Late Night Breakfast

First ‘Study’ Tour Exchange of Ideas In Gods Own Country AHMEDABAD DIARIES:An Informal dialogue with Doshi In Amidst of the Silence Gujrat Tour Report Aurangabad Trip Delhi Chandigarh Agra Goa+Aurangabad

MANIFESTO

Revived Aesthetic of Sri Lanka

If Apperances are Perspevtive, are Perceptions Defective?

Back To Basics Misunderstanding Architecture Understanding about Spaces

Chrysalis

From the Director’s Desk

What is Space

Workshops

Editorial

A(rational)theism

Cultural Night

Faculty

Too Young to Understand Design

Student Council

In Perspective

Why LNB?

At the Teacher’s Table

From The Director’s Desk Namaskar and greetings from LTIADS. It is said there is a time and place for everything.

Ar. Jagdeep Desai Director

India is in such a time in her young Life, where there is a great window of opportunity for the new generation to not merely show case their talent and skills, but more important, to utilise them for further strengthening the foundations of the nation, as well as build on these to develop a strong and exciting place for them to reside, work, and help as many others who need.

The Lokmanya Tilak institute of Architecture and Design Studies, LTIADS, was set up by the Lokmanya Jankalyan Shikshan Sanstha to facilitate the structured education of the students interested in the profession, as per the Vision and Mission of the LTJSS, and started its the first year in 2011.

The LTIADS is the second Architectural Institution of the LTJSS, after Priyadarshini Institute of Architecture and Design Studies, PIADS, Nagpur.

While PIADS is already well established, LTIADS is now well on its way.

Considering the needs of the nation, it is clear that many more Architects would be necessary to bring the general standards of the profession such that they add considerable, substantive, and qualitative value to the field for the overall benefit of society.

We at LTIADS, are obviously committed to imparting whatever is the basic content, but will not rest content at that.

Our Faculty is varied and bring a collective experience of many decades of not only comprehensive education, but innovative techniques, which will help initiate the most contemporary teaching systems so as to enable the students to keep in touch with the rest of the World, and in fact, go ahead.

Already programmes are being organised so that the Faculty has more time for academic work, apart from administrative, for greater interaction with the students.

All of us at LTIADS are fully aware that it is not enough to impart the information within the confines of the classrooms and studios, and a whole lot is waiting to be captured by the students outside.

Therefore class visits, study tours, attending work shops, conventions for students of Architecture, etc., are all encouraged and incorporated in the academic programme.

This year, 2013, happens to be the one hundred and fiftie th anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

Taking his amazing and inspirational heritage and legacy, LTIADS will go as far as possible to inculcate those incredible values and goals he propounded, and which in fact also impacted Lokmanya Tilak positively, they are reported to have even met.

Here we would take the clarion call of both of them, and work, with the good will, support, and cooperation of the Management, Students, Faculty, Parents, and all towards the ultimate zenith.

In short Aim for Perfection Achieve Excellence Thank you.

Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra Ar. Jagdeep Desai (Director)

Editorial

A hearty welcome to the very first issue of our college magazine, ‘Late Night Breakfast.’ It took three years to get the first issue out, and it documents the happenings of the pioneer batches of LTIADS. Compiling the magazine was an industrious task, and in the beginning we were completely clueless.It took a real while to get the pieces together and connect the dots.

Producing the magazine was like solving a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. We simply did not know where to start. But it became easier when we had a vision of all the pieces put together; to churn out a magazine, raw and rudimentary in structure. Because it mirrors the first batch of LTIADS- young, with raw ideas about architecture and design, without any seniors, learning studio hacks by trial and error. This issue no way claims to be outstanding, but, it is a pioneering issue, a benchmark-for the next ones to be better than this.

It was fun to work with the publication team. Shout out to Janhavi Hulavale(Co-Editor, 2012-13) for suggesting the name, Late Night Breakfast.The name and the spirit of the idea stuck.

And, Savni Burse, F.Y(2013-14) for going above and beyond the call of duty in compiling the magazine.

Shout out to the Faculty, the Director and our batchmates for sticking up with us.

Saniya Nalband Kevin D’souza

Faculty at LTIADS

From L-R: Ar. Nilesh Borkar, Ar. Sabu Francis, Engg. Shivaji Sarvade, Ar. Vijay Vaswani, Ar. Harish Setty, Ar. Jui Patil, Ar. Jagdeep Desai(Director), Ar. Rekha Nair, Ar Akhtar Chauhan(Guest), Ar Sarbani Chatterjee, Ar. Purvi Kakkad, Ar. Neeladwiti Chattopadhyay, Ar. Beena Santosh, Ar. Pushpagandha Shukla, Ar. Damanpreet Kaur Other Faculty: K.Thomas Ambadas Bidkar, Shobha Bidkar Anuradha Kapadia Sucheta Aluni Payal Bhosekar Pooja Panvelkar Rupali Bharathwaj Bettina Ajit Nirmal Sanjay Chaurasia

Office Staff at LTIADS Anil dada, Deepa Ma’m, Nishant Chaskar

Student Council Student Body Presidents-

Cultural Secretarirs

Publication Secretaries

Ayesha Guha(2011-12) Kevin D’souza(2012-13) Parth Patil(2013-14)

Riddhi Agarwal(2011-2012) Akhshay Bhatnagar(2012-13) Anubhav Malhotra(2013-14) Akshay Rajgor(2013-14) Nidhi Pai Panindikar(2013-14)

Prashant Chavan(2011-2012) Saniya Nalband(2012-2013) Janhavi Hulavale(2012-2013) Saniya Nalband(2013-2014) Kevin D’souza(2013-2014)

Treasurer

Sports Secretaries

Student Body(Faculty In-Charge)

Manasi Rao(2011-12) Meet Patel(2012-13) Hardik Mewada(2013-14) Medha Bhargava(2013-14)

Nilesh More(2011-12) Manasi Rao(2012-13) Alkesh Sethiya(2012-13) Anam Mulla(2013-14) Akshay Kore(2013-14)

Harish Setty Pushpagandha Shukla Jagdeep Desai

Magazine Contributors Prashant Chavan Adwait Adke Swati Jain Gaurav Kotak Pradnya Pacharne Savani Burse Bergis Driver Janhavi Hulavale Shruti Charate Pranjali Dahale

Photographs Courtesy Prashant Chavan Nitesh Lohar Nilesh More Pooja Sawant Priyanka Khamkar Adwait Adke Radhika Deshmukh Hardik Mewada Abhay Chavan Pradnya Pacharne Debashish Das

Graphics done by Kevin D’Souza Saniya Nalband Prashant Chavan

Late Night Breakfast Architects must be the only professionals who work at night… and day. No architect complains about working at night because the whole habit sets in right from the inception of their college life. It is not that the work cannot be completed during the day; it’s only that architects are not great planners. And you shouldn’t blame them. They don’t work for their own satisfaction, they strive for the users’ satisfaction and only the thought of appreciation powers their all-nighters.

And only to let you know, working at night though has its pros, they don’t clearly outweigh the cons. The hunger kills you especially if you only know how to prepare Coffee and noodles, and they are both out of stock at home. Some nights are precarious; having your finals submissions the next day subject to the fact that you are sleep-starved, and to top it all off, the hunger-pangs! Like a solitary gladiator you fight time, sleep and hunger all at the same time. But the satisfaction after good submissions is undeniably divine.

After some time, you probably lose the connection between the hours of a night and your hours of sleep.

That for a work-life is commendable, and for a student-life; appraisable. Anyways, one piece of advice, always clutter your bed if work in your bedroom at night, the thought of clearing it and dusting it will probably help you stay awake and work for another hour!

events

events

First Year CHRYSALIS A collaboration of workshops and the cultural festival How true is the above written wisdom of Buckminster Fuller. There is nothing in the caterpillar that tells the world it is going to be a butterfly.

There is nothing in a seed that tells the world that it is going to be the cause of a dense forest. Yes, the signs of their potentials were barely visible to the world, only the caterpillar knew what it could become, only the seed knew what it could do.At LTIADS, we believe that each one of us is a caterpillar in some aspect of our abilities and each one of has the potential to be a butterfly. Yes, each one of us has the potential to be a winner in life, a hidden hero within us is waiting to share the genius with the rest of the world.

Hence we call our annual workshop and cultural Fest- CHRYSALIS!!!

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it is going to be a butterfly.”

-Buckminster Fuller

Workshops Sunil Mestry We had the pleasure of learning the art of model making from a highly dedicated model -master- Prof.

Sunil Mestry. He graduated as a commercial artist. His proximity to the architectural scene in Mumbai, as a full-time faculty In L.S. Raheja college of architecture, has resulted in a multitude of rich collaborations that continue to this day. He demonstrated the importance of the right material, technique and skill.

Pradnya Chauhan

Mr. and Mrs. Bidkar

The college hosted a lecture and workshop by Prof. Pradnya Chauhan, who is a professor at Rizvi College of Architecture. She led the students through a series of exercises to clear the thought processes and understand space. An Architect’s expertise and understanding of space manifests in the way exterior form and interior spaces are simultaneously molded.

Mr. and Mrs. Bidkar, two notable rendering artists, were invited to demonstrate their methods and techniques of the whole process of architectural illustration including choice of materials, pencil underlay drawing and all stages of painting.

During the course of the workshop special attention was given to the methods of achieving transparency and vibrancy of light. The goal was to help the students develop skills in creating illustrations with emphasis toward the artistic qualities.

events

Chrysalis 2012 included many workshps, games and performances.

events

CHRYSALIS 2013 Every college requires an annual festival filled with activities and events that help students break away from the monotony of the hectic workload of their respective courses; launching them into a world of information, pleasure and entertainment. Through a massive collaborative effort amongst the students, Chrysalis 2013 was truly an enjoyable experience. Several workshops were organized, all of which had a fantastic response from the student’s side. The festival was spread over a course of three days, from the January 15th to 18th.

