Focus edition 2

FOCUS Volume 02

Krishna Rao

Jaisim art of

sketching

on a tour Catching art!

FOCUS This is to the crazy wild ones. The rebels. The rule breakers. Because you can’t ignore them. You can never be immune to their thoughts or capacity.

They change you. Yeah, in this issue, we have portrayed the rebels through words, celluloid and expressions. Few famous. Few paving.

Moreover, this being the second edition, it is stained with excitement, hard work and struggle.

With the competition soaring and influencing, there is always the need to perform, exhibit and appreciate. Having taken one step forth, I have to compete with the popular mores: television, movies and culture. Phew! So hoping to have done justice, I don’t want to keep you waiting more.

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editor: Gowtham Nandakumar focusmagazeditor@gmail.com writer:Athira Sathyan

Misha Kishore

24 reaching out

cover photo by He moved like a dancer.Stepped Rezwin Ahamed like a marcher.Weaved magic like a wizard.Laughed like a cherub.

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con t e n t s 04 ON A TOUR 08 AGRAHARAMS

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14 the art of sketching 16 WALK THE TALK 20 GALLERY 24 unsuspicious innocence 34 CATCHING ART!  Focus

on a tour

on a tour

architectural photography by kishan sabi The whole assignment was an experimental attempt on architectural photography, traveling through the routes of Mumbai, Udaipur and Goa, three places of much architectural importance. The end result was a collection of great photographs and an experience like none other.

Being a student of architecture, the study and experience that went behind all this can never be achieved anywhere else.

Architectural massing, City palace, Udaipur Standing atop a hill, overlooking the entire city and lake, the building still stands as an example of the greatest architectural exploits in the world. A perfect example of using the contours of the land and delicate planning.

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on a tour

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Lost identity

Palace hotel, Udaipur With the amount of cultural history and architectural wonders scattered around the nation, we pause to think, are all the buildings still held safe and sacred? Examples are plenty where buildings are exploited for commercial advantages, such as hotels, restaurants etc.

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It’s all about angle

Church of Bom Jesus, Goa Criticism is highly warranted, some claim the angles make it different, some claim the angles destroy the visual element. I just wonder where did I actually go wrong?

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Art or Architecture?

Gateway of India, Mumbai To draw a clear cut definition between art and architecture is possible, but then sights and experience makes you feel it’s all connected in one way or the other, where one cannot survive without the other.

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agraharams

AGRAHARAMS relics of a vanishing life style

by Sharat Sunder R | Conservation Architect

Agraharams:The name

literally means “a garland of houses�. It originates from the fact that the agraharams have lines of houses on either side of the road and the temple to the village god at the center, thus resembling a garland around the temple.

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The agraharams of Kerala are the standing vestiges of the history of a group of people who had migrated to this land and made it their abode.

The history of the Brahmin migration to Kerala is intertwined in myths and legends, that one finds it hard

to separate the truth from them. According to popular belief and oral traditions, the ancestors of the south Indian Brahmin community had migrated from northern India to the southern parts of the subcontinent in the course of Aryan Invasion.

The migrant Brahmin community of south India inhabited various parts of the subcontinent and established their settlements around temples. As a community that handled the Vedas and religious texts, the Brahmins wielded power and influence in the social hierarchy. As the priestly class, they received royal patronage and respect from the other communities.

The earliest records of Brahmins and their settlements in south India finds mention in Perumpānārruppatai, a Sangam Age work dated to 3rd century AD, which describes the agraharams as follows: “The houses had in front of them, a shed with short legs to which were tied fat calves; the houses were washed with cow dung and had idols (inside them). Domestic fowl and dogs did not approach them. It was the village of the guardians of the Veda who teach its sounds

to the parrots with the bent mouth” (P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar, 1929. History of the Tamils from the Earliest Times to 600 A. D.).

