SHIMLA

LINGUISTIC LAMENTATION

The linguistic territorial behavior is at display right across the state in search for identifiable camp. The politics of linguistic aggression is criticized all across in the name of secular & nationalism. The media, other political camp in disguise of secular clone has joined the mass combat on such endeavour. The several well to do personalities & surprisingly bourgeoisie camp is out to propagate nationalism; however no effort is made at micro level to understand what does nationalism means to an individual whose life circle is restricted to hand to mouth. How can an individual with no historical perspective on linguistic barometer as a dynamics state politics would make nationalism as supreme authority over linguistic polarity.

The issues are far away from simpleton assumption on uni-coded nationalism over linguistic territory. It has to be dealt with various scales of micro to macro or within various shades of grey. The linguistic territorial behavior exists in most advance countries ex. Canada has French speaking territories which is attached to job opportunities, while Austrian shades of German language has displayed similar behavior and so is the German- Dutch frontiers. The linguistic polarities have connotation of economic opportunity in symbiotic way, which can not be erased with will of power politics.

It may be incorrect to contempt such demand & behavior when one sees groupism exist within city in name of geographical privileges. If south Mumbai is the case to promote what Mumbai international image is about than why not geographical language precedes the image on identity of region.

However at state level politics, it is also imperative to look at the strategy of ruling party with their pseudo secular gown to reinforce the elite hegemony. How is it possible that no individual rose to larger stature without dynasty affiliation? Since it has been the secular metaphor that needs to be represented rather than understood in international politics which has undermined the regionalism. Its may be slightly exaggeration to state that secular model is not enough to understand the aspiration of regional values. The vary idea of language preference is not outside the context of nationalism rather it‘s immediately a part of pseudo-secular policy that is being slapped on people.

CHANOD

FORMLESS URBANISM



 









There are several ghat cities in India associated to myth, religion & rites. The city close to Bharuch know as Chanod is perhaps less unknown among Indians compare to Banaras, Nashik & Dwarka although it has similar significance related to last rites. The only difference is that Chanod is known for performing last rites for those who met with sudden death. But the most significance difference is that Chanod has Narmada River front with no ghats, unlike the other cities & perhaps it might have emerged with myth which are not as historically deeper like rest of the ghat cities however historical transformation has evolutionary process which may have begun.

How interesting! That we find immediate association with river fronts & new myth. The knocking sound of boats diesel engine across the river banks merged with Brahmins chanting mantras, sugar cane sap squeezer machine & sound of thousands of people moving on white sand along the bank, each is identifiable yet merged beyond recognition. The city comes to stand still during the rain as Narmada floods & an entire region submerges with no traces of its existence, like desert sand dunes. As river begins to recedes, it breathes into life with fresh fragrance of wet sand & calmness of water.

The urbanity deals with agglomeration of people in the natural setting countered with man made built environment in a meaningful coherence. Chanod is different to that. The ancient ghat cities have natural setting, prominent architectural heritage & sense of urbanity which is fairly permanent. While Chanod has huge agglomeration of people in most dramatic natural setting, intervened by formless & spontaneous response for monolithic function, like city rising up from receding water in inherent belief for soul to revisit for its unattended or desirous aspiration during its living years. Chanod has cluster of huge space frame like structure in Bamboo in filled with fabric & hay measuring approximately one square kilometer each. There are number of such cluster on grid iron pattern along the bank. The each cluster is fractured along the grid to form series open spaces & pathways which takes you to several small cluster with place to sit, eat, relax or space for performing rites with no clue of its temporariness. The formation of grid is usually connected to what river has left after flooding & course of new water movement. As monsoon approaches city folds up like mechano set & waiting for new course to emerge after the monsoon & perhaps with new configuration.

The built spaces are precursor to its cultural dynamics while Chanod has its own value preempt the traditional notion of culture & city.

