SOCIAL REFORMER

CHARLES FOURIER (1772-1837)

Francis Marie Charles Fourier was a french social reformer during the period of french revolution. He advocated the need for utopian society based on the voluntary association of producers in units known as "PHALANX". Fourier earned a high reputation as great social thinker. Fourier's mind showed high degree of imaginative literary ideas in his earlier writings. He foresaw certain 20th century socio-economic practices and direction of thought, such as social insurance, job classifications, industrialization fatigue, pathological urban livings. Free association for co-operative production was, to Fourier, the true basis for organizing an economy to achieve stable expansion of output and an equitable distribution of wealth.

Fourier is best known for his idea of "PHALANX" a co-operative community of approximately 400 families each living together in a community pattern of development, deriving incomes from various economic pattern prevailing at that time. His lasting practice of "PHALANX" was the emergence of the mixture of capitalism co-operative and social control. He has left the legacy of new ways of production, distribution and control of wealth, surplus. I think our philanthropic understanding of our community, society, urbanity is parochial in nature, masking the surplus under the imaginative disguise of NGO. I

t also brings the argument to center within our context that "is democratic doctrine a political right , economic opportunity, or social equality?.." or something else....

KRVIA MASTER’S

STUDIO JURY

The jury for both the semester (I & III) happened to be on the same day. It’s a good idea to have the two semester jury on same day as an event where we can see the work collectively and juror also can have larger & collective canvas to react to. It brings concerns & patrons of KRVIA together on common platform and also allows us to create larger visibility.

SEMESTER I:

The beginning of the studio was envisaged as individual reaction to urban phenomena & come collective as grouping of cognitive experiences as a larger experiential map. Although it may have slight classical bend but it always remains effective tool to introduce the course to such diverse group at master level. The experiential map supersedes the hard data map as a reactive response to the urban conditions. The studio comes together in small design intervention at the level of micro inserts and allowing students to create the palette of typologies.

It is still not convincing that the collection of data as analysis never seems to empower the tools for design. However studio was appreciated but larger open-endedness towards the realm of design is still to be plugged. Students enthusiasm were at the best what we have seen in last four years and can be easily claimed to be the best batch we have so far.

SEMESTER III:

My argument is far more convincing at the level of semester III studio. The area under study seems to be much larger than group is capable of handling. The data collection have overpower the intuitive reaction to various opportunity that studio could have offered. As commented by the juror “ It appears more of planning studio than urban design”. Although comments seems slightly harsh but studio at the interim level had immense possibilities & engagement could have been focused on the diagram that students have generated rather than problem solving approach.

EASTERN RHAPSODY

EASTERN RHAPSODY

As metro rail moves from Nana Nua towards north bound station one intrigues by the way the metro has been carved out of dense fabric. It appears like serpent, scalping & negotiating through hashes. It sometimes appears precarious, sometimes entertaining as new high rises are lined up across the metro with plazas facing the track. I am not sure about what is it destined for, but Mumbai can not be imagined to be far from what you experience in Bangkok. The high rises appear to be moving from metro line to water canal where you see native life of real Bangkok almost similar to Gaothon in Mumbai, slowly and steadily it erases for capital reform.

Almost after five years of its inception the local mode of transport (auto) has become symbol of joy ride which is more expensive than the Toyota Corolla Metered cabs. It is becoming an imperative that successive generation makes preceding one a niche able commodity.

Almost after f

नाम में लब्सो का अहेसास हो ना हो,

नाम की उल्जन में दिखावे की हमे सोच नहीं

नाम में पयाम की उम्मीद में

हमारी....

नाम से जुडी हुई यादे ताजा हो गई ...

नाम से जुडी फरियादे छू गई ....

MURKY MORNING

"...अफताब के आगोश में एक खामोशी छू गई बिखरी पर्छियो में एक ग़ज़ल बन गई. कोरे कागज़ को कही शब्दों की नजाकत मिल गई एक नज़र से तस्वीर मुक्कारार हो गई .."

“You thought that…. I did not shelter…

gratitude of values that to remember..

magnitude of vision that to harbor…

fortitude of act that to honour…

you thought that….. I missed it all…

in my arrogance and quarrel…

only bitterness that would endure…

but… I picked it up all residual….

Of memory that lapsed without perusal..

Of shadow that disappeared without the factual…

and

I heard the echo of sedimented time

To see you again eye to eye…”

STREET DANCING

USM 15TH AUGUST

"ITS MY RIGHT"

The “Jan Lokpal Bill” is known in English as “ombudsman bill”. As per Wikipedia. It means the intermediary / representative between constitution and external constituency. This empowers the constituency to investigate any charged beaurocrates without prior permission from center.
Before we even understand such constitutional meaning of Lokpal Bill it is necessary to understand what its precedes or succeeds. What are the civilian rights vs electoral system of democratic system and their representative? Does democracy allows preceding the individual over constitutional elected representative for any amendment.