The festival kick started with the pottery workshop under the guidance of Rajesh Kulkarni, a well known self taught sculptor and founder of the ‘Akar’ Pot Art Initiative along with his team of dedicated assistants. Over a hundred students were divided into respective groups and were taught about the various types and properties of clay involved in sculpting and pottery. A hands-on experience of the usage of clay in a creative manner was truly a pleasurable experience for all of the students that participated.

The origami and kite workshops followed the day after. The origami workshop was overseen by Sushma Joglekar, a respected teacher at the L.S. Raheja College of Architecture.

This workshop was an entertain-

ing and productive experience in the view of its participants. The kite making workshop organized

by Sushma Joglekar. The efforts of meticulously preparing a kite were realized by the students when they took their own kites, on a test run high up in the sky.

The calligraphy workshop led by the Prof. Santosh Kshirsagar, dazzled the students with his knowledge on the subject and a practical session ensued thereafter. The students whole heartedly cherished every moment of it.

The After Party The night had come, the climax, the happiness and that fitting end to all the efforts and sleepless nights in the favour of love for togetherness and college. This night was just another epitome of succesful unity. Playing all the roles in the course we finally we ready to get again in our happy suits to pop the party. Maximizing the perspective of of fashion sense and coupling, it was the kickstart to our first cultural night. Filling the voids between performances true humour was on host. Highlighting the music senses with pure and divine percussions we were ready to face the sound of music to our energy of dance and enthusiasm.

Bass drops following the rush of adrenaline, it was indeed mesmerizing. But then in those music notes came in the smell from the kitchen, attracting the foodies and in the end making a food fiesta for all.

It was just a night, but it was not just another night. Every photograph speaks a thousand emotions. Smiling, crying and laughing over a past joke is not really abnormal here.

events

Pottery Workshop

Anil Laul, Chief Guest of Chrysalis 2013, going through the exhibition of student works

Students part of of the Traditional Fashin Show

Dance Workshop by danseuse Mandakini Tripathi

events

Guest Lecture – Dr. Harimohan Pillai To do or not to do architectural practice - BERJIS DRIVER

Dr. Pillai, founder of ‘Archiestudio’ – an alternative school of design and architecture, visited our college to talk to students of 2nd and 3rd year to talk on a topic not meant for the faint hearted – whether to take up architecture as a professional practice or not, however, the conclusive message spread was quite contrary to what many of the students thought as per the title of the lecture suggested. Through his slide show and short feature films, Dr. Pillai regaled us with past splendors of architecture, the then and now, the genius of modern day architects, and mainly the efforts undertaken by those who are now successful in

the field. He emphasized the metaphorical fact that ‘the fruit of labor is always sweet, if efforts have gone into nurturing the tree it comes from.’ Clearly it takes effort to get somewhere in life, architecture as a profession is no exception to the rule. The effort which is undertaken in the field must also be in the right direction. There is no overnight success. A conclusion which I drew after hearing Dr. Pillai speak : Focus is the key, the door your Work, A mistake is the Lock, and unlocking - Success.

events

Chrysalis 2014- Workshops Express Yourself Lokmanya Tilak Institute of Architecture and Design Studies celebrates its festival Chrysalis every year which includes lots of seminars and workshops for the students to learn and cherish. This year Chrysalis 2014 was celebrated for a week and had different workshops such as origami and seminars on film making and architecture. Students managed to get big names on the guest lecturer lists such as Architect Krishnarao Jaism. Among these were some intersting competitions among the college students. One of them was a group competition of face painting. This workshop cum comprtition was based on thematc representation and abstraction of ideas using paitns and newspapers and other basic mateials. The students came out with surprising outcomes and extravagent designs on the chosen model for a group.

Dressing up with a newspaper, people saw vaieties of designs and characters coming out as an artistic peice of work. It varied from being an elegant sea godess to a boisterous cannibal, a well composed two faced human and some marvellous illuminious designs. The models were made to walk the ramp and answer as well as justify their character, choice of colours and design. Each of the models were analysed fairly on the basis of the story their character told and the spoken language of colour, art and the chosen theme After a long and tough competition, choice was made by our judges Ar. Purvi kakkar and Ar, Sarbani banerjee as Model Saisha Naik and her team of FYBArch was declared as the winner of the face painting competition. The entire fest was rejuvinating and gripping as it rested with a neon dj party and it wll continue as It keeps getting better every year. Chrysalis stands by till next year, to come with profoundly better opportunities to learn and explore.

Dance Workshop Dance is a type of art that generally involves movement of the body, often rhythmic and to music.

Chrysalis 2014 got to experience and enjoy the workshop of this beautiful art. On the very first day of the festival, it was been held.

The owners of I-DANCE Studio gave their best to synchronize everybody who had taken part.

The participants enjoyed the workshop as they taught the steps very nicely. it included Bollywood and krumping. Though it was a bit different, everybody went with the flow.

Self Defense Workshop This year Chrysalis 2014 gave an opportunity to all the girls of LTIADS to learn the tricks to protect themselves from harassment. The 2 hrs workshop helped the girls in learning how to defend themselvesselves. The experience was fruitful. This workshop helped increase self defense amongst the girls.

events

Dhvani Desai, Filmmaker Desai spoke about her animated film, Manpasand, and the struggle that went into its making.

She also spoke about the importance of RTI (Right To Information) that was associated with the film’s approval.

Framework Workshop

A workshop conducted by Ar. Harish Setty comprised of making a strong, sound framed structure with the help of wooden sticks and rubber connectors

events

Neon Party

Neon Party saw people glowing in neon colours wearing neon glares, earrings, wrist bands, caps, ties and every accessory in neon. The peppy crowd grooved on dance numbers.

Bonfire Night An evening of Chrysalis 2014 was dedicated to bonfire wherein the students rejoiced to music dancing around the bonfire.

events

Performance Night

events

Neon Football Fast paced game of football played in the presence of neon lights, neon jerseys and radium tapes.

events

The college hosted delegates from Karachi University, Pakistan, who were participants at Annual NASA,2013

events

LOKMAT NATIONAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2014 LOKMAT NATIONAL EDUCATION LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2014, founded by Dr. R. L. Bhatia ,World CSR Day & Project Director of World Education Congress, was scheduled on 13th February, 2014 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

LOKMAT NATIONAL EDUCATION decided LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2014 for Private Universities Forum, CMO Asia & Business School Affaire, LTIADS was awarded the award in excellence in contribution to education. The awards were constituted with just one vision and the vision was to make a difference to the Education Fraternity. The endeavor was to pay a tribute to temples of Learning and Gurus who shaped the destinies of future creators.

Ar Jagdeep Desai, Director, LTIADS, accepting the Award.

another brick in the wall

another brick in the wall

IF APPEARANCES ARE DECEPTIVE ARE PERCEPTIONS DEFECTIVE? -Ar. Jagdeep Desai A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

Would the Umaid Bhavan by any other name be the same.

It is the perception and the sub conscious association in the mind, and not actually the name.

The perception that Architects nowadays have is that buildings they have designed are known because of them.

Consider the building Development Alternatives World Headquarters.

This pioneering building is an example of environmentally sustainable Architecture on the Indian subcontinent and its technologies can be readily adopted in other locations.

Designed by Ar. Ashok LALL, over ninety per cent of the materials in the building have been sourced from resources of the region around Delhi or recovered from the debris of the demolished old headquarters of the DA. It is said to incorporate green methods of which its unique features are low cost sustainable housing with less energy and raw materials usage.

While it was one of the nominees in the Toyota NDTV Greenies Award for 2010, along with the the Architects Ashok LALL, Ar. Anil LAUL, it was finally awarded because of the apparent perception of some Jury Members that one of the nominees was related to one of the Jury, and one of the nominees was not personally liked by one of the Jury.

But the funny thing is that the DA building awarded was designed by the Architect who was not considered individually.

So even with the right or wrong perception, not only ultimate merit prevailed, but that history repeats itself.

Late Night Breakfast

another brick in the wall In the old days, Architects were know by their buildings they designed.

Nowadays, it is now passe that buildings are know by their Architects.

This is the perception, that the name on the drawing and on the board on the site says that it is the Architects work.

This is quite disturbing because though the building is designed by the Architect, the factors which go into the resulting final structure on ground is the cumulative effort and inputs of so many individuals, right from the client, to the fellow professionals, to the labour, to the development regulations which the buildings are supposed to be in line with, apart from those who helped in making so many drawings, views, models, etc.

No doubt any one would like to bask in the glory of any achievement, but then to take the sole credit of the work in such a scenario is some what selfish to say the least.

There is a negative side to this as well.

It may or may not be a fully relevant analogy, but the Bharat Diamond Bourse building in the Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, was originally designed by Ar. B V DOSHI, designed in the early 1990s, with some unusual concepts and design, and internal planning , to say the least.

Maybe the clients were more dazzled by that than the diamonds they were dealing in, so, for reasons unclear, this was taken over by another Architect and developed as a yet another, me, too, stereotypical glass and aluminium building fully air conditioned, fully devoid of life.

And why is it not occupied till date.

Because of the fact that Bandra station is kilometres away, and the diamond couriers find it unsecure and unsafe in that area to take their packets.The planners of the BKC could not perceive this factor.

another brick in the wall

Another perception by some Architects, and clients is that the more the features, fenestrations, the more enhanced value of the building.So we have pseudo Greek Roman columns on buildings put up for slum rehabilitation, apart from the famous kitschdi projects.

Absurd results due to false perceptions.

Can give any number of examples, but this is common knowledge.

Not so common is that weather canopies, also known as chhajjas, are not exactly successful, to the extent, not really needed, as these are absolutely the major cause of leakage in monsoons.

The joints between wall and canopy, are almost always the weakest in terms of water resistancy, and that is that.

Similarly plaster.

Any plastering is simply a dicey gamble.

If done to the specifications, it may last, if not, internal leakage is common place.

Many such points can be highlighted, but suffice to say, that perceptions of what are the norms, may not actually be what is the ideal

So it can be said that while appearances are deceptive, and perceptions are defective.