SHIMLA 2010

CITY OF 69

The city of oxford had not changed as mush as people. The city was predictably different: it was bigger: the cars: and shops were numerous and more garish: and the streets were more crowded. But the predominant characteristics of the place was still the cream- coloured stone of the college buildings: with occasional glimpse through an arch of the startling green turf of a deserted quadrangle in curious hue of English pale shadow as against the brassy glare of tropics. The seamless buildings picking up the generous contours of winding streets of markets are familiar however the students seemed a totally new breed. Men were with hair growing over their ears: with orange and pink neckerchiefs with bell- bottom trousers and high heeled shoes. Many of them were barefoot in the streets: or wore peculiar open sandals without socks. The very often Men and women had trousers & tops vulgarly tight fittings with conviction that lingeries were out of fashion while some men grew pig tails or masses of curls so that they always looked as if they were peering through hole in a hedge. This apparently being insufficient outrageous for some: they had added Jesus beards: Mexican mustaches or sweeping side-whiskers. How bizarre that nothing seems to have changed: the paintwork of houses: front garden: but lukewarm socialist knowing that society was unjust: not sure how it might be changed for the better. Growing older is gain of skills and not wisdom if unaltered & frozen built is abraised with dynamics of new generation is read through ageless lenses.

URBAN MATIX

- Urban design education
Urban design is traditionally rendered with western academic forum. Its role is very often predetermined in abstraction of historicism on one hand while iconic & ideality on other hand.

- Urban design, architecture & Indian cities.
A city is a palimpsest, a document with many layers of accretion & imperfect erasure, many glosses & comments and marginal notes. It is often called as collaborative art work, a strange collaborative partnership of people, civic policy makers, democratic political - legal system & socio-cultural & regional hegemony. The matrix of lattice system is an abstract idea of theoretical discourse within urban design context of Indian city. It represents the complexity of various realms seeking sense of locus & alignment to the vast reality of perceived urban order.

THE LOST CITY

The city constantly neogtiating with what is central and what is marginal. The ghats are victims of constant negotiation. Once being a central are now backyard of the city. How cruel... the significance of death once was celebrated in central space is now marginal or backyard activity. The city grow on belief & decays on sedimented morphed customs....

LAST SUPPER

last journey


last wish

last rites

innocent joy

stubburn lonliness

lapse of light

Endless silence

DENUDE DUALITY

The often visit to Karjat has been ritual for past two years without much attentive to emerging built reality. The saturday visit had revealed some striking and perpetual reality of similar town across the nation. The most surprising thing was that, we are able to ignore such emergence built form without much resistance. Perhaps this duality has larger wisdom, or that is reinforcing the free-will

philosophy of existance

Its a relentless growth of agriculture town across the nation, where the gap among existential order, aspirational refrences & driving metaphor fuled by politics, cinematic relaity & real reality is wider beyond comprehension.

.

MASTERS THESIS

I was once told by my professor when discussing about research at post graduate level... its about what not to do than what to do.. he cited an example that imagine that Mies had to design building with climatic concern... wouldn't that be disaster," he could design most adorable & fragile architecture because he could afford to ignore so many things"...I am pretty confused about what is thesis research & what is life long.. endless experiment or research.

The first project had huge empirical data without slightes clue on what is to conserve & why to conserve... if that was clarified than half of the information would have been obscelete. The case study of policy as well assumes policy at face value rather than larger imagination of political will & aspiration of locale.

The second project had stronge case building & firm grounding. Its approach as cumulative upgradation was commendable, however it lacked magination at the level of manifestation & presentation .

The game theory had huge potential but strategic appropriation, verbal presentaion & drawings were not up to the standard of graduate thesis. Overall it leaves with impression that research need to be restructured right from begining so that methodology is clarified rather than end product.

MEMORY 1

TRANSFER OF DE-GRADABLE RIGHTS

The time is about to come for new convenient associations, for old betraying habit, for new convenient relation, for ideological disguise. Nowhere in the world one may find parallel example of political alignment of convenience than in India, perhaps that’s the ideological stem of democratic root. It’s fascinating to see donkey’s trading for power, where ideologies are completely at ease for change. The fundamentalist becomes secular (pseudo secular), the right wing begins to behave like descendent of left, while left aspire to become capitalist. The landlordism, feudalism which to my mind still prevails in our society (even metros), begins to behave like socialist. The bourgeoisie begins to think on social welfare, or street side hooligan begins to promote social right or capitalist beings to think on philanthropy.

