“SET IN STONE” TRAUMA AND ARCHITECTUREMEMORIAL ADISSERTATIONPROJECT Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degreeof BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE By SHRIYA DWIVEDI (Registration Number:17635) Under theofguidance Dr. Venu Shree DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY HAMIRPUR (H.P) 177005, INDIA MAY DISSERTATION2021PROJECT(2021-2022)
Copyright © NIT HAMIRPUR (HP), INDIA, Year
HAMIRPURTECHNOLOGY(H.P)
presented in this project report has not been submitted by me for the reward of any other degree of this or any other Institute/ university. (SHRIYA DWIVEDI)
Signature of coordinator Signature of HOD
“Project Guide”, Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, TheHamirpur.matter
CANDIDATE DECLARATION
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
I hereby certify that the work which is being presented in the project titled “SET IN STONE” TRAUMA AND MEMORIAL ARCHITECTURE is the partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the DEGREE OF BACHELOR in ARCHITECTURE and submitted in Department of Architecture, National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, in an authentic record of my own work carried out during a period from January 2019 to May 2019 under the guidance of DR. VENU SHREE
This is certifying that the above statement made by the candidate is correct to the best of my knowledge.
Date: ……….…………… (DR.VENUProjectSHREE)Guide
The project Viva voce Examination of Shriya Dwivedi has been held on………………
I am deeply indebted to Dr. Venu Shree, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, N I T Hamirpur for her direction and steady supervision and in addition for giving vital data with respect to the undertaking and furthermore for her help in finishing the task. I am amazingly grateful and pay my appreciation to my Head of Department, Dr. I.P. Singh, the Dissertation Co ordinator Dr. Kriti Dhingra and DUGC Dr. Rashmi Kumari for their considerable direction and support in finishing of this exploration Ireport.stretch out my appreciation to N.I.T. Hamirpur (H.P.) for giving me this opportunity.At last, appreciation goes to the greater part of my friends who specifically or in a roundabout way helped me to finish this dissertation report.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
At the very beginning of this report, I want to broaden my serious and sincere commitment towards all people who have helped me in this obligation. Without their dynamic direction, cooperation, support and help, I wouldn’t have made progress in the Firstly,report.
I
At a general level, the research addresses the effects of war on architecture and the memories and identities it beholds. At a more specific level, it emphasizes the ways in which architecture embodies memories and aids in the process of healing and
II ABSTRACT
At first a deep analysis of Indian War History elucidates the traumatic events in the past and its effect on memorial architecture: How it is set in stone? Following from that, the research asks: How can memorial architecture trace of temporal events to manifest itself as a universal reminder a storyteller of war?
With reference to two detailed cases studies, the research reflects on the notion of memorial architecture in India, in addition, it highlights how design of a memorial exemplifies that supreme sacrifice made by a soldier in the line of duty that makes him immortal through the memorial.
Theremembrance.mainquestions
The aim of this research is to explore the significance and purpose of memorial architecture in India. It also focuses on the processes through which architecture responds to trauma using its own languages and forms of representation, in an attempt to incorporate it as memories of a war.
that the research asks are concerned with the purpose of creating a war memorial in a specific context, how this memorial materializes, and the influence it exerts on its visitor’s memory.
III TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 BACKGROUND: 1 1.2 RESEARCH AIM:......................................................................................................................1 1.3 OBJECTIVES: ...........................................................................................................................1 1.3.1 PART I..............................................................................................................................1 1.3.2 PART II 2 1.3.3 PART III 2 1.4 SCOPES AND LIMITATIONS.....................................................................................................2 1.5 METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................................3 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................6 2.1 INDIAN WAR HISTORY (THE WOUNDS) 6 2.1.1 THE WARS WITH PAKISTAN 6 2.1.2 THE WARS WITH CHINA ..................................................................................................8 2.2 INDIA+MEMORY (MEMORIALIZATION THROUGH AGES) ...................................................11 2.3 MEMORIAL VS MONUMENT................................................................................................16 3. LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................................19 3.1 ARCHITECTURE + TRAUMA 19 3.2 ARCHITECTURE+MEMORY ...................................................................................................24 3.3 THE DESIGN..........................................................................................................................25 4. CASE STUDIES.........................................................................................................................29 4.1 NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL, DELHI (REALIZATION OF WOUNDS AND SCARS) 29 4.1.1 BACKGROUND 29 4.1.2 THE DESIGN (INTEGRATION OF MEMORY AND TRAUMA TO FORM ARCHITECTURE) 31 4.1.3 ESTABLISHING SYMBOL AND MEMORY........................................................................33 4.1.4 ANALYSIS (ARCHITECTURE+TRAUMA+MEMORY).........................................................37 4.2 CHANDIGARH WAR MEMORIAL (REALIZATION OF WOUNDS AND SCARS).........................41 4.2.1 BACKGROUND 41 4.2.2 THE DESIGN (INTEGRATION OF MEMORY AND TRAUMA TO FORM ARCHITECTURE) 42 4.2.3 ANALYSIS (ARCHITECTURE+TRAUMA+MEMORY).........................................................45 4.3 COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES..................................................................48