In the case of Thiruvananthapuram, Marthanda Varma (1729-1758 A.D.) was the first ruler who identified the potential of the small temple town that was concentrated around the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple. In the eighteenth century, the capital was still Padmanabhapuram (now in Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari District).The king started the overall development of Thiruvananthapuram which finally made it a capital city. After renovation of the Padmanabha Swamy temple, he invited Tamil and Tulu Brahmins to the new capital city and made agraharams for them. Small markets also sprouted up in the surrounding environs, as more and more settlers came in.

agraharams

The old land documents states that land was given for ‘Paradesi Brahmins’ and ‘Malayala Brahmins’ by the rulers. These Brahmins built agraharams and settled there, forming one of the oldest social caste settlements inside the capital city. Their houses were special too; all houses shared a common wall and were made of ‘Cheekkal katta’, a strong, locally available building material. These blocks were cemented with lime plaster and the plinth in which the house stood was made of large granite blocks, which were laid in a special manner. This, according to the locals is very efficient that the centuries old houses had not been affected by the earthquakes. In the old days, the roofs were laid with thatch and the supporting pillars and mezzanine floors were made of timber. Later, Mangalore tiles replaced thatch roofs.

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Life in agraharams starts early. When the rest of the city sleeps peacefully, the women folk rise, takes a bath and draw ‘arippodikolam’ in front of their houses. It is believed that drawing a kolam in front of the house brings prosperity. Moreover, they provide food for insects and birds. This group housing influenced the lifestyle of the inhabitants. They were not concerned about privacy, for their life revolved around the temple and its numerous rituals and ceremonies.

Within the long corridor like spatial arrangement of the crumbling agraharams, we could get a glimpse of large families, trying to fit in; a lifestyle and culture evolved through the ages. However, their old way of life changed with the new generation, making many additions to the old structures for comfortable living. The open ‘thinna’ were old Brahmins assembled for their Vedic discourse and occasional card playing were closed with iron bars. The open courts inside the houses were also leveled to make room for a bed or a study for the younger generation.

As mentioned before, in the olden days, majority of the Brahmins were employed in the temple and the temple kitchen, ‘mukkanaiya’ a sub Focus 

caste of Iyers were money lenders and were appointed as accountants. Later they were admitted in government offices, the ‘Huzur Kacherry’ and the court. With new positions, their living standards also changed and now most of them have high educational qualifications and are employed as high government officials.

Brahmins being a priestly class were less familiar with farming techniques, the lack of open spaces and the lifestyle that revolved around the temple made them depend on vegetable sellers and other street vendors who came daily to sell their wares. However, few coconut trees can be spotted in the backyard spaces. People belonging to different castes ranging from bangle makers, the ‘Vala Chettis’, to basket makers came there to sell off their wares. However, outsiders were not allowed inside the fort after 10pm. There were guards at each opening checking on those who enter and leave the place.

The street lighters arrived every day evening at six with their kerosene cans and ladders. All street lamps would go out at about nine at night, but still the road would be lighted up by the stone lamps which were attached to the walls of every agra-

harams. These stone lamps hold oil for a longer time illuminating the streets.

Modern infrastructure and services like water supply, electric connection and drainage were adopted in the fort only during late 1920s, before that the assigned people came at 6 in the morning to collect night soil from every house. They had special paths known as ‘scavenger’s lane’ behind every stretch of houses. The waste was collected outside the forts which were later carried away to far of uninhabited places and were disposed off. In olden days, the senior members of the family slept peacefully in the open thinna (open verandah), there were no mosquito hitches as the drains running through the front were cleaned daily. The roads were also cleaned and sprinkled with water daily.

Before corporation water supply was made available, there were common wells, two wells for each street that provided them with water, every morning the women folk crowded around the well for collecting water for their daily use. However, with the coming of corporation water connection the wells were neglected and they turned into breeding grounds of mosquitoes and were later sealed off.

agraharams

Typical agraharams, in which the row of houses on either side leads to the centrally located temple.

The life in the agraharams of Thiruvananthapuram retained its idyllic rural charm until the first quarter of the twentieth century. The old way of life was disturbed in 1939, with the onset of World War II. Many young men from the area migrated to north India for better jobs, marking the beginning of a new phase. In 1947 India became independent from the British rule and the rule of the petty rulers also came to an end. The special privileges enjoyed by the priestly class during the king’s reign had for long helped them in continuing with a comfortable lifestyle. With the change

in the social political scenario, the new generations from the agraharams ventured out of their boundary, in search of jobs. With the emigration of the local Brahmin community, the agraharams were often occupied by the members of other castes.

