By NNN-PTI,
Patna, India : In good news for fans of George Orwell, the author of one of last century’s best dystopian novels ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’, Bihar state 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.