IV 4.3.1 IDEA: EXPRESSION OF REMEMBERANCE ......................................................................48 4.3.2 CONCEPTUAL FORM 48 4.3.3 ACCESS 50 4.3.4 CENTRAL OBELISK .........................................................................................................51 4.3.4 THE NAME PANELS: SYMBOLS OF REMEMBERANCE....................................................52 5. CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................55 6. REFERENCE 58
Figure 3 7 The site of the World Trade Center has come to be known as ground zero. All seven structures that were a part of the complex were either destroyed or damaged, along with other buildings in the vicinity. The design of the memorial includes the names of every one of the victims set into the footprints of the two towers. 23
Figure 3 3 A soldier statue at National war memorial 20
Figure 2 5 Army casualties are evacuated from the advanced landing ground at Walong by DeHavilland Otters of the IAF, 1962. 9
Figure 2 9 Chhatri of Maharaja Udaybhan Singh at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Chhatris were traditional memorials to mark the spot where kings and warriors were cremated. 11
Figure 2 4 Timeline of Sino India conflicts till date 8
Figure 2 8 Medium machine gun in action during the Kargil war, 1999 9
V LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3 4 Last post for Indian dead, Misamari, November 1962. 20
Figure 3 5 War is trauma Poster. A campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops and win service members and veterans right to heal. Posters were pasted in public, replacing many corporate advertisements, to focus public attention towards the issues. 21
Figure 2 14Visitors at the Siachen War Memorial in Ladakh. War memorials provide a place for friends and family to honour the sacrifice of those killed in the line of duty. They also invoke a sense of reverence and pride amongst the community. 14
Figure 2 11Saragarhi Memorial at Ferozepur. 12
Figure 2 3Timeline of India Pakistan conflict over a period of seven decades 7
Figure 2 7 Jawans of the Indian Army engage the Katanga rebels, ONUC, Congo 1966 9
Figure 2 1 Lt Gen A.A.K. Niazi, commander of all forces in East Pakistan, signs the instrument of surrender, Dacca, 16 December 1971. Lt Gen J.S. Aurora Eastern Army commander is on his right. 6
Figure 2 12 The Neuve Chapelle Memorial is dedicated to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in France and Belgium from 1914 1918 in the First World War. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker it was inaugurated on 7 October 1927 in the presence of Marshal Foch, Lord 13
Figure 2 6 A casualty is brought in to a regimental aid post on a “Yak Ambulance”, 1962, while an AN 12 transport aircraft of the IAF comes in to land at Leh in Ladakh. 9
Figure 3 2 Family of INS Khukri steward TO Varghese lay wreath at National War Memorial 20
Figure 3 1 Effect of violence on soldiers 19
Figure 3 9 Names of every one of the victims set into the footprints of the two towers. 23
Figure 2 10 Saragarhi Memorial at Ferozepur 12
Figure 2 15 Major War memorials in India 15 Figure 2 16 Difference between memorial and monument 16
Figure 3 6 On September 11, 2001,at 8:46 am the two jetliners crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York 22
Figure 2 2 Jawans of 23 Punjab celebrate atop a destroyed Pakistani tank after the battle of Longewala, December 1971. 7
Figure 2 13The Prime Minister and three Service Chiefs paying homage to the unknown warrior at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at an annual ceremony held at India Gate on Republic Day (26 January). 14
Figure 3 8 Remembering 9/11: 18 Years since the attack 23
Figure 3 10 Officers carrying Phulwama attack martyrs 24
Figure 3 16 The names of soldiers on the plaques at The National war memorial(left) and Chandigarh War Memorial (right) Walk through Timeline 26
Figure 4 10 Tyag Chakra (Architecture embodies Trauma) 36
Figure 4 28 Planning of the Chandigarh War Memorial 49
Figure 4 21 The ramps in the center extend to two sides also having concrete walls with granite slabs containing the names of brave martyrs. 44
Figure 4 15 Inauguration of Chandigarh War Memorial 41
Figure 4 11 Blocks of granite containing the names of war heroes helps in healing by the process of remembrance and healing. 36
Figure 4 29 Intersection of ‘Path of Life’ and ‘Path of War’ 50
Figure 4 18 Entrance and exit ramps to the central obelisk 43
Figure 4 12 War history “Set in Stone” in the Veer Chakra 37
Figure 3 12 Remembrance at the National war memorial 25
Figure 4 20 Black Granite stones engraved with the names of lost soldiers. 44
VI
Figure 4 1 The Amar Jawan Jyoti and India Gate part of the hexagon 29
Figure 4 3 Conceptual Approach 31 Figure 4 4 Master Planning 32 Figure 4 5 Isometric Plan 33 Figure 4 6 Design Layers (Exploded Isometric of National war Memorial Complex) 33
Figure 4 26 Establishing connection between the people and loved ones lost 47
