Orwell's Birthplace Will Be Restored
George Orwell has long been admired by readers the world over, and now, after many years of neglect, his hometown plans to recognize him too. The colonial home where Orwell, the author of “Animal Farm” and “1984,” was born in Motihari, a small town in the eastern Indian state of Bihar near the border with Nepal, will be restored.
After several previous attempts by an Indian heritage foundation and Orwell supporters to preserve the house failed, the provincial government has now pledged to protect and restore it.
“The house has been in a bad condition for years,” Vivek Singh, Bihar’s art and culture secretary, said. “The government has decided to initiate work to protect it. We will not allow George Orwell’s ancestral house, where he was born, to be lost to history. The government priority is to protect it, followed by renovation.”
After several previous attempts by an Indian heritage foundation and Orwell supporters to preserve the house failed, the provincial government has now pledged to protect and restore it.
“The house has been in a bad condition for years,” Vivek Singh, Bihar’s art and culture secretary, said. “The government has decided to initiate work to protect it. We will not allow George Orwell’s ancestral house, where he was born, to be lost to history. The government priority is to protect it, followed by renovation.”