This is an arrangement of five years, perhaps quarrel on petty issues are almost seen as routine for newer bargain. But amidst of all these, I am very impress by the convenience of transfer of ideology without slightest moral obligation. The staunch regional fundamentalist joins pre-independence party on so called secular guise & talk about aberration on religious group who themselves once condemn of while ago. The Indian politics is dynastic politics and inherited from kingdoms & nawabs, who believed in pre-independence party in disguise of secular to protect their privileges, while middle class Indians in politics remains divided without understanding of ideological conflict that pervades through internationalism.

Perhaps this is the reason that regional politicians arising form discontent for micro- cause are more pervious for convenient change. But we need to ask ourself something very fundamental that "is it that we live in society which is socially well organized but politically un- informed or unwilling to expand beyond their social territories?"....

COMMON MINIMUM PRGRAM=3+1+1

Five years back when UPA framed the CPM with CPM, its derived from two contradictory forces. One was to restrained while other was to expand globally. The one was right while other was non-conformist. It builds excuses for not taking any action on crucial issues & finding excuses for new program. Well, the meeting on new structure on architecture course is very similar, not able to take any action on crucial issues while finding exuces for new program. I have a basic & fundamental question that what have we done to the existing course which is 4.5+.5, have we evolved sufficient evought to have find conflict which would demand for new things. I am neither for old or nor for new, because i believe that out of box is alway from within.

The present course structure is conviniently followed by every single institution except KRVIA.. which has gone against the grain and build its creditibility on its common maximum program from bounded condition. I think non of the present faculty had any creditibility (except KRVIA) to talk on any such move without knowing the restrained of past ,even after existed for 17 years..

KRVIA has graciously assumed its stance, role & commitment to architectural education within city. Due to its stance & position, the institute will expand on it vision without being restrainded or aided by such moves

ELECTION FOR SECULAR FANATICISM

The years after Indian independence has yielded the power to Nehru was unparallel. The task of creating some sense of pan Indian or nationalism was huge. However amidst of that we followed secular path within the wisdom of non-align status. The constitutionally evolved freedom coupled with secular & democratic virtues trying to dwell on non-align principle was monstrous effort. The fact that we had only 25% literate mass present, impact of violence of post partition dividing people on religious front was still visible & social fracture of castes that existed for ever, how do we reconcile these vehemently evolved existence to in secular box?.

The non-align principal made us move away from axis power on one side & power bloc on other side. The soft inclination towards socialist was visible solely for veto power at UNO on long pending territorial issue with neighbor. This has been our double standard operative politics whose roots can be traced much before independence. The formation of non-align got us some respect without identity as democratic nation. The desire to perform the rituals as elder brother was very much clear intention by fact that we could gather only weak nations.

All these ideological fantasies have brought about the pop-secularism amongst the illiterate vanguards, whose credentials are completely at disarray as being secular persona. The secular façade is like metro-sexual, its urban phenomenon, disguise that one adopts for reassurance. The brand political battle for secular vs. non secular (pseudo in either case) is contemptuous on very ground they assume to be standing.

The dividing role that brand politics wish to play on mass can be easily be divided in two faces, one being present oneself globally in guise of secular while other present oneself as romantic idealist of history for nationalist move. It is perhaps most difficult to imagine for most of us about our priority. The word secular seems to be new fashion whose true values are confused. Its like new way of socializing, everyone wants it but no one wants to own it by its value....

PROFESSOR JOSHI.

Year 1980, few young students of 12th standard attending Prof. Joshi lecture on Organic Chemistry, floored by his immense knowledge on subject. He could cite page numbers for related topics from various books. He was perhaps best faculty by then, naturally, each student would follow his method to prepare for exams. The time has gone by few decades, & many questions arising today to those students of 1980 about what it takes to be a good teacher, or how one qualifies someone to be a good teacher. Prof. Joshi could teach well, could demonstrate the formation of Kentone or Formaldehyde group in few seconds. However the fact remains today that none of the student of 1980m batch took up organic chemistry as principal specialization or none of them could take up pure science as a principal specialization.