Figure 4 13 Nationional War Memorial at night enhancing the creative lighting strategy 38
Figure 4 2 Site Selected Context and surroundings 30
Figure 4 24 Black Granite reflects the names of the loved ones lost. 46
Figure 3 14 Fort William, Kolkata, West Bengal, Poorvi Kaman Vijay Smarak shows bold shapes and is symbolic of three wings of Indian forces 25
Figure 4 27 Planning of the National War Memorials 49
Figure 4 17 Bougainvillea Garden leading to the War Memorial, it completely blends with the surroundings yet standing out. 42
Figure 3 11 War, Architecture and memory diagram 24
Figure 3 15 Reflection, the memory and identity of single individual and understood when visitors engage with the wall up close. 26
Figure 4 25 Residents light candles at the War Memorial in Sector 3 to pay tributes to Kargil martyrs 46
Figure 4 30 Context and design of central obelisk 51
Figure 4 7 Yudhpath and Gallery layoutYudhpath and Gallery layout 34
Figure 4 22 Chandigarh war memorial at night 45
Figure 3 17 Establishing connection between the people and loved ones lost 27
Figure 4 19 Plan showing the entry and exit ramps of the Memorial 43
Figure 4 9 Obelisk in the center of Amar Chakra. 35
Figure 4 8 Yudhpath or the Path of War 35
Figure 3 13 Kochi, Kerala, INS Venduruthy War Memorial showcases Brutalistic forms 25
Figure 4 23 Ceremony at the Chandigarh War Memorial 45
Figure 4 14 The visitors are able to connect to the memories of their loved ones through architecture. 39
Figure 4 16 Chandigarh War memorial sunken area 41
Figure 4 33 Reflections creates connections between the world of living and their lost loved ones.
54
VII
Figure 4 31 Context and design of central obelisk
Figure 4 32 Each granite block is made to shape precisely and represents a martyr, on which his name and ranks are engraved
51
53
VIII
GLOSSARY Dharmayuddha Religious war Dharma the eternal and inherent nature of reality, regarded in Hinduism as a cosmic law underlying right behavior and social order. Adharma individual disharmony with the nature of things: nonconformity to one's worldly situation Stambhas pillar Dwaras doors Chhatris canopy Jawans soldiers Vijaypath The path of victory Rajpath The King’s way Rashtrapati Bhavan President’s House Chowk an intersection or roundabout, where tracks or roads cross Punarjanam reincarnation Yodha warrior Sthal the site Rashtriya national Smarak memorial Yudhpath Path of Warrior Amar Chakra Circle of Immortality Veer Chakra Circle of Bravery Tyag Chakra Circle of Sacrifice Chakravyuh impregnable battle array (as practiced in ancient Indian military strategy)
BACKGROUND:
RESEARCH AIM:
1 1.INTRODUCTION
1.2
The aim of the research is oriented towards 1.) a general comprehensive study of the significance of war memorials in India. 2.) studying the ways in which architecture becomes the physical manifestation of memories and aids in the process of healing and alleviation.
1.3 OBJECTIVES: 1.3.1 PART I 1. Analysis of Indian war history The wound 2. Analysis of memorialization tradition in India The scar 3. Understanding the difference between memorial and monument.
Wars and warfare have been a part of the human experience since time immemorial. In India the philosophy of the righteous war, or dharmayuddha, fought to uphold the values of dharma against the onslaught of adharma has guided the code of the warrior for millennia. Memorials to victory, as well as the sites of battles and spots marking the cremation/burial of kings and warriors are found throughout the length and breadth of this ancient land in the form of commemorative stambhas (pillars), dwaras (gates), chhatris (cupolas) and ‘hero stones’.
1.1
Memories are an elemental component in our connection to the world, which is the thread that links the presence the active living with the past and future. Memorial architecture as a built edifice seeks to anchor our experience in space and time. In memorial architecture, we seek to keep our memories alive by creating permanent objects of remembrance.
With the help of case studies this dissertation attempts to bring attention and reveal a spectrum of emotive and aesthetic strategies of designing a memorial. Both case studies exemplify how to achieve a timeless status for memorial design, but it is created within the context of a specific time and place that deeply influence the creation.
2
1. To understand the correlation between architecture and trauma. (How does architecture discipline wounded and shocked?)
SCOPES AND LIMITATIONS
1.4
There is a shortage of previous research studies on the topic the relation between memorial architecture and psychology of memory and trauma. Numerous texts contained data on either topics separately but not on the relation between them.
2. To understand the correlation between architecture and memories. (How do memorials act as reminders of war?)
Due to time constraints, the site visits were difficult to achieve. Also due to pertaining circumstances it was inconvenient to conduct interviews with locals on their perception towards their national memorials. The research was based upon a prospective a priori approach towards the topic. It imposed a concept that tests the theories and research done it shall be tested the other way around in an empirical approach and comparing the results
1.3.2 PART II
1.3.3 PART III
The second part of the dissertation draws a contrast between Trauma, Memory and Architecture. It gives a thorough explanation how Architecture embodies the Trauma of the Past and how it becomes a symbolic manifestation of memories. This methodology includes an approach that consults different disciplines (namely psychology, anthropology and sociology) in order to establish a relevant framework for contemporary projects.