The remaining Brahmins shut themselves away from the new occupants. The open thinna in front of the agraharams was closed and the once active spaces of interaction and heated Vedic discussion have been lost forever. After independence most of the great temples came under the control of the new government and

thus the traditional system of management changed; with this many of the Brahmins who were traditionally associated with the temples lost their means of livelihood. This in turn made them to look for alternative ways of living. Many of the Brahmin families began to run catering service, supplying homemade vegetarian food. A few of the old agraharams were even converted into hotels; the thinna got converted as shops. Like most of the heritage settlements, the agraharams also represent a culture, a lifestyle which is under threat of extinction.  Focus

the art of sketching

The girl next door

the art of sketching Susan aby Paintings and sketches come under the catego-

ry of 2D visual arts. Right from the ancient days these have been used to express the emotions and ideas, both to literates and illiterates alike.

Mother Nature and art are inseparable, as art being a reproduction of thee, recreating her charm through an artist’s eye, and Nature is his greatest inspiration.

The ultimatum of art is to bring out the beauty; Focus 

the immutable value of art rest within the talent of an artist to see beauty in the forms around him.

Art could be both ‘realistic’ and ‘abstract’. Portraits, landscapes, historic paintings and those depicting the activities of day to day life can be classified under the first genre. Whereas, abstract art is an illustration of ideas and feelings of an artist through lines, shapes, colours and textures.

the art of sketching

I am surprised

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Sketching as I feel, is an art of meditation that imparts peace and eliminates stress and tension.

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walk the talk

Krishna

R a o Jaisim walk the talk Everyone loves a success story, but

despite the predestined and the inevitable challenges, and last minute problems, it is how you come up with counter solutions by defiance of the boundaries, both geographically and ethnically, that actually define you.

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walk the talk

A crossing that started in 1961 in the School of Architecture, Madras, Prof. Krisha Rao Jaisim has shaped a whole new vocabulary with the interplay of geometry, structures and philosophy in the race of architecture.

The lone context for him to join was that his grandfather was the palace architect to Maharaja of Mysore and he would be rewarded the Triumph Tiger Cub, a four stroke motorcycle.

In the later years, he was elected the student leader Secretary and President, adjacently the editor and publisher of Student Times.

The first design assignment overlooked by Prof.Sheila Tribe, one of the most

important design projects, where every other learner made brilliant drawingsperspectives, rendered, clear cut designs. In stark contrast, he made a simple clay model- three dimensional aspect of time and space, reflecting his ideas and thoughts, making it the only project that made sense. At this phase, also walked in Ayn Rand, with her inspiring the Fountainhead- the rest is history.

The Taj Fisherman’s Cove, Holy Cross institution, the many bungalows, the geodesic Bube and many more.

It has followed no known norms, methods of design, details and development. In 1975, came an invitation by

the IIT to visit the unheard of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman to offer consultancy. Architecture took second seat-construction management, project planning, running a crusher and sand, import and export of materials, labour management. According to him, even as the East had so much to learn from the West, our concepts were eons ahead.1980 to 2012, three decades back in India, many explorations, be it the President and Director of Cooperative Housing, Chairman IIA, Professor Design Chair, Advisor and board member of many a professional educational institution.  Focus

walk the talk

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Never build in the valley or the peak. Build on the shoulders.

Essence “Never build in the valley or the peak. Build on the shoulders”-First law of architecture. Valleys are where you collect rain or hold the water, the top or the peak is the definition, so use the shoulders to hold it. I want to build across the valley but not to touch the valley. Create an iconic architecture. Start thinking with the impossible, but once someone says it is possible, I push it aside. When you Focus 

to

the

start

reach the point of impossibilities- the structural engineers, acoustic designers are against you, except the Nature. Nature keeps looking at you and says, “I am here so what are you going to do with me.” The mind works with nature. Every other animal in the world works along with nature, but man is the only thing that can conquer nature, because we can think. Man thinks beyond himself, either you be creative

or destructive. If I do not look at it properly, I can make the most absurd of projects. At the same time, if I look at it a fresh eye, I can make it jump across the sky, creating an extremely phenomenal architecture. So you go, walk down the spaces, talk to each plant, talk to each tree, touch the land and then talk to the users. A hundred may use it. The moment anybody says, “Impossible”, build it!

