Things recently went up a notch in the life-and-art mutual imitation society when devotion to a fictional character altered a nation’s strategic decision and imperilled a historic site. A multimillion-dollar power cable between the UK and Ireland was recently relocated after fans of Dobby—the loveable, large-eared house-elf in the Harry Potter series—cried foul at the ‘desecration’ of his fictional grave on a beach along the Wales coast. However, the new site is close to some Bronze Age remains. Much is possible when common people care for artistic heritage, real or fictional. R K Narayan’s Mysuru house was restored after public protests in the 1990s; in sharp contrast, Abanindranath Tagore’s last home in Kolkata remains in disrepair, unmindful of the creative force it once housed.