Main questions that I ask are concerned with a purpose for creating the memorial on a given location, its translation into an architectural concept, its materialization, and finally the influence of the memorial space on the visitors. These aspects form a framework for the analysis of the three case studies discussed in this dissertation.
In the first Part of the dissertation a deep analysis is done on the wounds and trauma inflicted upon Indian history by discussion of various wars fought by Indian army post Independence. This is done to recognize the extent of loss in the past and its effect on the present. A detailed study of the memorial practice in India is done to understand the form of expression used for remembrance. As architecture evolves from the past it is important to understand the history of memorials in India. The first part also discusses the difference between a Memorial and a Monument which help in justifying the topic of dissertation: “Set in Stone: Trauma and Memorial Architecture”.
METHODOLOGY
3 1.5
Technically, this dissertation is focused on architecture as a space for remembering and is therefore concerned with the following key issues: how architecture supports memory work, what the role of the designer is, and what is the impact of his design once the memorial is installed in the real time and space. Before addressing these questions, I seek to situate memorialization practices in the Indian context to be able to observe it more critically, and attend to several points which are relevant to the process of creating a memorial in the country.
4
In the third part of the dissertation the criteria for choosing case studies were mainly based on two aspects: variety of commemorative themes and their popularity in the media and architectural publications. Therefore, two case studies are commemorating events that caused violent deaths wars and the consequences of the Indian colonial past, but also victims of World wars. Lastly analysis of these case studies helps to derive inference so as to how the process of designing a memorial today translates memories of human losses into an architectural space.
5
-AE Houseman
Here dead we lie Because we did not choose To live and shame the land From which we sprung. Life, to be sure, Is nothing much to lose, But young men think it is, And we were young.
After subsequent establishment of the dominions of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been engaged in a variety of wars, disputes, and military standoffs
6 2.THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 2.1 INDIAN WAR HISTORY (THE WOUNDS)
India has had war thrust upon it five times since independence: once with China and four times with Pakistan. None of the wars were of its’ own making. Pursuing a policy of peace and non alignment, the country was ill prepared for these conflicts except for the Indo Pak war of 1971 when it was ready and won a decisive victory. The partition of India and the division of her armed forces preceded the Indo Pak war of 1947 48. The princely states were given the option of merging with the country adjacent to them India or Pakistan but a few of them thought they could remain independent. These were Hyderabad, Junagadh and Kashmir.
With the exception of the Indo Pakistani War of1971, which was a direct result of hostilities arising from the Bangladesh Liberation War in erstwhile East Pakistan, a long running controversy over Kashmir and cross border terrorism have been the primary causes of confrontation between the two countries (now Bangladesh).
Figure 2 1 Lt Gen A.A.K. Niazi, commander of all forces in East Pakistan, signs the instrument of surrender, Dacca, 16 December 1971. Lt Gen J.S. Aurora Eastern Army commander is on his right.
2.1.1 THE WARS WITH PAKISTAN
Figure 2 2 Jawans of 23 Punjab celebrate atop a destroyed Pakistani tank after the battle of Longewala, December 1971.
7 Figure 2 3Timeline of India Pakistan conflict over a period of seven decades
THE WARS WITH CHINA
8 2.1.2
Figure 2 4 Timeline
When India gained independence, she inherited land boundaries with China, which were marked on maps but were not demarcated on the ground. In 1956 China began to build roads from Sinkiang into Tibet. Maps published in China showed the Aksai Chin and much of the area south of the McMohan Line as part of Chinese territory. India insisted that the Indo Tibet border be jointly delineated but before that the Aksai Chin had to be vacated by China. This, China was not prepared to do, and instead commenced intrusions into Indian Territory. In 1960, based on an assessment by the Intelligence Bureau, India adopted the ‘Forward Policy’, which called for the establishment of Indian posts close to the Sino-Indian border with a view to block Chinese incursions into Indian Territory. Overall, the Indian Army was outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered. 1423 soldier and officers were killed, 3018 were wounded, 3587 were taken prisoner and 1655 were declared missing believed killed. The bulk of the Indian Army was however untouched and reinforcements were moving up. Winter was coming and the Chinese realized that they would not be able to sustain a prolonged war. They decided unilaterally to withdraw. of Sino India conflicts till date
9 Figure 2 5 Army casualties are evacuated from the advanced landing ground at Walong by DeHavilland Otters of the IAF, 1962. Figure 2 6 A casualty is brought in to a regimental aid post on a “Yak Ambulance”, 1962, while an AN 12 transport aircraft of the IAF comes in to land at Leh in Ladakh. Figure 2 8 Medium machine gun in action during the Kargil war, 1999 Figure 2 7 Jawans of the Indian Army engage the Katanga rebels, ONUC, Congo 1966
10
“All that they had they gave; and they shall not return, for these are those that have no grave where any heart may mourn” The King’s Pilgrimage by Rudyard Kipling, 1922.