Late Night Breakfast

another brick in the wall

BACK TO BASICS

- Shivani Rathod

‘Critical thinking is clear thinking’, but without getting some base or basis to a process of making design the whole idea can become a blur vision. It is expected that we as an architect (visual designers) should have a strong foundation of the knowledge of basics while experimenting.

William Morris (1881): “Architecture includes the consideration of the complete physical atmosphere which surrounds human life.”

Lets rewind a bit…go back to our first few weeks in first year of architecture…what were we actually doing?? ‘Lettering’ weren’t we? That was pretty much the base of acquiring sense of spacing and proportions basically an ‘aesthetic component’. Later, got introduced to various subjects where we as students made our particular pattern towards understanding all those components.

Louis Kahn (1960s): “Architecture is what nature cannot make.”

On what all terminologies did we actually get introduced - firstly ‘definition of architecture’ which can actually never be defined, Webster’s dictionary meaning The science, art or profession of designing and constructing buildings, bridges, etc.

Le Corbusier: (1920s) “Architecture is the masterly, correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.”

In every decade till now all architects had their own way of defining architecture. In every way or other architecture is ‘REDIFINED’.

Two main points arise from these: architecture is defined by those who know about architecture and the definition of architecture changes from time to time and from culture to culture.

What is architecture? Like many other philosophical questions this query cannot realistically be answered. The purpose of the question is to provoke

discussion about the subject and consequently redefine the subject and lead it in new directions.

Secondly ‘visual perception’ or what we say is thinking twodimensional to three-dimensional or vice versa, Thirdly ‘space’, the issue of space in architecture basically concerns with philosophical difference between following two sentences: “spaces in architecture” or “Architecture in the spaces” and Fourth, aesthetics, in nature as well as in our built environment, in our art forms as well as in our seemingly monotonous household chores, we find reflections of the various aesthetic fundamentals. The fundamentals are classified as the basic ELEMENTS of aesthetics, the PRINCIPLES generated by these elements, and the THEORIES formed by an amalgamation of these principles.

another brick in the wall ( Cont. - Back to Basics ) The problem also lies in the design methodology which we have to adopt. To start designing means to start drawing plans sections and elevations. The final solution is actually an outcome of the imaginative power of the designer. The ability of the mind to generate more and more two-dimensional as a well as three-dimensional images is the real strength of the designer.

The visual vocabulary of forms, shapes and figures is the raw material of any visual artist. The mental ability to generate nonfigurative, abstract images gives an architect much wider power as a visual designer.

These assignments motivated us to think, ask questions and to set standards, and also to aspire innovation. There is no single design methodology, which would satisfy the two important parameters of architecture function and aesthetics.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high.

Oh, the things that you can think up if only you try” -Dr. Seuss

MISUNDERSTANDING ARCHITECTURE - Romit Savla People while travelling or roaming around notices forms of the structures which they actually feel that is something very beautiful or find it interesting by its shape, color or texture. May it not be a good design with respect to environment or climatic conditions but at a glance the structure should be very beautiful or rather it should be pleasing to the eye is what the people think. My personal survey on it states that people are not at all bothered about the usage of the building and they are least bothered when they actually visit it. The thing which bothers them is just looks or forms of the building and interiors the textures and colors of the building.

For example,the glass buildings existing in Mumbai has nothing to do with climatic conditions as glass traps heat and he inner temperature is warm but people does not look at the building in that manner. Glass on contrary has the quality to shine, it gives a glossy look to the building, it actually increases the inner temperature and thus increases

Late Night Breakfast

the rate of electricity as the airconditioning becomes necessary.

In the interiors of houses or commercial spaces, people look at the design in terms of colors, textures, finishes etc. they doesn’t at all care about the circulation in that space, how it would be used or doesn’t matter to them if the things are not in use but it should be pleasing to the eye, looks does matter to the observers.

Now, in contrary “How does the user think about the structure.”

The user who uses the building does not care about how the building looks or what the observer says after looking at his house or building.

They are actually interested in the maximum usage of the space, how easily they can access to different spaces in the unit, how easily can they use the space. They rather want natural things to come in their space and make the place interesting to live.

Color,texture etc. are the secondary things for

another brick in the wall ( Cont. - Misunderstanding Architecture ) the users, the primarily want the comfort in the house or any working space, comfortable in terms of weathers conditions too.

So how should a designer design?

From the above points discussed it concludes that a designer(Architect) while designing a structure should take prior care of how the user will comfortably be able to access in the space, his usage of the space and habits of the user or how typically the user wants to use that unit or space. Designer should also fulfill the weather conditions of the surroundings and user must be able to have maximum usage of the space according to his nature, habbit and his comfort. If a designer is able to fulfill maximum needs and comforts of the user and makes structure nature friendly, the designer then can be `called as ‘An Architect.’

UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SPACES - Prashant Chavan Form at times restricts the space; rather a space is much defined by the events and activities happening in it. It would not be wrong to say that a space exists because of the actions that it contains. Form restricts the certainty of the space.

A space should coexist with a plurality or rather multiplicity. A form brings in the activities specifically associated to it. But activities is not the only parameter for space to exist, a space is a totality of mental and physical attribute. It’s a representation of an idea or a thought and achieves its meaning individually or by the matter of mere transformation. Also what Bernard tshumi talks, is about the ‘expected form’ and ‘expected use’, the desirable form is never expected to have the similar desirable use. A canteen suddenly transforms into an action area when one among us reaches the table and starts to perform. It attracts the audience and the canteen is no more a canteen but performing space.

So it then becomes very essential to have a programmatic resolution of spaces, because it is the space which is the actual arena where the event has to take place. The transformation of such events is a continual effect, so one can probably produce a form that alternately corresponds to such a transformation. So hereby design need not be a coherence of function or functional spaces but rather an association or grouping of spaces that are interrelated to each of them and adapts to timely transformation.

another brick in the wall

WHAT IS SPACE? - Adwait Adke

What is space? Is space an imaginary concept which our mind places in front of us with certain boundaries? What are those boundaries? Is it the matter that demarcates and brings finity in infinity? But, if the physical occupancy of the space fails then does our mind process appropriate relation and distinguishes? Are boundaries visible, invisible, or imaginary?

Is function a boundary that the space always contains? If design is not just what it looks like or feels like then, can we say that design is a dream-catcher that catches our perceptions of space, in the web of functions.

Also, ‘Less Is More’ and ‘Less Is a Bore’ explains us the hierarchy and superiority by saying that the perception and functional identity overrules the physical identities/boundaries and vice-versa. Indeed, we can say that it is a consequential blend which sets out an example of any particular space. Is this blend of spaces called ‘architecture’?

And precedence came out in the form of styles, and, definitions of architecture.

Porting back, can we say that space is a sub-set of function? If this concept of space and design drains into individual perception and perspective, then can this boundary be analyzed the same by everyone? Saying yes, that is the power of design which justifies itself as a total pack of practical space to an individual! It’s a mere communicational strategy between the designer, and, user. When the user’s perception balances with the pre-set customs and perceptions of the designer, then it’s a good design! Considering, a bed with extra comfort, and furnishings, it is a good bed to sleep and extraordinary in its communication of space! Isn’t it? But, for those helpless thousands on the streets, are the streets bad beds for them? This is where sometimes perceptions jumble themselves and design gets

Late Night Breakfast

violated or remade. There is no space that is not functional. There can be a space whose function is not stagnant. A dark corner in the sub-way has the boundary of light; it’s a dark corner till the light doesn’t interfere with the darkness and disturbs the functional identity of it. Here, what function does the lonely dark niche possess? It’s a question set free in front of you, whose answer is

another brick in the wall purely based on ones experience.

This phenomenon is independent and exists in every second of perception. ‘Art is Theft’, that means every art form climbs following step after climbing the preceding step of experience. Can’t we say that it is complete improvisation? Like even the word ‘representation’ contains ‘presentation’ in it. This experience which gets implicated with the space assists us towards the development of connection with it, in the end giving identity to the space as well as the personality.

Can caste, sex, religion, race act as primary boundaries in a space?

Does space serve as the grounds for discrimination and war? When countries were formed, boundaries were made was the contained space the byproduct of greed, or, mere positive or negative experience that made places alienated? Indeed yes, when the factors of pleasure, sex, religion, etc. came in it formed psychological boundaries which ended in countries or confined spaces. This is something we don’t realize but emphasize every moment as this has became a psychological filter in every human being which gets associated with the perceptions, and, later the experience or

building of space. Also, space is a great weapon of symbolism. Isn’t it?

Temples, churches, mosques, etc. are symbolized spaces that we have created, whose space is confined with thick boundaries of specific experience. Is it righteous to place spaces of specific experience in a community center?

Every space has a reason of development, and every space is immortal. Language of space may differ across time and boundaries but it never reaches the end point.

Indeed, it is a meager synonym of transition. The development of space is just like the development of colors from a color palette. Space is the ‘bindu’ or the centre of every origin. Can we say that ‘space’ is a personified version of metaphor?

another brick in the wall

A(RATIONAL)THEISM - Savani Burse Friedrich Nietzsche in his book ‘God Is Dead’ mentions that God is superfluous because we have discovered our own answers to the big questions of life. That we have plugged the final gaps and that the God of gaps is needed no more. The argument here is, have we really grown that independent that we would not acknowledge the existence of god in times of crisis?

Practicality is one thing while theism is another. Correctly or incorrectly, atheism is often comprehended as practicality.

The practicality that suggests God is a myth and should let it be, that powers the golden rule that one should not believe what one has not seen.

Wouldn’t you for atleast once, deep in your heart make a small prayer when meanwhile taking a physical action to revoke a crisis?

Because you have hope. You would hope God would fix the difficulty, if nothing else works. You would not deny the leap of faith if the time was as bad as losing a loved one. The theism that teaches hope at times like these.

By theism, I downright denounce misconceived spiritual beliefs, misleading rituals and express intense opposition towards performing pointless pujas and ceremonies to please God. That’s where rationalism takes control. By believing in theism, I imply believing in logical reasoning that epics like Bhagvad Gita, The Bible and The Quran has to offer.

