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…..

SURAT

SURAT ARCHITECTURE COLLEGE

RIVERSIDE ARCHITECTURE

INNER CITY

RIVER SIDE SATURDAY FLEE MARKET

DUMB SLOGGED FOR YEARS

I saw two movies back to back, Slum dog Millionaire & Escape to Victory without any intention of comparing two (both movies are separated by span of 28 years). First movie I saw was by shear inquisitiveness while later by passion. However, comparison was unavoidable, since both movies hinges on idea of meta-narrative woven with “quasi real” reality. The idealism of Rousseau by means of dynamism as against static reality will against reason has been exploited in western cinema. The induction of Rousseau proposition is seemingly new to Indian “popular” cinema. The popularity of game show poised against popularity of quintessential consumption of slow degradation of existence, which seemingly obvious rather than creative and perhaps against the pan-Indian absolutism.

The first concern is that prescriptive approach over the years, exotic heroism has not yield any international validation, while conceptual deviation form standards is being criticized for showing quintessential story of slum reality. The validation is seen as rising vs. questioning which is almost analogous to miss universe/world pageants for few years.

The second concern is for need for such validation, it is very Indian to seek for global presence not for own cause but for western consumption. Isn’t that architecture discipline (if at all?) suffering from phobia of validation, visibility…? Nowhere in the world, may one find any serious form of art struggling for desperate validation than in India.

The last observation is that SDM is not a critical cinema, but depiction of struggle between reality and aspiration in popular format, which very typical Hindi cinema. Neither music, as applauded, has been appealing nor the para-characters made any effort to move away from stereo type act. However it’s a lesson for exotic dramatist, who out of shear compulsion & obligation, claiming their role of being vanguard of such endeavor

PHILOSOPHY OF MISERY

Josheph Proudhon, a french moralist & social reformer, voiced in his book " Philosophy of Misery" the typical middle class objection to the concetration of economic power and consequent difficulties. He advocated the abolition of private property law for communal or mutual benifit association. The publication had background in the year (1865) of social & political revolution in Russia. He combined rebellious peasnat provincialism with global grandiosity. However the conflict between middle class reformer v/s socialist transformers of capitalism arose at the time of full force of Marxism, resulted in to criticism of his famous treatise as being "Misery of Philosophy" by Karl Marx.