Figure 2 9 Chhatri of Maharaja Udaybhan Singh at Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Chhatris were traditional memorials to mark the spot where kings and warriors were cremated.
It was not until the rise of the individual, as well as the democratization of society that followed it, that the position, valor, and sacrifice of the individual soldier came to be recognized in official dispatches and rewards Both the practice of documenting the names of individual ‘other ranks' who had done exceptionally well in the field in the official dispatch sent by the commander to government, now recognized as being “mentioned in dispatches,” and the practice of marking the valor of a soldier in combat by the grant of an official gallantry award, both originated in the Indian Army. The “Indian Order of Merit” (IOM), the Commonwealth's oldest gallantry award, was created in 1837, 17 years before the Victoria Cross (VC). Until 1911, when Indians were made eligible for the latter decoration following King George V's proclamation at the Delhi Durbar, the IOM was the Indian equivalent of the VC and the highest gallantry award that could be received by an Indian soldier.
11 2.2 (MEMORIALIZATIONINDIA+MEMORY
THROUGH AGES)
The history of memorials in India shows that the ritual of commemoration has been performed in India for over 2000 years. Despite their grand, welcoming designs, the early Hindu and Jain styles, as well as the Mughal tombs, were manifestations of personal loss. Throughout the twentieth century, the fight for freedom instilled a deep sense of national identity and appreciation for the country's history.
12
Figure 2 11Saragarhi Memorial at Ferozepur.
By that time, over 3000 Indian soldiers had won the IOM, including 47 awards of the first degree, the equivalent of a VC with two bars. The Saragarhi memorials, constructed in Amritsar and Ferozepur to commemorate a detachment of the 36th Sikhs' last stand in a war against overwhelming odds, were among the first modern memorials to collective gallantry and sacrifice in India overwhelming odds at the small outpost of Saragarhi on the Samana range in September 1897. For gallantry, each of them was posthumously inducted into the Indian Order of Merit. The names of these brave soldiers are documented in memorials in Amritsar and Ferozepur, the districts from which the majority of the men came. Even so, it was not until the First World War that the sacrifice of members of the armed forces of all ranks started to be widely remembered in the form of a grave or monument in the theatre of war where the hero died. In the case of the many Hindu and Sikh soldiers whose remains were cremated and who had no known grave, their details were recorded on common collective memorials such as the one at or the India Gate in New Delhi. 2 10 Saragarhi Memorial at Ferozepur
Figure
• Memorials constructed by civic bodies and state governments within India. Attempts have been made to document all such memorials although a list of this nature is bound to have omissions.
Figure 2 12
India contributed immensely to the war effort during the First and Second World Wars.
The Neuve Chapelle Memorial is dedicated to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in France and Belgium from 1914 1918 in the First World War. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker it was inaugurated on 7 October 1927 in the presence of Marshal Foch, Lord
Broadly speaking, three kinds of memorials/war graves exist in India:
• Memorials of post Independence era constructed within military stations, cantonments and field areas with government sanction; as well as memorials to Indian soldiers/peacekeepers in other countries.
13
• Memorials/war graves commemorating the war dead of undivided India. These are of the pre Independence period and most of these memorials are under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
In terms of manpower alone, over 1,400,000 men served during the Great War, while during the Second World War the Indian Army swelled from a strength of 1,95,000 in 1939 to over 2.5 million men by the end of the war; the largest volunteer force in the history of human conflict.
14 These war memorials provide a focus for memory and for commemoration both nationally and internationally, as well as a space where friends and relatives can remember the sacrifice of their loved ones.
Figure 2 13The Prime Minister and three Service Chiefs paying homage to the unknown warrior at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at an annual ceremony held at India Gate on Republic Day (26 FigureJanuary).214Visitors at the Siachen War Memorial in Ladakh. War memorials provide a place for friends and family to honour the sacrifice of those killed in the line of duty. They also invoke a sense of reverence and pride amongst the community.
15 Figure 2 15 Major War memorials in India
16
2.3
MEMORIAL VS MONUMENT
A memorial may be a day or space, but it need not be a monument. A monument, on the other hand, is always a type of memorial. A memorial is often erected to honor those who have died, including spontaneous memorials we see created in the immediate aftermath of tragedy. They may have only a temporary life.
Figure 2 16 Difference between memorial and monument
Michael Rowland in his book Trauma, Memory and Memorials claims that memorials become monuments as a result of successful completion of the mourning process. The dead are dead as an active process of remembering to forget, through creation of an appropriate memory. War memorials can ideally provide a rationale to justify the nation’s sacrifice of its citizen for its own generation.
17
The principle that distinguishes memorials from the monuments is that memorials are about the healing embrace of remembrance and reconciliation, while monuments are usually intended to celebrate a national event or achievement. One of the features of nationalist war memorials has been their ability to transform traumatic individual deaths into performance of national celebration and heroic assertions of collective value.