However after grasping this, it still boils down to the question that are we really on our own while handling solemn situations, overlooking God.

Late Night Breakfast

The three texts belonging to three unnecessarily manmade religions, even though different, tell us the same thing about God at a rational level. The level that does not talk about purposeless rituals at all but values that would help us live life.S Pure theism lies in knowing that all these texts were designed to teach us values like courage, wisdom, kindness and hope in good times and bad. And not in the unfortunate fact that these values somehow got fabricated as wrong rituals like worshipping a hypothetical idol or picture and performing immoral and dishonest religious sermons.

This is what theism and God is all about. Nothing else, but simply an identity that is hidden in each good being, be it an animal or a human, which teaches us lessons of a good life.

another brick in the wall

Too Young to Understand Design - Savani Burse

Stood at the window envisaging success that design you thought you’d rock the world with; just to realise later on how stupid it was, only the crow gave a shit You start flipping pages, soak in every word Every concept, abstract and otherwise, What was once a feather, that medulla is now an elephant’s size Then a fiery spark A bit of green A bit of blue And a bit of modern art It’s that elixir that Every alchemist fancies; That opens every lock, The King of the keys Day 10 at the canteen, Ben’s like, “What a brilliant design!”

And in the evening Yeah well, you see his pride shine

Claiming the elixir to be his, To a bunch of bimbos “Heehee”, they chuckle, “Oh he always makes a mark wherever he goes!”

They say great minds think alike; Ask em’ if they were talking about minds having same designs Of course!

Why, even God made us all the same, The same eyes-nose-mouth; just different names!

Why not the same design, all that jazz and fireworks; But oh what the heck, still, plagiarism hurts!

Drawing conclusions, are you?

Knock it off, seriously ‘cause this thing’s as difficult as design, As vague as the sea And you’re always gonna be..

Too young, Too young to understand design...

another brick in the wall

IN PERSPECTIVE

GK: How did you get into photography?

GB: Photography was a concious choice, Primarily because i didn’t have anything Else to do (laughs), so i picked up photo Graphy and started learning.

I come from a family of photographers, it’s been in the family for a long time now and i started learning after school.

GK: Why did you choose to work with gum bichromate instead of modern printing?

GB: Gum bichromate is a nineteenth century printing process.

And now – a – days, now that we have digital printing and all these facilities, printing is a dying art.

Printing and photography, they GK: What prompted you to go hand in hand. Now even after enter into film- making? having so many facilities that you don’t have to print it yourself, you GB: Film-making started two just go to the lab with your penyears back it was just out of drive and get a print–out in half an curiousity and... You can say it hour, even that much people don’t was just the lack of completeness do, everyone keeps it on their penin one medium; sometimes drive or their laptop or whatever, you feel that one medium is but, the whole joy of the photograph not enough for the story to is in the print; the true quality you fulfill, that is why i started film - get to know only with the hard making. copy, when you hold it in your hand like… it is like the best feeling.

That’s when you know the value of

Late Night Breakfast

Hailing from a family of photographer’s, a self-taught photographer, Gaurang Bhati, talks about why he has set off to explore film making and started experimenting with commercially extinct printing processes. the photograph.

Gum – bichromate gives me the chance to explore new boundaries, in terms of photograph, in terms of visuals, in terms of visual impact of the image, it even gives me the freedom to print on wood, which is excellent, which suits the theme of the bazaar road art series that we’re doing. So, yeah, that’s why gum - bichromate! (smiles)

another brick in the wall

“the whole joy of the photograph is in the print, the true quality you get to know only with the hard copy, when you hold it in your hand like… it is like the best feeling!”

GK: How do you relate spaces and Content?

GB: I think a lot of times the spaces actually Decide the content or the importance of the content as to, what will look good and what will not look good or how it can be placed, so that (the relation) becomes very important.

GK: How do architecture and photography according to you?

GB: For architecture, i think photography is an essential part, it helps you visualise, it also helps you to observe better, sometimes the way we look at things from the naked eye would be completely different from how we look at it through a lens or through a camera.

So that helps you to get a different perspective and that may help you to designing better or making it better.

Gaurang Bhati GK: How can any of these art forms influence architects?

GB: Architecture is a fair enough mixture of technology and art and even math (smiles). Some people even consider math an art, i don’t (laughs). When you consider the senses, each sense incites a new feeling, so when you listen to music, you think about certain form or you have a certain feel, it may not be more about the form but say, the

feel of the space. How do you create such a space? Say, if there’s a studio space, how do you make people comfortable or as a space that inspires people to create something new; so, as architects you can get inspired by a painting, the colours that have been used, the texture, the kind of feeling that it evokes

another brick in the wall GK: What is the need for community art spaces?

GB: If you know one art form and you’ll continue in a simple style, you’ll get tired.

If you do the same thing over and over again, you’ll get tired of it and this is what happens with most of the artists. So i think it is very important to break that monotony. So you should understand the perspective of a person who practices the same art in a slightly different way. So basically they become platforms to exchange knowledge, so the knowledge i have, i share with you, you share your knowledge with me and in the process we both learn. And who knows, you may get a brilliant idea and create something new.

And actually, influence can come from anywhere, not just photography or music, as an artist i’m even influenced by the day to day things, the things most people consider mundane!

GK: What is Collage Collective?

GB: Collage Collective is a open art space for artists and for everyone; for anyone who wants to come and learn about art or do art or collaborate with new artists and do something good. So, today you are a photographer and you want to learn about theatre, to understand theatre and you want to learn a new thing, you can come here and collaborate with an artist and learn new things. We are also trying to involve common people in art so that there’s no vacuum for the artists and art.

Late Night Breakfast

“as an artist i’m even influenced by the day to day things, the things most people consider mundane!” “we are also trying to involve common people in art so that there’s no vacuum for the artists and art.”

another brick in the wall

At the Teacher’s Table - Gaurav Kotak

They are vague and restless, The teacher had strongly noticed, They have designs, imaginative but not thoughtful, Her colleague remarked, They are jumping to conclusions, creating scenarios - utopian-like, serene and perfect, Said the third munching her cheese-bits, They need to learn some terms and tricks, The fourth chipped in, Cards here!?

The dissociated, slowly turned and wondered, no luck!

Must be the velvety cushions around their brains, Laughter ensued, Maybe they are just naïve and oblivious, Another faculty stated, Oh! How did we even forget that…?

Here’s to some tough times ahead, An introspective silence broke, As they, smilingly, raised their cups of tea!

And just so… ‘cuse me ma’am, can I put black windows here?

another brick in the wall

Competition Winning Entry-Green Over Grey,2nd Prize Competition- Landscape: A World of Patterns Team: Prashant Chavan, Kevin D’Souza, Nitesh Lohar

Late Night Breakfast

another brick in the wall

The team with Ar. Prabhakar Bhan

another brick in the wall

Indian Furniture Expo 2013 Competition Winners Prashant Chavan-1st Prize Other- Abhay Chavan, Payal Jotania, Heena Gohil, Aashish Pachupate, Deepali Dalvi, Atul Kulkarni

Competition Winners from LTIADS with Ar. Harish Setty and Ar. Jagdeep Desai

Late Night Breakfast

another brick in the wall

travelogue

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

St. Augustine

travelogue

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

The First ‘Study’ Tour, February 2012

Madhya Pradesh has a diverse geography, the Deccan Plateau in the Southern Region and the plains in the north, it is an inland state. It also has rich flora and fauna. It boasts of 9 National Parks and 25 Sanctuaries, and has the highest number of tiger population in the country.

Madhya Pradesh A state in India which boasts of the cultural amalgamation. Madhya Pradesh boasts of standing through the dawn of time, from fossils and records of earliest known prehistoric human beings, to housing the shrine of Buddha ,to witnessing the romance of the overthrown Delhi warlords to rise of the Mughal rule to the British Raj and finally to the modern times.

Outsiders who adopted this region, moulded the place according to their needs, as if etching their presence immortal on the face of this land.

Torana at Sanchi Stupa

Human beings have an innate need to build. We are territorial beings, and love to ‘own’ possessions. Our interactions with other primates have boundaries. Often if those boundaries are violated, we retract and retreat into a place where we feel protected, from any adversity. That ‘place’ is

not exclusive to human beings only, but is shared by our fellow primates as well. They mark their territories with secretions, bones etc. But like them, we are territorial as well. Our earliest ancestors used to do that as well. As time progressed, humans evolved and yet the trait to ‘possess’ and ‘territorialize’ remained. We like to differentiate between our possessions and others, marking ours with a certain signature, exclusive to ourselves. We as human beings love to personalise a space and make it our own. However, human beings, as social animals cannot live alone as well. Our fondness for commonality often leads to more social interactions, which sometimes leads to sharing of space. During the time of proto humans, the common goals were hunting and staying protected from nature and beasts.

This is something that’s portrayed in the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters in Madhya Pradesh located in Bhimbetka. There are a bunch of rock used as shelters by the cro magnon that once lived. It is an intimate place, it is the cro magnons dwelling, their home. One could imagine their day to day life. They personalised their space with certain rock arrangement, or by paintings. The paintings could be a past time, or just an outcome of the being expressing itself or they could be a record keeping of some events, though mundane for today’s

travelogue time, appeared remarkable to them.

Or maybe they discovered a method of keeping record which could not be washed down by rain.

Walking through the rock shelters is like walking in an art gallery. The popular tourist attractions were the Zoo Rock and the Auditorium Rock.

The paintings cover the period from Palaeolithic, Mesolithic to early historic and even early Maurya period. Different type of tools and the materiel used to carve out tools also helped in deducing the period of the carving. The paintings depict hunting scenes between man and nature, animals like boar, elephants,

day to day life, etc.