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apartments, we designed it before the west. But we had no one to build for us. Now they are building it.

Holding reins

I am the ultimate who is in control of what I do. Over the decades I have been called mad, organic, iconic, original, crazy, lazy, and difficult but never orthodox. Architecture is an individualistic and lonely journey. Where alone you can do nothing and together it can be a cacophonous mess.

Inspiration

Quite a few are there. One was the phenomenal Buckminster Fuller. Little did I know that am talking to him and that in the two hours, a world of geodesic and Tetrahedra will open before me to compete and complete unimaginable steel structures of large and intricate spans of spaces in my architecture. The legendary Geoffrey Bawa, made me see and sense beyond the obvious, hidden meaning and value in everyday and the waste. The admirable Sri Krishna Chitale where I learnt and grappled the fundamentals of this profession. All are part of it. But they will only inspire. They won’t influence my architecture. My buildings are simply what they are.

Zest

I don’t know. My state may look a little waning, but the moment I see young people I get spirited. That is why I attach myself to schools-half a dozen schools. But you people are the defenders. You are the future. I am today within that whirlpool. Watched by the traditional old and egged on by the sublime youth, each thinking they can pave the way to future. And neither knows where or what time and space will tell.

Adapting with the race

I find it very interesting.

Materials. Structure. Architecture. New materials inspire new structures to create unimaginable spaces in a moment of time, to realize an architecture, which makes me smile with pride. If you do not have a structure, you cannot have the architecture.

To have the structure, you need the material and when you use these, you need all the equipments and everything to bring it up. Now things change. We are far ahead of the western world and anywhere in the use of materials. When we designed

Too many cooks

With so many joining this course, it will be a mess in the beginning. Take engineering, take accountancy, take lawyers, the population ratio of theirs cannot be compared to ours. We are nowhere. There are 900 schools of architecture and hundred inputs. Meanwhile, architecture cannot be taught-you have to learn.

That is something about your profession. Please do not expect your college to teach you. I firmly believe with total conviction that today class rooms can only offer tools of expression. You have to learn, observe, observe and learn. There is nothing wrong in exchanging your ideas. I see many of you holding on to your ideas and not showing anybody your drawings.

It’s absolutely wrong. Finally you are going to expose all your drawings to the world.

The world is going to criticize you. The world is going to parade you.

Every day is today I don’t know what I am going to do tomorrow morning. I have absolutely no idea.  Focus

GALLERY gallery

Photographer: Josu B Sebastian camera: NIKON D5100 Exposure:1/200 sec at f/4.8 (ISO 200)

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Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings. victor hugo

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Knowing its enough for now The fight is either won or lost in view of the audience-in the dark alleys, in the broad sunlight or in one’s territory. They retreat, lick their wounds and become whole.

After all, it’s part of survival.

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Identical Perpspective

Experimenting a photo shoot in same angle but at different places.

Photographer: Amjo Antony camera: SAMSUNG GT-N7100

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go confidently in the direction of your dreams!

Reach high, for the stars that lie hidden in your soul.

Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.

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Photographer: Harish camera:Canon EOS 1100D Exposure:1/200 sec at f/9 (ISO 100)

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unsuspicious innocence

unsuspicious innocence potrait photography

by Rezwin Ahamed Some of us integrate the act of recording our memoirs; it’s about capturing the small significant ones that are stuck to us besides the tear shed moments. It’s more like an emotional journal. Babies being the start of something new, moreover a stage crossed by all, is a bundle, may it be the radiant dreams or hope for the fresh possibilities. So here goes, those reciprocated moments of innocence, attitude, glory, hope and the more.