15th August Monday morning was busy with wishes through Sms’s celebrating the Independence Day. Within 24 hours the mood of independence was overshadowed with arrest of Anna Hazare. The whole country was held up on arrest as if within democracy the arrest in unconstitutional. However no one every thought of the fact that how valid is the need of such bill after almost 64 years of independence and almost democratic constitution. Is it fact that the corruption shall be abolished through the act... what is the reality in such assumption & how much is ignorance that we have cherished in such innocence?

There is no denial of corruption at the every level but is Lokpal Bill shall suffice to make corruption a past phenomenon is as much ignorant a thought as aspiration to have one. We attained independence in 1947 with less than 20% literacy level perhaps knowing what independence is... and perhaps assuming that it’s the beginning of the new world under the umbrella what could be to be a democratic country.

The recent phenomenon at ward office that person arguing with the government official on the RTI act but threatening with the Lokpal bill… but assuming the fact that I can do anything but stop government official for everything that is beyond official. In 1964 when the Civil Vigilance Commission was established with hoarding sign stating that “Corruption will no more now”. It’s more than five decades it’s not any more exaggeration to note where we are….but fact that it’s such deeply rooted within our psyche that mere presence of such act would eradicate values which has become our culture. It is important to note that we do have CBI (central bureau of investigation) & ACB (anti corruption bureau) to tab the monitory miss management within the public domain.
The Lokpal bill is pushed beyond its permissible assumption that prime minister is the only root cause of corruption. Its assumes the role of heroic messiah whose values are not beyond anything more than exaggerated dramatics of Hindi cinema. The world history is witness to the fact that Adolf Hitler or Mussolini or Sadam Hussein dictated the system beyond the system but became the messiah of anti-system. The demand of Lokpal Bill is popular like Hindi cinema but seems unrealistic as its coming out of heroic comic strip with short lived success.

I have some fundamental question to our electoral system and electro choice that we make. It makes beyond clarity that we have chosen the representative with clear myth that some heroic performance straight away coming out of screen to reassure ourself of our inner right. No wonder we elect solely based on legacy politics or some emulative heroic performance on screen.

SURAT: LOGO-CENTRIC URBANISM

I have visited Surat on numerous occasions knowing the orientation preciously from the point of view of stranger in the city without slightest clue of the existence of various layers that has shaped the city. Its assumes the city to exist with specific signs & symbols that normatively structures the images and results in to pre-determined logos that connotes the city. It is undeniably organizes the patterns that are very different from the stand point of being completely deterministic. I must admit honestly that first time I began to read the city from the point of view of what we are being trained and stand point is significantly different from the experiences of the past. The former experience is fairly bias towards its dis-order and all the appendage go along g with the adjective amounting to the chaos.

However the recent visit to Surat has revealed other dimensions that have been hidden for all these years. How strange is that view points are different ad object and subject relation remains relative. The perceived dis-order revealed the strange high form of entropy analogues to the multiplication of highest perceived dis-order in to distinct pattern.

I hope it becomes the new learning process to look at urbanity within our context significantly different from what we are trained for. It perhaps takes longer to learn basics. Sometime it also disturbs the pre-conceived notion of scanning eastern cities form west-centrism mind set.

Public realm

Hybrid Aspiration

Conflicting Domain

Contested Consumerism

Palimpsest of Back ground or Foreground

Fetishism

Heritage

Displaced Object & Subject

Innocent Wish

मुर्जाने से पहेले हर फूल की तारीफ की है

गिरजाने से पहेले हर तम्मना की गुजारिश के है

कही किस वजह से मिलने की ख्वाइश की है

अगर अरज क़ुबूल हो तो आँखों से निकलकर दिल में समा जाओ

दिल से निकली कर आई हर दुवाये, मिले तुजे हर मुकामे मंजिल पर

कोही साँस रोक देगा, क्योकि पवन न पहोचे अगन की और

Innocent Self

आज एक नयी दिशा ले कर

आसमान को छूने की जिद की है ....

भटकता था आज तक इस्सी ख्याल में

कुत्च इफ्तिखार की परश्तिश की है ..."

"जूनून रुका हुवा और गुरुर बिखरा हुआ

तेरे पास होने पर एक नयी पहेचन की

ख्वाइश की है ..."