Mandu

The pleasure city, Shadidabad, as originally named , Mandu is located in the Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh. It is almost like a geographical fort, a ravine separating it from the Malwa Plateau, a gorge on three sides and the plains of Songarh on the other side, Mandu has a rich history. Mandu’c collection of monuments had to do with the fact that every ruler who made Mandu their home wanted to put his mark on the city. Some of them were Dilawar Khan, his son Hoshang Shah, who made Mandu their home

when Mughals overthrew the Delhi Sultanate; Ghiyasuddin, of the Khilji Dynasty and Daulat Khan, also known as Baz Bahadur. The monuments established during their rule, still stand today and are useful in studying the history of Mandu.

Some of the Monuments visited:

Jami Masjid

The Jami-Masjid is most majestic and imposing building in Mandu. Its construction was started by Hoshang Shah and completed by Mahmud Khalji in A.D. 1454. It is designed like the mosque of Damascus, continuous arches supporting domes. The prayer hall has beautiful arches niched, the one in the centre larger than the others and has a raised pulpit in front of it.

Hoshang Shah’s tomb

It is the first marble structure in India. It is square in plan with arched openings on three sides with an entrance from the south, the arche s supporting the Dome above.

The sarcophagus of Hoshang Shah is carved in the form of a casket in the middle of the mausoleum, identified by the mihrab moulded at the top.

Cave Paintings at Bhimbetka Rock Shelter

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

Jami Masjid entrance steps

Jami Masjid, Bhopal

(above) Kaanch Mahal (left) IIFM, Indore

travelogue Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore Small township planned by B.V.Doshi and his firm, VastuShilpa architects, a housing scheme which tackled housing for poor wrt economy, social and climatic factors.

A good example of study in land density, land use and group housing with socio- economic and climatic factors taken into consideration.

Aranya Housing, Indore

Five types of scheme houses decided upon the economic status of the owner- EWS, LIG,MIG, HIG and Flats. Site comprised of six blocks/ sectors over which plots were distributed, with a main road running in a zig- zag manner, dividing the plot

into three sectors on either side,. The settlement functioned by the means of its density the settlement created, shops sprouting in high density areas and this wasn’t by happenstance, it was by design. The architect meant it for the users to be self-sufficient.

The houses had flexible layout, promoting incremental growth, though informal, form variations, incorporating street life with the built house. Presence of otta, an important concept in Indian House, gives life to the street throughout the day, housewives sharing stories, children playing, etc., it encourages mixing of people with diverse cultural background. Also, the houses are clustered, low rise blocks, with minimum exposure to harsh summer sun and the openings oriented in the N-S direction. Some houses had private backyards, courtyards and houses shared a common party wall.

Bharath Bhavan, Bhopal

Bharath Bhavan is a multi art centre, housing a museum of arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a reperatory theatre, an indoor and outdoor auditorium, a rehearsal room, and has libraries stocking various folk, classical music and art.

Evening at Bharat Bhavan

Late Night Breakfast

Bharath Bhavan is situated on a gently sloping contour, overlooking the lake in Bhopal. Natural contours

travelogue Ashrafi Mahal

Located at the east of Jami Masjid, Ashrafi Mahal now stand in ruins.

The stairs lead to a huge platform, over which a madrassa/ college used to be. It consisted of an open quadrangle and had four cells in the towers in the corners of the platform, each tower having classrokoms, and the students used to use the quadrangle for relaxing, praying.

Jahaz Mahal

Chattris Of Indore

Jahaz Mahal (The Ship Mahal) was made by Ghiyasuddin for his consorts. The palace which resembles a ship was built between

two lakes, Kapur Talao and Munj Talao, to make it look like floating ship. When the Jahaz Mahal was used to accommodate the harem of Ghiyath-ud-Din, the ship’s crew comprised of only ladies as well as his personal bodyguards. This palace was immensely appreciated

by Emperor Jahangir, who in his memoirs wrote about the times spent here with his beloved wife, Nur Jahan, during a visit to Mandu. The empress would organize banquets and took advantage of the waterfront location by having lanterns lit to reflect light off the water, making it appear as if the lake surface was on fire.

Rani Roopmati Pavillion

Located in the south of Baz Bahadur’s Palace, it was constructed as an army observation post. It has spacious courtyard and open terraces supported by walls with heavy arches., overlooking the beautiful valley. The Rewa Kund is an artificial lake built by Baz Bahadur at Mandu, equipped with an aqueduct to supply Roopmati’s palace with water. The Rewa Kund is lined with masonry from which steps go down to the water level. Above its north-western angle are some halls with arched openings apparently forming part of the pleasure resorts which once stood here facing the crystal waters of the tank.

Climbing up the Roopmati’s Pavillion

travelogue of the site have been used to create a series of sunken courts, terrace around which various events are planned and organized. The building opens up progressively to a wider layout, paths like mazes, fun to walk through and discover a new space, on can find themselves from a terrace gallery

to a basement gallery, enjoyable to walk through the building, each corner inviting curiosity.

State Assembly, Bhopal

The State Assembly, designed by Charles Correa was made as a series of gardens within gardens. Presence of courtyards and small gardens was meant for the people working there to not feel strafed and bored by their job, as one often feels in the long narrow corridors of the most of the administrative buildings.

Batch of 2016 at Sanchi Stupa, Sanchi

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

Exchange of Ideas

But where does one get themselves educated? Well the answer is quite simply it is so simple in fact that it takes us back to our simple and humble beginnings, a place where we learned about this anomaly know as education, about emotion , about life itself.

I refer of course to the idealistic structure we called and remembered as ‘Our school’. And as architects to be we must take charge of defining how education will be hosted, and in doing so define the architecture of a school.

Creating an ‘Architecture’ for a school is not that easy and requires massive exposure especially to people who have been in schools, thus interacting with different types of people is always an opportunity to exchange knowledge and understand the topic. As I move forward in defining some of the basis of what we learned as students of architecture let me introduce you to our experience in this endeavour.

Ar. Habeeb Khan, Design Chair, PIADS, welcomes LTIADS for the Joint Studio Programme

25th August 2012 PiADS LTIADS Joint Studio,

Nagpur Often excitement is driven by the unknown ,and we seek thrill in understanding something new. We were really in for a surprise . The day began by our induction and tour of PIADS followed by a session of design briefing by the PIADS Design Chair, Ar.Habib Khan, on sustainability of material and use of local material, such as brick, mud and stone. Materials native to the site of the design. As students seeking the thrill of the design , we were given a criteria of choosing these materials , anyone of them and then as an additional challenge we were to design this school in a cost effective manner , in the sense that the built structure must be economical and multifunctional in its purpose. As Ar.Habib Khan further briefed us about the site he mentioned an important aspect of the design and the situation of a

travelogue programme , and that was it was a school to be built taking in the rural context as its foreground.

As many students pondered on what and how to create a school keeping in mind the rural context we were rushed into another introductory lecture by a student of PIADS about building construction methods.

And soon the fuzzy image of at least building a structure in the rural context got clearer and digestible.

Concrete is king some of us argued but not always is concrete allowed to rule as a material. We must take account of what the earth at a particular location had to offer.

The Post Modernistic principle of Contextualism was somewhere round the corner it was only that we had to reach for it.

None the less our first day was a hectic dilemma of building construction and design programme as is any type of architectural competition or project. In the midst of all this curiosity and excitement new friendships sprung, as we got more acquainted and comfortable with our host institute we started developing a bond with them. This bond would go on to really make us share and understand the concept of our schools much better. The day began with excitement and end with it also, the excitement

of going back to our hostels and rewind on our learning’s for the day. The presiding days went in forming groups and creating the designs for a school. During this time may ideas were exchanged and plenty was learned , A trip to CSV Wardha a building construction and services application lecture and visit cleared further doubts on rural methodologies of efficacy in a structure. As the days progressed so did the students , as an added bonus we got to sit in the review of the much anticipated paper furniture workshop held by Ar.Harish Setty for the 3 year student of PIADS. The last day of the joint studio saw a lot of cultural activity flare as well as the award ceremony of the design competition, performances in both musical and performance arts brought together the two institutes even closer and clichéd the saying

Hungover students try and discuss design and shit

Late Night Breakfast

Its Moi, Kevin

“All good things must come to an end” , and so it did the joint studio ended with memories of friendship & education which was the basis of what exactly we strive to achieve in a school.

travelogue

The Batch of 2016 taking time off from their Joint Student Programme (still hungover)

travelogue

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

In God’s Own Country Kevin Dsouza Coconut water , very good for your daughter.

Well as strange as the title may sound it truly is good for you and your daughter , for that matter of fact anyone in your family. (curious readers , the title is a famous song of harry belafonte the king of Calypso music) .

The journey into Kerala was quite an exciting one , especially when you love drinking coconut water and love to please your eyes with those shades of green ( Not grey).

Indecipherable and incomprehensible art at the very extravagant art festival, the Kochi- Muziris Biennale

CK: keshav, tribal lag raha hai?

Keshav: ji sir, tribal to lag ra hai.

As we entered into the land which the God’s call their own , similarity from the past juxtaposed . Uncanny to stereotype , elephants were not the mode of transport.

The hotels were nice but the landscape resembled paradise , As the sun met the sand when it waved its hand , the beauty it created was like an aesthetic nature donated , here the little extra ornament was not a crime , as for us what we felt , what we felt was divine.

This art character is a fellow in despair , is it for its sake or an emotional flare, regardless of its existence it exists for us to view , to think and feel as many of its shades of hue.In search for art ,the Biennale we entered , with utter most poise and posture. As sophisticated as we got , the art we saw us taught, that being your self was the important thing. What was the art, where were the Starry night skies, which Vincent drew so well ,after his ear fell , was art that anger for which he cut off his ear or was the art on which the canvas he smeared , In the Biennale we sort to seek the same, only to find that art now has changed . Not bad but different .

But among all this conundrum was Kerala the art piece itself or was it only the Biennle where the art

travelogue dewlled , indeed both were true , and again we continued without any clue, the clue of what was art , the question every age asked, the difference was only , that art was quite lonely especially when architecture created the mass.