18 How can a man die better? Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temple of his Gods -Macaulay
3.1 ARCHITECTURE + TRAUMA
19 3.LITERATURE REVIEW
‘Trauma’ and ‘architecture’ are terms characterized by an intrinsic ambiguity in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. Both, in different ways, indicate cultural constructs that change through time (the definition of ‘trauma’ has indeed a recent history), and continue to adjust to the needs, events, body of knowledge and disciplinary positions of their times. What trauma do we need to consider here though, physical or psychological, and is it always possible to trace a clear distinction between the two? Psychological trauma is fundamentally a disorder of memory, and what crucially defines it is its relation to time and to ‘normal’ consciousness. Frozen in time, the traumatic experience is re lived in a traumatic present and escapes efforts to represent it as past. Trauma is a demonstration of personal and collective impotence which has to be reconciled through mourning as a process that comes to the pitch in the compensation of the loss. The reverse movement, the preservation and continuation of death into life, may culminate in the introjection of the absent loved one into set stones. In the background of these considerations lies the historically established foundational relation between architecture and the human organism: a relation that, beyond anthropomorphism, has always been grounded on ideas of proportion and connectivity, function and growth, evolution and change in time, linking the workings of architecture to the physiology of the body. Figure 3 1 Effect of violence on soldiers
3 4
Figure 3 3 A soldier
20
The association of architecture with the human body and human life is not relevant only when discussing trauma, traumatic effects on architecture, and architecture’s response to them. Both the forms and the functioning of architecture as a dynamic relational system have always been associated with those of an organism, and in particular with the human Traumabody. is the sudden event, usually violently triggered and enacted (the rupture of the protective envelope), but the series of reactions that the event triggers and that spread out from it, in time space, in the body. Trauma is therefore a temporal becoming. The statue Khukri steward
Figure Last post for Indian dead, Misamari, November 1962.
at National war memorial Figure 3 2 Family of INS
TO Varghese lay wreath at National War Memorial
In a process of healing that does not propose a reconstruction but offers instead a reframing and a reinterpretation, the architectural project mimics the project of the attack. Thus appropriated into architecture, the attack will continue to affect (disturb?) the discipline, ultimately forcing it to elaborate a response, at least in form of an exorcizing representation performed through its habitual conventional media.
21 transition from the body to the psyche then is not marked by a discontinuity. This is not an analogy but a continuum of becoming of the organism, be it a body or the body of Architecturearchitecture. too then can be seen not as a wounded body, but as an organism that progressively reacts to a triggering rupture. The relationship between trauma and architecture is thus a complex process of interactions, and, as in psychology, the body of architecture as well as its pasts, memories and languages are affected. That architecture is not only an affected and then reacting body, but an active and changing repository of memories, as well as a form of expression and communication, can be further clarified if another aspect of psychological trauma is considered as well.
Figure 3 5 War is trauma Poster. A campaign to stop the deployment of traumatized troops and win service members and veterans right to heal. Posters were pasted in public, replacing many corporate advertisements, to focus public attention towards the issues.
To understand the relationship of architecture and trauma the example of Ground Zero is considered On the 11th of September 2001 violence hit architecture in a sudden and unexpected way, with a speed that is unconceivable in architecture, and was precisely and carefully choreographed outside of it. The terrorist attack on the towers of the World Trade Center in New York was not only swift and swiftly doubled, but also magnified in scale, dimension, conflict, political significance, and human tragedy. As a discipline, architecture was muted, physically pulverized and stunned as a discourse. Then, beyond and beside the human tragedy, architecture too had to cope. Beyond the immediate impact and destruction of the buildings, the trauma of the attack slowly worked its effects through
The process of recovery would involve repeated mapping of the meanings not just of the site but of the very idea of site. Similar to other conventional architectural responses (a reconstruction of twinned towers), gradually dissolve the architectural form, moving from the idea of the tower to the proposal of a protective berm around the explosion craters, to a huge geodesic dome, to its opening up into a group of smaller torqued towers, and to their eventual disappearance, as in the blossoming, opening up and ultimate undoing of a flower. An open public park that maintains the gigantic footprints of the World Trade Center towers but covers everything in grass, because ‘Nothing need be built there 6 On September 11, 2001,at 8:46 am the two jetliners crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York
Figure 3
22
Promptedarchitecture.byurgency, by the ritualistic reaction of the city, and by the enormous political and financial interests invested in the site reconstruction of the World Trade Center site and for monumental commemorations of Ground Zero was proposed.
23
Figure 3 7 The site of the World Trade Center has come to be known as ground zero. All seven structures that were a part of the complex were either destroyed or damaged, along with other buildings in the vicinity. The design of the memorial includes the names of every one of the victims set into the footprints of the two towers.
Ground Zero project called for an architectural silence capable of appropriating the terrorists’ symbolic appropriation of architectural space. The project for Ground Zero proposed a constant reminder of the ghost presence of the traumatic event not as a celebration of the ruin, but as a form of reactivation for collective public re use.
Figure 3 9 Names of every one of the victims set into the footprints of the two towers.
Figure 3 8 Remembering 9/11: 18 Years since the attack
Memory has a fundamental role both in the transformation and in the preservation of cultural manifestation. Memory is a social instrument for identity and development. Without memory there is neither present nor future; importantly memories allow events to flow Memorializationlegibly.
