Govt declares Orwell's house in Bihar as protected site

Patna, Dec 27 (PTI) In good news for fans of George
Orwell, the author of one of last century's best dystopian
novels '1984' and 'Animal Farm', Bihar government in eastern
India has decided to declare the house in which he was born as
a 'Protected Site'.
Orwell, creator of 'Old Major', the central character of
'Animal Farm', was born as Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903
at Motihari in East Champaran district. His father Richard W
Blair worked for the opium department during the British rule.
Orwell was taken to England by his mother Ida when he was
one year old.
"The house is in a dilapidated condition. The state
government's priority is to protect the building and other
development works would follow later," Art and Culture
Secretary Vivek Singh told PTI on Sunday.
Singh said a detailed report about the history of the
house, its present condition and land records had been sought
from the district administration.
A team of experts would be sent to Motihari to assess the
situation from archaeological point of view, he said.
"The department would initiate the process of declaring
Orwell's house a Protected Site in accordance with the
provisions of Bihar Ancient Monument (Protection) Act of
1976. The process will take around three months," he said.
The matter was brought to Singh's notice by locals of
Motihari who wanted Orwell's birth place to be protected. PTI
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