As we left art behind , in search for that 5 year relationship partner , we found her , and she was beautiful , she was made of bricks this time , but i was more curious to know who her father was. I eventually found out and the man’s name was Lauri Baker , a man for the poor a man for the material , he married them so well that he got a neat nick name, “The poor man’s architect”.

With an education in architecture and a liking for the father of the nation Architect Lauri Baker is a man synonymous to the architectural fertinity in India A man who played with brick as elegantly as Corbusier played with concrete, Only that the later stuck to reality and the former flew away from it. Lauri Baker stood for a kind of economical Utopianism , where cost effectiveness, energy efficiency and economy came first.

His organisation COSTFORD and other structures such as the Indian Coffee house to his own home ‘Hamlet’ , Each structure portrayed a certain simplicity and elegance in the placement of brick

and mortar to create a piece of economical art. The light which entered from the unique bonds of brick work captured the ‘Gothic’ ideals of letting in god’s light, and why shouldn’t it , it was of course god’s own country.All in all the visit to Lauri Baker’s structures were worth , although i was not quite sure if we were worthy to view them.

None the less the Brick spoke and it still wanted to be an arch, we left each structuring wondering , how does one man manipulate the brick , i guess practice does make a man perfect.

During this journey of our venturing into parts of art and craft , we encountered many a temples.

Humble and holy was replaced

by Might and holy , it has to be as god also needs a home, correction the gods also need a home. The temples that we visited had a typical magnanimity to it , it stood there as if it were always there. It was permanent not flexible , ordered in its existence the pathways were as defined as its rituals . It was a new side of architecture that we experienced , one were the function was worship and spirituality. It was important to notice how architecture could encompass the blindness of what we now as faith and yet claim greatness as the house of god. As we explored the function by indulging in them we learnt so as

to why a temple needs an order. And in the similar order we left , with an exceptional photograph here and there , we left for our journeys again.

As we continued moving we encountered what all good things must come to, an end . We were standing at the end of India gazing at the start of Sri Lanka. As we made our way towards the the temple of we were in for a surprise, An entirely new vista, blue everywhere it was as if the ocean and the sky was one , that either of them were each others reflections. The wind roared past our faces as nature cleansed us of all our problems, for a moment we were lost unable to digest how different everything was. As we started capturing the moments in our camera’s and got more comfortable we were at peace.

A truly amazing experience of paradigmatic proportions.

As the bus moved forward, we met a man whos house was a master piece some would say, his house was the place 6 cats stay, Where mangoes could be broken everyday. What was so special about this house, was is not a typical house, Explained as he could he told us to figure out the specialty of his humble house.

Clueless we ran , taking photographs of even the fan, until he sat us down and explained (again), Children

travelogue he said architecture is not dead it is alive as the trees that sometimes surround it, just like that we must built so that it lives , to adapt to the context and the climate that always is. Even the construction must imbibe the principles of the place where you saw those rituals, those temples are standing because of outstanding, techniques of construction that tradition has prepared. From the vernacular we learn how to be stern in the was we must keep a house alive. Explained quite well, we could now tell that his house truly stood among the others built there. As we left him to relax you must be wondering the name of that chap, its Dr. Harimohan Pillai .

The above mentioned and (not so) cleverly written paragraphs may seem chaotic in their order, but in the words of Jean - Luc Godard the father of avant-garde cinema , says “Every story needs a beginning, a middle and an end - but not necessarily in that order� But I shall stick to the stereotypes and conclude with an ending.

So it ended with memories it ended with smiles, it ended with all we could find, in search for the art we found it, in search for architecture we found it, in search for the new we found it.

What more do we need in the land were the green meets the blue , and the breeze freely blew, where art and

architecture collide where past and present live side by side, where you find yourself opened wide, where paradise is said to reside, god’s light there truly shines , a mist these elements that you see , that is Kerala for me.

Laurie Baker at his best...

travelogue

India’s First Biennale - Swati Jain -a sustainable platform for contemporary art in India.It seeks to invoke the historic cosmopolitan legacy of modern metropolis of Kochi,and its mythical predecessor,the ancient port of Muziris. a great sign of India assimilating,respecting art..a dialogue between the artists from all over the world and public at large..being a vastly site specific event…it kind of had that vernacular touch that kept us grounded to kerela..n always reminded us about the sea shores and the coconut trees! i guess a museum is a restricted place,but the biennale…a huge open platform to install culture…values…emotions…reflect upon the society,it took care of the peoples need…connected them to their land and their identity. as students of art we tried to understand the meaning behind some of the installations!#salonitater #anjalikular on the upper half of the painting i scribbled things that made sense to me..n on the lower part its meaning reflecting onto the water.. some of them are our thoughts some by the artist himself.

Mixed Media Art, by Swati Jain, Anjali Kular , and Saloni Tater

travelogue

Students with Bose Krishnamchari

travelogue

The Bird’s Nest

travelogue

Fado music in reverse by Robert Montgomery Robert Montgomery has created a poem about exile in light on the sea-facing façade of Aspinwall House which he describes as Fado music in reverse.

Three simple steps by Anant Joshi Melted plastic toys, perfume, brick construction, mosquito repellent machine, wood, yellow and red oxide. This work is a mechanism to invite the magnanimous, simultaneously discrepant to the malevolent.

Islamic Violins by Ibrahim Qureshi Islamic Violins is a homage to the Fluxus movement, which developed an anti-establishment, anti-commercial approach to art in the 1960s, by staging intuitive ‘aktion’ works, performances, lowbudget do-it-yourself art editions and other events, intending to free art from the boundaries of the institutions and the market.

travelogue Stopover by Sheela Gowda Stopover consisted of 170 grinding stones—an Indian kitchen essential before electrical appliances—trailed across a disused Aspinwall House storeroom and onto a crumbling jetty.

Mural by Anpu Varkey, Pepper House, for Street Art Project

Echo Armada by Rigo 23

travelogue Pepper House, Kochi

travelogue

Batch of 2016, with Bose Krishnamachari, Curator of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012

travelogue

In An Informal Dialogue With Doshi ated.)

Sound of music. Presence of the benevolent vaults.

One man, many professions – Architect, Philosopher, Teacher and Artist of his own brush, B.V. Doshi What is your philosophy on school?

While doing a housing problem, how do we tackle the issues wherein the user totally alters the built space and transforms it?

-D: I am not an architect. Consider yourself as a compassionate human being and then start with the design. That’s the first step of doing a housing. Where growth can take place and the house can

alter to these changes. Consider LIC housing, the staircase is like the backbone that belongs to everyone yet it has the ability to grow and add-on. And the poor therein lives above the rich. Visit the place ask the people themselves, it’s a great study to understand as how people have transformed there living spaces.

D: Have you been to CEPT? -Yes of course D: In cept where did you find classroom?

-We went flat for a while... we replied in numbers!

D: Where is a classroom in cept!

-We felt cross-questioned and didn’t know what to reply further.

D: There is nothing specific as a classroom. In cept you will find a classroom everywhere. It is not bounded by the limits of a wall.

That’s the essence of learning.

It is not a prison... (He exagger-

Students meet Ar. Balkrishna Vitthal Doshi at his Ofiice, Sangath in May 2012.

travelogue

In the admist of silence I have always been fascinated to have read about the IIM a lot in the books .

And I am here at IIM ,To be honest I was awestrucked when I saw IIM with my naked eyes and just kept starred at it for hours and hours.

It took acertain while to find the spot from where the most of the images of this insititute are taken ,which show the mega structyre complete in it glory.

But When I did , I took deepbreathe and looked at it .It was magnamous . Analysing the building can be found in books,so I wont discuss it.But I can’t helf myself and not talk about the building without talking about the elements that made up the building and make it one of the most interesting structure which cant be deciphered/understood in one look .

The form was linear and the lines were focused on one point.Then at corners it was not connected .I didn’t understood why?

There was this tourist who had came to india specially to study IIm

because his husband was architect . So ,I was sitting and analyzing the structure ,she saw me sketching and came to me & asked me to about my profession .I replied ‘architecture’She told me not to waste your time here watching the campus and go straight to library.

So I took all of with me and went straight to the library.

We used staircase and moved to first floor . while using the stair we wondered , would he had given two semi circular staircase on both side?

There was this huge circular arch which was from brick . It had wooden frame lining inside.So I thought I could this big frame be made .

Staircase connected two spaces .one side was a reading space and other was where books were kept .

Where book shelves were there ,in that room books were kept in centre and the reading areas was near wall. for a single individual only.

Then we were hungry and went to canteen for food as we entered there , this wash basin which was one of the intresting area we all liked because it was opened to sky and the yellow dramatic sky light came inside.And there was a mirror on

opposite side whose reflection gave a feeling of infinite space.

The roof was waffle roof which was elevated and the side skirting of the roof was of glass and light allowed to come inside.

The building is not similar from outside in we cannot guess the inside of it by looking from the plaza .

From parking if we see the building it feels like it is three units.But actually one connected internally from the staircases.

And funniest part of out trip was we entered from exit and exited from entry.

In parking area there was this groove on ground which during rain gave effect of the slab floating.

Everything from scale to scenic elemnets were visually ,culturally different from Mumbai city.the laid back lifestyle reflected in the architecture IIM ahemdabad which was designed by iconic loui I kahn . *Serinity and calm strike us at the same time as the magnitude and scale of the structure.there is a moral creative and social serenity which takes us on a amazing visual experience and a soulful journey. *There is paradigm shift in each and every space still merging like a salt in water.salt dissolves into water and leaves no visible traces

travelogue still the taste is there….in the same sense we cannot see the spaces merging or even we can ,the spaces are invisible at times and still we get merged in. A coincidence is we were walking through the passageway and we landed ina open common space and the space was so elegantly designed we were fooled into believing that it was the ground until went to parakeet wall and

looked downwards , realized we were a level above learnt a valuable lesson “ merging spaces without leaving traces is the beauty of design.” *The spatial clarity is really inspiring merging both linear and curvial spaces and still holding to the main usability factor and going beyond that to create a visually pleasing experience. *Arches just don’t work as support or structural members but act as inviting spaces leading to a contrasting realm than the existing . *In a world obsessed with plaster and paint the sheer RAW exuburence of the structure speaks a thousand words without shouting over the rooftop.