That brings the question raised in 5th line, who is best teacher? One come to some conclusion that either there is good knowledgeable teacher or someone who inspires. There are enough examples from school times, where one who let you prepare meticulously, while someone fires up the new ways of seeing. Prof. Joshi couldn’t make the subject more imaginative, partly due to programmed way of teaching, or shear exam based delineation. While teaching organic chemistry he could have cited examples of chemical weapons of mass destruction versus production of organic compound from nature & use as alternate energy. It may have made subject matter more interesting & could have inspired someone to be specialized in that subject.

Contrast to Prof Joshi, a School teacher, Ms Chawksy was teaching English to vernacular students, rather much difficult situation than Prof. Joshi. However Ms. Chawksy could teach with example of English movie, cricket radio commentary, club with routine subject of English grammar. This is precise difference that student could take active interest in English subject, partly for exam while learning different language with great ease. Attributing major subjects to monolithic format is a typical rudimentary & parochial thinking.

So any subject can be interesting if one brings about generalization from specificity. It is intellectual & moral experiences that brings about meaning & richness in teaching, & perhaps prerequisite for good teacher.

MELANCHOLIC FRIDAY

The failures are vanquished, perhaps redundant of so called civilized society. The misery of such despondent thoughts are very much Indian & perhaps victors are like epic heroism. The paranoia over failure is assumed to be horror, which one may not able to rationalize even if one indulge in practiced anti-system. To work against the system is reforming idea but valid only if it contributes for productive end. To substantiate social complication is common virtue that would justify for such indulgence is also very much Indian thought. The idea of system is like uniform, brings all aspects of circumstances, disparity, inequality, and un-privilege to neutrality. Isn’t that the very idea of any institution stems from…?

I must confess that it had been most horrifying experience to have faced parents & students on account of failure (understanding view on architecture). The parents justifying, assumed honesty & intelligence on part of their kids, further accusing faculty for almost ignoring, overlooking the much oozing potentiality of reformer like the rising of Neo-Einstein had been most embarrassing situation. It is almost confirming my conviction that education has nothing to do with awakening of intelligence. The most learned fellows are most passive & retarded actors, promoting anti system.

It also brings forth the ironed out notion, confirms that performance in any discipline are at par with performance at SSC, HSC, or even engineering & medicine. It’s a brunt that architecture profession has been facing from common man point of view.

3x3 IMPASSE

Five year old boy was much influenced by his father imagination of locomotive & fast moving machines. Boy would take up as keen interest on understanding of moving machines, from cars to aero planes. He began to understand technical aspects slowly, & would identify by sheer sound of machine. He took up drawing of machine with meticulous detailing, which came under acute criticism from mother & family as being undesirable activity. He often was ridiculed for his insistence engagement with such drawing habit. But boy was adamant as much as his father without waiting for desirable result or acclamation.

One day boy was asked to draw natural scene by imagination, with no surprise he could draw composition of moving objects including cloud, wind, Kite, aero plane & car with detail specification on the object. The drawing appeared to be dream reality for Five year old boy, whose aspiration & energy exerted on moving dynamics was par excellence. The teacher & school appreciated the drawing, wondered how five year old boy could comprehend several moving objects as part of one composition. The question is not about seeking answers to such innocent effort but about encouragement that boy received from teacher & school, who could discern the quality & meaning of composition.

The things changed from then, boy was appreciated by family & could receive love & affection that requires to child of that age. The mother, without realizing the importance of that drawing, started assuming her to be vanguard of her son acclamation. While father assumed to be as sincere as he was earlier to his work & hobby, without waiting for acclamation or credit.

Finally third year came to an end with feel of relief & good jury (... jurors…). The jury was far more humane & considerate; they could balance criticism & appreciation well. The differences between two final juries were glaring, the former one much emphasized on limitless digitized imagination of/on architecture (if one qualifies that...) the later one was far more humane, democratic & profane. I think the question of regionalism is raised with dynamics of new architecture wave. Hetal project was far more intuitive & generous on site than many other projects, while shivani project hinging on idea of restless energy & force that urbanity exerts on us & perhaps she could architecturalize that notion couple with heterogeneity of program in very convincing gesture.

I am facing great difficulties when I raise the question on methodology… it seems to be almost irrelevant. Do we need one, do architecture education need pedagogy…. Do we need to theorize, Atleat current endeavor is less conspicuous imperial impositions than ever…..