Meanderings Self

"कही जगहों से निकलती है यह सुमसाम गलिया

कही दिशाओ में मिलती है यह सुमसाम गलिया

कही मोड़ पर गुमनाम हो जाती है यह गलिया

कही मुकाम पर आबाद हो जाती है यह गलिया

फिर भी एक मुसाफिर की इक्तिज़ा करती है यह गलिया

इस ही ख्याल में, कही नाज़िश न खो जाये "

Conquer of Paradise

सितारों से सजाया है उमीद का दामन

रातो को सजाई है कही सुरजो का अमन

ख्वाइश से भर आई है अखियो में सावन

सर तबी जिंदादिली पर एतबार हुआ है हमें

जब से मिला है हम-साज़ इह्तियाज..

"Aaj ek nayi disha le kar

aasman ko chhune ki zid ki hei....

Bhatakta tha aaj tak issi khayal mein

kutch iftikhaar ki parashtish ki hei..."

"Junun ruka huva or gurur bikhara hua

Tera pass hone par ek nayi pahechan ki

khwaish ki hei..."

NO RESERVATION

It sounds almost coming out of Travel and Living channel, however it's usual habit that we decide to visit some of the exotic places without slightest clue of how and what. The recent trip to Srivardhan was no exception to our usual habit. Now i have amazing co-driver with me constantly reminding me of gas level, hp petrol pumps, gas prices, road signs, next destination, km left, which gear car is moving and time to shift to upper gear. Well my 10 year old son "Miroy" slowly picking up the pleasure of travelling and getting ready/use to slightest uncomfortable situation.

We started at 11-00 on saturday-28 of May and took our highway lunch, mix of rise, Datta's vada pav and misc. We reached Srivardhan via Alibaug, Murud, Agardanda, Mhasale at 4-30. It was rather long route but its one of the best scenic road parallel to coast. However the shorter route is via Roha, through western ghats. Srivardhan is similar to Sawant Wadi but not prepared for flux of tourist. We end up staying with Maharashtrian Family (guest house). But nevertheless it has its own charm of being center of everyday life of srivardhan.

SEX, SOCIALIZING & URBANITY.

Every city exerts it own tactical forces that shapes our attitude towards sex and socializing pattern. The response to these forces are also forcing us to shape our buildings. The visit to central downtown Taipei had revealed similar characteristics and not different from other city in endowing the city with typology of buildings shapes by its own tactics.

As one moves towards the central downtown the high rise commercial districts slowly merges into low rise building with distinct and uncharacteristic compound wall. It is a complete district of such typology and they appear to by quite residential in first glimpse but presence of auto shu

tters on ground floor makes this presumptive ambiguous. The street presence of these building are bare minimum and has single entry point as perhaps as lobby or foyer. The presence of such type makes one wonder the nature of function of these building.

As we were asked to move towards the one of the shop like entry behind the compound wall the body begin to rattle as what would be behind such ambiguous entry. As the attended unrolls the shutter with remote, there it reveals the nicely design the staircase leading to upper floor and he begins to explain the what the whole setting is about.

As one enters the upper floor the sensuous interior of private residential unit slowly appears in controlled natural light scooped from the ceiling and open to sky light shafts. This units are designed as if they are coming out of portfolio of niche interior designer or architects. The lime floor finish with pivoted wall panel to convert unit into various other possibilities. The bed is designed with similar finish with one side touching the small wadding pool which is open to sky and has toilet with part glass cover and shower area overlooking the pool. The fit and finish of entire studio unit appear to be tactile and tectonic.

There are several type of units systematically locked into each other with ambiguous entry point as a part of program. Its like a cube being imploded within its tight perimeter. This units are on rent based on type and size of the units. This type of building are as told to us , cruel urban reality of east. As lifestyle getting hectic, logistics are pushing people to disengage themselves from sex and socializing, perhaps architecture has its own way of response to the such pathological conditions. The units are on rental bases from short stay to longer stay on very high premiums. The most material conditions are used for the most basic & fundamental natural trait yet architecture and urbanity makes it most exotic and niche-able, within which material of materiality is suspended or made it less timeless.

This is the reality of architecture as it only dwells on niche-able, exotic events for it to qualify as experimental yet most basic need and responses are strangely relegated or displaced from architectural etymology.

URBAN DESIGN THESIS:2011

The master thesis seems to have been struggling to built argument ever since, however Ekta's thesis showed some greater possibilities of research and argument for future. Her work showed some close relation with how an Urban Designer operates, intervenes and conceptualize within the urban design framework. Her work may not be the best we can expect but definitely the best that KRVIA has produced. One may have areas of disagreement but can not deny the method she defines on what urban designer need to work upon. The quality of drawings have improved by her standard and perhaps comparatively with others as well. The thesis has tremendous clarity with its intent and also showed the possibilities of slow transformation of fabric on time scale. However it lacs on area of policy drafting, density building, and other crucial areas of urban design need to operates.