Veil of love Hidden in the veil of love,she craves for freedom but cries in the slight tremors of loneliness.

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unsuspicious innocence

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Babies are bit of stardust blown from the hand of GOD...

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Say cheese!!

Real joy comes not from the worldly treasures, but something valuable. focus 

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it is my food!

I wanted to start eating healthy, but unhealthy food got in my way!

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who is the man Ladies!?!

A small thing, with a pinch of attitude states a lot of difference.

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unsuspicious innocence

A child can teach an adult three things, To be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.

– Paulo Coelho

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The best thing about photography is its ability to freeze the moment in time; the joy of being carried and getting pampered.

The bliss of a young kid takes up more room

in a person’s heart.

The innocent stage when your smile can make life simpler for the others.

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A child Is a little bit of heaven.

A smile of a naive can bring warmth to one, on cold and snowy day.

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Every end is an opportunity for new beginning.

Smirk at all the problems and all your fears will change into anticipation

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unsuspicious innocence

Not because life has full of reasons to smile, but because your smile is itself a reason for many others to smile...

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Catching art !

Catching art!

RIZWAN KHAN One of the youngest photographers in

Tamil Nadu, his pictures is like a visit to the past with an unconventional journey to the present. Known for his uniqueness, Chennai based photographer, Rizwan Khan, runs MyBigLeap Academy.

He talks about his journey from a film roll to digital camera, enhancing the overall impact of his pictures. Using the light and the worldly props, he creates an interesting factor in his pictures.As put in his words,” I started

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very early in my 1st year of architecture. The whole idea was that I always wanted to catch the world’s eye, make them see through mine to reflect my thoughts and aspirations.

That is what which pulled me into photography. And a lot of inspiration, the likes, the critics, the pull downs have all helped in shaping me to who I am now. About the NATA coaching centre, I always wanted to do something more to make a difference. It all started!!’

For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.

– Henry Cartier Bresson

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What camera gear or technology do you use to for a picture perfect frame?

You don’t essentially require a professional camera to take pictures. You can click photographs using your phones, which at times turns out better than the camera.

I always work with morning light. From 5.30 – 7a.m., it is diffused light that falls on an object throwing undefined

shadows on the other side.

These rays are not harsh thus making the picture even more beautiful.Using the right gear with the correct settings is very important in the visual project.

Color vs. black and white. Preference?

You can not tell color vs. black and white, as both are the tools of a photographer.

It depends on the scenario,

frame and the substance.

For a minority, black and white is a comfortable setting. There is a lot of scope in both. When you look at the color photos, there is a lot of thought put behind it.

After the color correction, if the photo doesn’t give the feel or interpret the story, its better to take dichromate clicks. Else he won’t be able to portray or project out his message.

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Catching art !

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catching art !

What criteria are required for a good picture to stand out from the average?

It is important to try and capture those superfluous elements which will make the pictures get across. Even one additional element can create a story behind the frame, thus making it even more powerful. I don’t think there is something like an average photo. It is either good or bad-the extremes.

Portrait or landscape I started out framing a lot of landscapes. But time is taking me towards portraits.

Inspiration I used to go for photo shoots with one of my seniors, I observed him a lot and have learnt so much from him. He has been a real inspiration to me.

As a photographer, when people appreciate your picture or talk about it, even if it is criticism, I take the cue and move forth. Social networking sitesthe likes and support keeps me going.

What do you tell to those who aspire to grow to be photographers?

A lot of people come to me telling that they aspire to be photographers. The first thing is that you can’t take a camera and tell that you are a photographer. Passion, the Eye and Patience. I tell them to start from the basics. You just need to learn how to capture frames. Buy a block edge, it doesn’t have many options as such but will help you to capture magic. It’s the basics of picture making.

Future Am not a person who plans out my future. I take as it comes to me. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the five years from now. When I get up in the morning, I don’t know what’s up for that day. I don’t know if it is too much of photography or if I have to stop it or not. I think it is too early to decide about it. For the subsequent months, I have a lot of projects coming up. It’s difficult to actually plan out a future.  Focus

Catching art !

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