Iconic Louis I K ahn Plaza

also Kevin’s tripod. What a Douchẽ

travelogue

The Peculiar Gufa

Inside the Gufa

travelogue

NID, Ahmedabad

Interior lobby, Ahmedabad

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

Exquisite Jali Work in Sandstone

Sarkhej Roza, Ahmedabad

travelogue

Gandhi Ashram, Ahmedabad

NID, Ahmedabad

travelogue

Tagore Hall

Inside Sarkhej Roza

travelogue

Gujarat Tour Report I think I should let you know what this article is not about. This is, not about the ‘exciting’ train journey, not the gossips, not about friends, not the ‘delicious’ food at the hotel.

Moving forward, this write – up basically summarizes my experience at the Gujarat Tour organized in late 2013. Accordingly, read ahead.

Ahmadabad is like a massive canvas worked upon by the some of the greatest painters, each contribution not creating a conflict but fitting perfectly into the others as pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The booming economy of Ahmadabad during the mid 1900’s led to some of the greatest architects being commissioned to design private residences, offices, educational institutes and museums.

Louis Kahn, Le Corbusier, B. V. Doshi, Bimal Patel, Charles Correa, G. S. Matharoo all have some of their finest works present in this city.

The grandiose and over-powering nature of the structures leaves a lasting impact on your mind. The outstanding third dimensionally curved arches at IIM, the open classrooms at CEPT or the one of its kind art gallery in the form of Amdavad-niGufa all brace the city fantastically.

Gandhi Ashram is a gem, nothing less. The grid pattern is so thoughtfully planned that after a point of

time the whole grid coalesces to form a free-flowing structure in itself. The experience not only complements the simplicity of Gandhi’s lifestyle but also pleasantly achieves involuntary silence from the patrons.

The Sun temple and the Step-wells at Modhera and Patan all point towards the ingenuity and precision of the people hundreds of years back.

Both are technological marvels, designs are outstanding and the carvings on the walls are breath-taking.

Similarly Jami Masjid, marvelously radiates a sense of spirituality. The wall - carvings at Jama Masjid run more than 2 inches deep. Sarkhej – Roza housing the tombs of two queens in one – cell is quite expansive and also has two separate pavilions for the king and queen for enjoying water sports or any other community gatherings. Both of these structures never exhibit the emotion of religion per se, spirituality? Yes. On the other hand, Doshi – Hussain’s Gufa failed to impress me because of a host of things. The lighting is terrible added to the stark contrast between its pure white tiled – exteriors and dark interiors.

Maybe experimental architecture but I never actually understood why the space had to be designed the

way it is. But then as an observant, am I super-imposing my thoughts on the possibly successful architect – client dialogue!

The expanse of institutes like IIM and CEPT makes you realize the difference between your local institute and an international institute. IIM was designed as an experimental role reversal between negative and positive spaces. Is it successful? Personally I believe that lies beyond my present literary and spatial understandings! I was highly impressed by the concept around which CEPT was built, the way it supposedly functions; here classrooms are not set by four walls, not even by a door!

But I have my doubts then!

Are genuinely unplanned spaces, good architecture? Or is the way the unplanned spaces are used a part of architecture? Does good planning demand deliberately unplanned open spaces?

But then, what is architecture?

Is it only four walls and a roof set at a perfect measure or is it beyond that!

travelogue

Cept

Step well, Modhera

travelogue

Batch of 2017, December 2014

I have always been fascinated to have read about the IIM a lot in the books .

And I am here at IIM ,To be honest I was awestrucked when I saw IIM with my naked eyes and just kept starred at it for hours and hours.

It took acertain while to find the spot from where the most of the images of this insititute are taken ,which show the mega structyre complete in it glory.

But When I did , I took deepbreathe and looked at it .It was magnamous . Analysing the building can be found in books,so I wont discuss it.But I can’t helf myself and not talk about the building without talking about the elements that made up the building and make it one of the most interesting structure which cant be deciphered/ understood in one look .

The form was linear and the lines were focused on one point.

Then at corners it was not connected .I didn’t understood why?

There was this tourist who had came to india specially to study IIm because his husband was architect . So ,I was sitting and analyzing the structure ,she saw me sketching and came to me & asked me to about my profession .I replied ‘architecture’She told me not to waste your time here watching the campus and go straight to library.So I took all of with me and went straight to the library.

We used staircase and moved to first floor . while using the stair we wondered , would he had given two semi circular staircase on both side?

There was this huge circular arch which was from brick . It had wooden frame lining inside.So I thought I could this big frame be made .

Staircase connected two spaces .one side was a reading space and other was where books were kept .

Where book shelves were there ,in that room books were kept in centre and the reading areas was near wall.for a single individual only.

Then we were hungry and went to canteen for food as we entered there , this wash basin which was one of the intresting area we all liked because it was opened to sky and the yellow dramatic sky light came inside.And there was a mirror on opposite side whose reflection

travelogue bags packed.off from home.autorickshaw.korum mall.crowd.bags and parents all over.excitement. buses.divison.sorrow.ganpati bappa moraya.scream.antakshari.back to fun.darkness.spot lights.thumbs up.all in one.halt.winter cold.tea. pakoda.travel.unity.pranks.laughter. darkness.cold.the doors.pink floyd. nap.bus scratched.laughter.sunrise. aurangabad.aurangabad gymkhana. bags down.beautiful inn.beautiful rooms.119.room numbers.connected balconies.loud tv.breakfast.travel. daulatabad fort.hill fortress.200 m high.4.43 km circumferenced outer wall.single access.massive old canons.darkness.chand minar.hindu temple.200 pillars.bats.scream. trekking.photography.wind.travel. trance music.paithan.art.creativity hardwork.closed.balcony.horror scene.coffee.cards.prank calls.wake up call.ajanta caves.indian rock cut architecture.29 caves.accidental discovery.numetous stories.travel.ye jo desh hai mera.swades.video clipping.laughter.buddhism.caves.sculptures.paintings.natural colors.no flash.no shoes.lunch.gather @ 5.live

sketching.photo documentation.music.tourist peeps.appreciation.travel.pink floyd.’raat ka nasha’ band.weird voice.songs.dedications.hotel.dj party.bad music.enthusiasm.dance.heat.iphone flashes.darkness.dinner.116.bluff cards game.9 carded ace.fun.strange security.silence in the lobby.cold.connected balconies.shocked.laughter.awake.inked.laughter.nap.sunrise.travel.ellora caves.34 caves.vertical fave of charanandri hills.kailash temple.’carpenters cave’.impression of wooden beams..guide.pure hindi.hinduism.buddhism. live sketching.photography.self-timer.fun.lunch.jain hotel.bad.travel.biwika-maqbara.’tomb of the lady’.tall minarets.window architecture.white marble.guide.shayari.lok sabha rajya sabha.laughter.fun.batch photo.european photographer.cheers.smiles.laukik lad.email id.travel.pan chakki.1744.water mill.wonder in medieval engineering.boredom.stinking water.travel.handloom exhibition.photography.movie plans.money collection.9 30 show.shopping.travel.dinner.movie theatre.thumb fights.movie.lame.sleep.departure. sleep.halt.last moments.trance.fun.choclates.dropping people.photos from start.korum mall.borivali.bliss.memories.care.love.fun.enjoyment.sorrow.281.©.end.ltiads.neelesh borkar.purvi kakkad.rekha nair.

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

First Year Students, 2012-13, at Bibi ka Maqbara on their trip to Aurangabad

travelogue

Intricrate Carvings at Bibi ka Maqbara

Sculpture at one of Ajanta Casves

Ajanta Caves VII

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

travelogue

Far away, in the northern land

Sitting in the backseat of the car, en route to Bandra Terminus, filled with excitement! Butterflies in the stomach!! Yes! Our way to Chandigarh!! Gathering along with the group finding our compartments, here we start an unforgettable journey!! A journey of a lifetime!! The 9 days of exploration!!

Finding our seats, bags underneath them, settling down, tickets checking!! The morning of 2013 Dec’06!

Right here in my compartment along with my friends, meeting new people! Smiling...

Straying around all throughout the train, crossing over compartments, I met my gang!! Singing!! Chit chatting!! Playing!!

Eating!!! It was fun all over us! Appreciating the beautiful mother earth, standing by the door, the kisses of air, and the beauty underneath the fog, it was a magical indeed!! And then when the sun settled down, here we are at ratlam station in the middle of the night, having tea, a walk around! Singing songs at 3, people around us aint getting any sleep!! Well yeah!!! Pranks!! Squeezing out toothpaste on each others faces, and a shaving razor surely sounds crazy!! And finally at 8 in the morning here we are, standing at Ambala station, collecting our luggage!!

Oh yeah!! Chandigarh! Here we come!!

2013 Dec’07

Hotel Sun Park, Chandigarh.

Standing at the entrance and managing the luggage, we wait for our rooms. Settling down with your roommates, and getting ready for the visits.

First on our itinerary was Corbusier center. His works, drawings, sketches, took over the walls through the various rooms. Furniture crafted out of his own designs were displayed. The construction of the museum showed techniques within themselves. The planning of Chandigarh city, the history all could be seen.

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

2013 Dec’08 Waking up early in the morning and getting ready for the second day. Time for a visit to the art gallery museums and the capitol complex. The three museums share a common platform of display of art works. Artifacts, models, furniture designs, drawings.and sketchest, blue.prints occupy them.

Having spent quiet a time there, sitting on steps sketching and writing, figuring out the plans, elevations of the structures, walking through the ramps and stairs occupied us thoroughly. After which we gave a short visit to the capitol complex. Walked our way to the open hand monument, the scale of which was astonishing and its form followed the function, showed A manhole cover which had the plan of the city embossed was placed here too. Models of various of Corbusier’s work stationed here, giving a glimpse of the city.

Following the museum, we visited Chandigarh College of Architecture.

