of light from stained glass, you get illuminated yourself. It is, perhaps, this experience that elevated this art form to something spiritual,'' he intones.

Heritage conservation is a buzzword doing the rounds in a city striving to present its residents and visitors visually appealing experiences, and the restoration of the tower fits in well with these plans. But Dilawari, whose projects include the Army and Navy Building, Jardine and Fleming and ANZ Grindlays, cautioned, ``Conservation shouldn't be a passing fad. If we maintain buildings right from the start, there's little need to conserve them later. Here, we are careless about the heritage we have around us.''