THESIS JURY:2011

Thesis quality over last five years have improved tremendously as nature of inquiries across the board are above average. It is perhaps becoming difficult to identify the best one. Along with the quality of inquiry, the quality of drawings have reached its best level as ever. I have never seen such quality of drawings before, either monochromatic or dual tone. This particular batch has added the new layer to our thesis standard.

Kruti's thesis had rather shortest span of exposure with guide but resultant product can not be better that that. Its trying to address the marginal issues of housing for new enterprises employee, and hence the need of space is at paramount that want of space. There is a big difference between need and want esp. in housing. The thesis attempts to address the bare-minimum housing in dignified architectural gesture. I will always remain haunted by the question that... have i realy done any justice the project ?.

Nupur's thesis is her pure passion, what any guide can do more than just witness the quality of inquiry and fantastic set of drawings over last one year. The thesis brings the larger value of historicism as being process of degradation and salvation. The projected grading of disregarded building and setting up the public domain as system of awareness rather than architectural program is intellectually advance thought. It puts all the critique of architectural as being subservient to its program at rest.

RESTLESS DARK

“Jami hein mahfil samay ki pabandhi par
nasha bahaut hein madira ki kami par
zindgi khadi hein aise mukam par,
jaha sapne bahaut hein simit dishao par,
chupe hein kahi sawal is bandh muththi mein,
phir bhi….
Gam nahi hein fariyaad nahi hein…
Is paimaan aur ta’ ajub zindagani pe..”



“ is ta’ ajub zindagani mein ahesas hua hei …
tumhara milna koi itafak nahi hein..
har pal ko rango ki barish mein bhigokar..
ek zineka vishwas diya hein...
aye na aye is dil-doz pal kahi se….
phir bhi. …
isse bahane, uske liye ziyaa rat banayi hei...”

RATINALITY AND EMOTION

“ Raste sulaz gaye teri her khoj par,

to kyo jukta hein to raftar mein her mod per,

kiski talsh hein juje her mukam per,

ya is bahane juk raha hein to apne jasbato ke hukum par”…

“NATURE”

“juk gya hein asman bhi parbato ke uchai ki dekh kar,

aftab bhi jhook gaya hein is samndar ke asimit naseem per,

vaadiyo mein bhi ruka hua hein sangeet ke anek sur,

phir kyo.. umra-e-daraj mein mag ke liye sift char din,

kahi bit na jaye do din arzoo mein or

do intezar mein.”

VISIT TO SAURASHTRA

(TRAIL OF MEMORY)

“YEH WAQT KI DIWARO SE BIKHRI YADEIN KUTCH PAHECHANI SI LAGTI HEIN”

“ YEH TUTI HUIE IMAARATO KE SAYEIN MEIN CHUPE AFSANE BHI PAHECHANISE LAGTE HEIN”

“WAQT UMRA KA LIYAZ NAHI KARTA”

”WAQT SE UTHI HER IMAARATO KA GIRNA BHI WAQT KA EK RUP HEIN”

IMAARATO KA RUP BHALE HI BADALA HO, PER WAQT SE UTHNE WALI HER IMAARATO KI BUNIYADE BHI PAHECHANI SI LAGTI HEIN

DREAM SEQUENCE I

”KAHI KOSHIS KI APNE AAP SE MILNE KI”

KAHA BHULA HU APNE AAP SE, IS RUH MEIN GUZZAR RAHI HEIN ZINDAGI”

”PAHECHAN RAKHI LOGO KI, IS AHESAS MEIN KI MILEGI MUJSE MERI ZINDAGI”

”KHOJA MEINE BUDALTE HUE WAQT KE LIBASE MEIN AUR SAMANDAR KI GAHARAI MEIN,

SIRF EK PAL KA”

”JANE KAB MILJAYE INHE PHURSAD MUJSE MILNEKI”

DREAM SEQUENCE II

“KAHA UD CHALA RE TU IS SAFAR ME”

KYA PATA HEIN TUMHE IS KA....

SAAS LE RAHA HEIN KOI..

TUMHARE HER TABBASSUM PER”

”KABHI MUKAME ZINDGI MILE TUJE APNI RAH MEIN TO,

BHEJNA EK PAIGAM MERE MAZAAR PE”

Dream Sequence III

"Aapni yaado ma kyare radi levanu mann thye chhe, Lambi musfari

ane musfiro ochha,

chhata safar kapi ane Mrityu in adab jalvi,

anu amne gurva thai chhe