The display of students works lay throughout the corridor. Paintings depicting the various forms of art covered the walls; Installations hung through the cieling of studios.

The college was surrounded by a beautiful, well designed campus, giving every possible thought for gatherings and functions, be it formal or not.

Soon the sun settled down, and we return to our hotel. Dinner followed by crazy times with friends. Scary stories to funny jokes, corridor gatherings to singing songs, playing cards, we had it all!!

travelogue the direction of wind. On our way back to the hotel, we visited the Gandhi van bhawan, a lotus shaped structure that appears to be floating in a pool of water! The famous sector 17 needed a visit too! Shopping complexes, eateries, stalls all occupied the area. And then finally back to the hotel after a goooood long day.

2013 Dec’10 En route to habitat centre. Cool atmosphere surrounded us. Awe strucking structures, their construction, the atmosphere, Colors and exhibitions and greenery blended us in! Humanities got its own twist at the Lodhi Garden with an amazing story! Haha!! Well run now!!! Got to catch a bus to Mathura!! Had a roller coaster ride in the bus!!! The driver, the cuts, the fear and excitement, all running in through our veins!! Phew! We made it,

2013 Dec’09 Early wakeup calls!! Time to pay the capital a visit!! Delhi it is!! Seating opposite and playing antakshri with the bottles rattling playing the perfect dhol!! 4 hours of nonstop singing!! Such a bliss! Our destination: Hotel tourist deluxe!

Getting ourselves charged with food, we leave to explore the mughal sultanat- the qutub complex!! The grandeur, love, war, were depicted!

Architecture defined history! Back to the hotel via the great lotus temple. Quiet in there, our minds stayed at peace. Bahai culture evolved. Coins were thrown in the wishing wells.The sun went down slowly throwing a yellow hue in the sky, the The temple stood there forming a silhouette! A beautiful day ends! A beautiful night begins!

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue safely!!!

A very gooooood night at Abhinandan Hotel with scary stories and cards and money!!! Haha!!

2013 Dec’11 On our way to the beautiful Agra!

The majestic Taj!! Love, passion, surrounded the atmosphere. And then across the river, lies the plinth for the black Taj! Guides and their shayaris and their photography techniques, quiet a fun!! And how can anyone forget about the frozen mob! It was indeed an unforgettable moment!! Out on the streets barefoot, enjoying the cold, street shopping and coffee!! A pertect ending!!

Back in the hotel, sitting on the round table in the lawn and having some time off the schedule!! Playing around, running, gossips and love everywhere!! Silly jokes and pranks and fun.

2013 Dec’12 Grabbing a cup of coffee and off we go! The vast Agra fort!! Followed by fateh pur sikri!! The formation of groups, documentation, study, bonding together all hand in hand.

travelogue Well, whats the harm in giving the froZen mob another try? It was the last day here, went back to the hotel and danger it out!! Nights and get together wid friends, singing and living life! Off we go!

2013 Dec’13-14 Bags packed, time to leave. Hotel-mathura station-garibrath express-bandra terminus.

New bonds, friends, love.

Students at Diwan E Khaas, Agra Fort

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

travelogue

Goa Wood or Water People having wood in personality are quite like wood, which holds fast to the earth. They bind themselves completely to one state where they belong. Just like a tree holds on to its roots at one place, immovable and obstinate.

Water on the other hand never waits. It changes shape, flows around things and finds the secret paths no one else thought about. It is the most versatile of the five elements of the universe. It can wash away earth, put out fire, and wear a piece of metal off. Likewise, people with water in their personality are independent. They let the landscapes of their lives carry them through the ups and downs.

Which one makes you?

‘It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the sea, That a maiden there lived whom you may know By the name of Annabel Lee; And this maiden she lived with no other thought Than to love and be loved by me.

She was a child and I was a child, In this kingdom by the sea, But we loved with a love that was more than love-- I and my Annabel Lee With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me…’

-Excerpt from ‘Annabel Lee’ by Edgar Allan Poe

As I sit here on the beach shore, I see the water waves reaching me with a roar pulling the sand beneath my feet towards themselves. And the next minute, bringing the sand back, maybe as a token of apology.

“The small library in the resort was large enough to fit the poetic world. Strangely, most of them were German adaptations like this classic by American poet, Edgar Allan Poe.”

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

A Typical Goan House in olden times

Sand art- Calangute beach The main attraction at Calangute beach, for the development and promotion of sand art in Goa. A 20 feet and the tallest sand castle in India, carved purely out of sand and water

by World champion sand wizard, Simon Smith.

travelogue

The Revived Aesthetic Of Sri Lanka

Berjis Driver The very pulse of architecture is not controlled by the hands and minds of mankind, but by the erratic behavior of Mother Nature. It was only on January 3rd 2005, a week after the dreadful incidents of the previous year’s Boxing Day, that authorities reported over 30,000 confirmed deaths all over Sri Lanka.

Like several other countries devastated by the effects, the morale of the Sri Lankan citizens was crumbled to a pulp as fine and comparable to the wave - lashed brick walls that formed and bestowed upon their small bungalows and cottages; identity and respect. The country would not stand alone, nor would the others affected – for help came on swift wings, through the UN and its body of several concerned countries. Its rapid response acted as the necessary bandage to the affected areas of the devastated. It must be noted that the country itself provided a modest amount of emergency relief and the government took all the necessary steps to ensure proper aid and shelter to its citizens, much before the UN intervened. Almost seven years later in 2011, the country managed to get back on its feet again – with infrastructure and communities; re-established and redeveloped.

Architecture was by default, rethought, and lingered more towards disaster mitigation. The aesthetics long lost in devastation were finally revived, like a phoenix rising from the ashes; with a new sense and purpose.

It is noteworthy to know that in many ways, Sri Lanka is not so different from India, for it too has a fine blend of vil-

“I was sitting on the beach terrace having lunch, and saw an enormous wave heading for us. We all jumped up and ran; all we could hear was breaking glass and screams. It was chaos; people were injured by spraying glass, some taken to the hospital.”

- Jacqui Walker, tourist in Bentota, survivor of the 2004 tsunami.

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue lages and commercial cities, so the architecture by definition consists of an ‘undisturbed’ mix of vernacular and modern, spaced far away from each other by function and purpose; unlike the displeasing ruckus of these two identities found closely together in Bombay. Furthermore, being a colony of the British, Dutch and Portuguese meant that the country would be left with a distinct footprint of each of these powers, primarily through colonial architecture. The cities of Bombay and Goa can be easily compared in some of its characteristics to that of Galle and Colombo, mainly because of the synonymously resonating colonialist monuments and the glass stereotypes of commercial architecture. The fortresses and ramparts of the Dutch, the port buildings, hotels and churches of the British as well as the Portuguese remain as good as they were since inception.

Popular materials of construction in the rural villages of Sri Lanka include mud or laterite bricks for walls, locally available timbers for roofing sold in the form of battens, purlins and rafters onto which Mangalore tiles are mounted at regular intervals. The melding of these elements provides the end result, an identity very commonly ‘purchased’

by Sri Lankans with pride and mod-

esty; translated into either the forms of G+1 bungalows or individual shack-like structures. The vernacular too, consists of these elements but in a simpler context leaning towards that of function, with little or no importance given to aesthetic value and intention. However, these structures tend to provide a subtle hint to outsiders and tourists as the loss of communal spirit and the desire of isolation but quite contrary to these foreign beliefs, the communal spirit remains constant and unbreakable due to regular interactions, festivals and programs. It is also unified on account of the fact that rural residents form the largest part of the ‘common’ agrarian profession in Sri Lanka.

Architects such as the likes of Geoffrey Bawa, Cecil Balmond and others, sought to elevate the status of these structures that began to grow bourgeois and maudlin, and translate them into more purpose intended structures. The hotels and residences designed by Bawa remain true testament to the ‘common’ identity gained by the new with respect to the old rural archetypes.

In a way, whilst others began to introduce the modernist mishmashes that lacked identity and context, Bawa did not disturb the peace that existed amongst the already preva-

lent architecture of Sri Lanka.

Today, Sri Lanka has achieved a very distinguishable identity in the world because of its unique blend of architecture. With the disaster it succumbed to in the rear view mirror, it is truly a prosperous nation, its citizens proud and unified, on the road of progress and development.

travelogue

Late Night Breakfast

travelogue

Where in the World You want to be?

Late Night Breakfast

THE MANIFESTO We are here to Dream We are here to Start.

We are here to Discuss.

We are here to Perform.

We are here to Reform We are Here.

Ambition We are Here We are Here. What are You Waiting for?

We are Here. What are You Thinking of?

We are Here. What will You Lend us Today?

We are Here. What Games do You want to Play?

We are Here. What Performance would You like to See? We are Here. What Artist would you like to Be? We are Here.

Contemplate We are Here.

We are Here. The Architects Rise.

We are Here. The Artists Rise.

We are Here. The Painters Rise.

We are Here. The Poets Rise.

We are Here. The Writers Rise.

We are Here. The Photographers Rise.

We are Here. The Sportspeople Rise.

We are Here. The Graphic Designers Rise.

We are Here. The Fashion Designers Rise.

We are Here. The Chefs Rise.

We are Here. The Students Rise.

We are Here.

Pride.

We are Here.

We are Here. Why are You Not With us?

We are Here. Why are You With Us? We are Here. Why are You Reading This?

We are Here. Why are You Not Reading This?

We are Here. Why will You Dream with Us? We are Here. Why will You not Dream With Us? We are Here. Why are you not in “The Classroom” ?

We are Here.

Conflict We are Here.

We are Here. Where is the Design that was in your Mind?

We are Here. Where is the Painting you’ve been wanting to Paint?

We are Here. Where are the Questions You wanted to Ask? We are Here. Where are all the Colors You wanted to Throw?

We are Here. Where is Cake You wanted to Bake?

We are Here. Where is the Goal You wanted to Score?

We are Here. Where are You ?

We are Here Absence We are Here We are Here . When are You joining us ?