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3.2
ARCHITECTURE+MEMORY
Memory begins where history end. The presences are the times when the active living is in motion, feeding on its own energy to create a narrative. Whereas, the absences are the times when the active living is dead, they are the voids in between the active living of history and the next. These voids are where memory is filled.
Figure 3 11 War, Architecture and memory diagram Figure 3 10 Officers carrying Phulwama attack martyrs
as a representation of remembering past experiences bridge the relation between memory and architecture. It provides the stage in which it brings people together to unite individual memories into a collective memory.
25
Figure 3 12 Remembrance at the National war memorial
Figure 3 14 Fort William, Kolkata, West Bengal, Poorvi Kaman Vijay Smarak shows bold shapes and is symbolic of three wings of Indian forces
3.3 THE DESIGN
Figure 3 13 Kochi, Kerala, INS Venduruthy War Memorial showcases Brutalistic forms
The design of a memorial should reveal a deeper symbolic meaning attributed by the minimalist and simplicity. By use of strong horizontal lines, incorporating the use of earth, space and light the memorial can be made conceptually strong with embedded message of both life and death, and with the acceptance that would emotionally challenge those who visit the memorial. The design should be reflective and contemplative in character. It should also contain the names of those who died in the line of war or those who remain missing.
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Abstraction and symbols provide meaning to the architectural elements that aesthetically and compositionally tie the memorial together. For example, cutting a wedge in the land represents a violent act of opening the earth, but this is an initial act that in time would heal. This concept is parallel to violence of war and the healing process of the war.
Understanding through another example, considering a polished black granite surfaces on which names are inscribed. The wall dematerializes as a form and allows the names to become the object, a pure and reflective surface that would allow visitor the chance to see themselves with the names. It acts as a dark mirror that creates an image of a space, an interface between the world of the living and the dead.
Figure 3 15 Reflection, the memory and identity of single individual and understood when visitors engage with the wall up close.
Figure 3 16
The names of soldiers on the plaques at The National war memorial(left) and Chandigarh War Memorial (right) Walk through Timeline
The names inscribed on the wall should be in chronological order of their dates of casualty, shows the war as a series of individual human sacrifices. For instance, as one walks along the wall, one would observe that the passage along the wall is simultaneously a passage through time.
Figure 3 17 Establishing connection between the people and loved ones lost
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Memorial should help the visitor realize that immensity of the number of names is a direct relationship of the war. Looking at the wall one can observe that the name inscribed, serves as a constant reminder of high price of the war. The memorial is a design as a space that resonates with the feeling of loss and absence. The design should be able to connect with each person, making each one’s experience of the memorial very personal and individual.
In a way the person must die twice, first at the moment of his own death and secondly though the subject’s unhitching from its own identification. It is only then that the person can pass into history and that the stones can be set- for mourning and memorial is a phase apart. -Cousins, 1996
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One of the most enduring images from Delhi since 1931 is the axis of India Gate, forming one of the pinnacles of the ceremonial Vijaypath (the erstwhile Rajpath or the Kings Way). The ceremonial boulevard was designated by Edwin Lutyens as the centre of what he contrived as a ‘modern imperial city’, tethering an enclave of buildings of political eminences such as Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly the Viceroy’s Residence), Secretariat Building, Vijay Chowk etc. Renowned as one of the foremost European designers of war memorials and graves, Edwin Lutyens designed the All India War Memorial, popular as India Gate in tribute to the soldiers martyred in the First World War from 1921-31. Beyond it, since 1972 stands the Amar Jawan Jyoti, an inverted bayonet with a soldier’s helmet an insignia in homage to India’s victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan and to the brave soldiers who died while serving India’s armed forces.
After our independence, Indian Armed Forces have been involved in many conflicts and participated in a number of operations. India continues to engage in counter terrorism operations due to the Proxy War being waged from across the borders where a number of our soldiers have laid down their lives in the line of duty.
4.1.1 BACKGROUND
29 4.CASE STUDIES
4.1 NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL, DELHI (REALIZATION OF WOUNDS AND SCARS)
Figure 4 1 The Amar Jawan Jyoti and India Gate part of the hexagon
Figure 4
The National War Memorial comes at the hem of almost 60 years of contemplation and consideration. Ongoing since 1961, the discussion put forth by the Armed Forces over the years finally saw fruition in 2014; gaining momentum presided by the current Government It ‘proposed that lawns within the Hexagon, without disturbing Lawns V, VI, Chhatri(Canopy) and Childrens’ Park be utilised as the site’. 2 Site Selected Context and surroundings
To recognize these sacrifices, some memorials are built across the country. But no memorial at the national level had been dedicated to the sacrifices of men and women of the Armed forces. Thus arose the need for a memorial at the National level.
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Entitled ‘P u n a r j a n m [ पुनर्जन्म ]’ (rebirth), this is a non-building that articulates the legacy and the context, neither partial to one or the other, but bridging both. A quote of Captain Vikram Batra, laid the conceptual foundation of rebirth for the design.
“Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.”
Figure 4 3
The design of this Memorial emerges from a context of legacy the legacy of 25,000 Jawans (soldiers) who lost their lives in various wars and operations such as ‘the Indo Pak wars of 1947, 1965, and 1971; the Indo China war of 1962; the Kargil war of 1999, besides the peace keeping operations in Sri Lanka, counter insurgency operations, and internal conflicts within the country’. Culminating the Raj Path of the Lutyens Delhi, behind the India gate, this semi subterranean intervention, spreads over 42 acres in the C hexagon, retaining the identity as “people’s place” and embracing the memory of love, affection and pain.
Conceptual Approach
31 4.1.2 THE DESIGN (INTEGRATION OF MEMORY AND TRAUMA TO FORM ARCHITECTURE)
The Rashtriya Samar Smarak (National War Memorial): consisting of the central zone (Circles of Emotions) and utility complex on both north and southern side.
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The architects refer to it as a ‘semi subterranean design’ which respected the governing heritage zone that it was a part of. The planning was delineated across three parts:
The Param Yodha Sthal: A dedicated walkway connecting statues of the 21 Paramveer Chakra awardees.
Public plazas Past the crowds that converge and the languorous circumventing of hawkers that one attempts at the India Gate security barricades, the linearity starts to thin as one enters the complex the Circles of Emotions.
Figure 4 4 Master Planning
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ESTABLISHING SYMBOL AND MEMORY
The elements of design these four circles namely, the Circle of Immortality (Amar Chakra), Circle of Bravery (Veer Chakra), Circle of Sacrifice (Tyag Chakra), Circle of Protection and the Path of War are profoundly a personal take of the design team, on conveyance of ‘emotion and design: establishing symbol and memory’. Isometric of National war Memorial Complex)
Figure 4 5 Isometric Plan Figure 4 6 Design Layers (Exploded
4.1.3
Path of war (“Yudhpath”) : The circles represent a nexus to the intersection formed by the Rajpath with the Yudhpath (life of a soldier). On either side, the landscape extends and the edges expand into these subterranean pathways Path of War. Of this, the architects write, that they ‘were designed as preparation space which displays a brief history of Indian Defense force. The upward ramp from the gallery shows the pinnacle of the obelisk the destination. On climbing up there is a sudden opening up of the entire spread of the memorial which is a parallel drawn to the war moment.’ These pathways were connecting the site of the War Museum and the lawns. and Gallery layoutYudhpath and Gallery layout
The journey: Circle of Protection: On arrival, one begins their journey at the Circle of Protection. Enveloped by 690 trees, the memorial area is relatively calmer, and protected from the outside. “It personifies the territorial line of control,” write the architects, “The soldiers who are still there trying to safeguard us in places unseen. The ordered arrangement of the trees reflects the disciplined life led by them.”
Figure 4 7 Yudhpath
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Circle of Immortality (Amar Chakra): The obelisk carrying the eternal flame finds an eloquent place in the Circle of Immortality (Amar Chakra), the innermost core, the sanctum of the design seen against the tessellations of the stairs. Prosaically, it is the radiating center defined as a ceremonial space; poetically, it is choreographed with an edificial symbol rising from the earth, meeting the sky, immortalizing the memory of the soldiers. “The central obelisk and the opening out of the memorial intend to hold a subtle hierarchy to the India Gate and the Chattri,” say the architects. It is apparent that from here, the comprehensive plan sustains the symmetrical, hierarchical layout of the context.
Figure 4 9 Obelisk in the center of Amar Chakra.
Figure 4 8 Yudhpath or the Path of War
Circle of Sacrifice (Tyag Chakra): Inspired by the historic “Chakravyuha” Ancient war formation, the Tyag Chakra is arranged in concentric circles in accordance with the wars, gloriously housing the names of 25,700 war heroes, who sacrificed their life post independence for the Nation. It is a concrete structure, with self interlocking granite blocks placed over it. Each block represents a Martyr, and is engraved with his name, rank and number.
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Figure 4 11 Blocks of granite containing the names of war heroes helps in healing by the process of remembrance and healing.
Figure 4 10 Tyag Chakra (Architecture embodies Trauma)
Circle of Bravery (Veer Chakra) : The visibility of the layout strengthens as one move onwards to the Circle of Bravery. At the threshold, one pauses looking down as the Eternal Flame comes into view, and reconciling with the breadth of the memorial that reveals itself. The Circle of Bravery is a semi open corridor that circumvallates the main plaza. Six bronze murals inspired from the painting of Lt Col A J Arul Raj (Retd), made by renowned sculptor Ram Sutra narrate details from six post independence battles fought by the defense forces. Considering this is a singular representation, the exhibits
4.1.4 ANALYSIS (ARCHITECTURE+TRAUMA+MEMORY)
37 leave a lot to be desired. In absence of a Museum, perhaps, these can be substantially curated. Additionally, the architects mention that this circle ‘holds a large semicircular rainwater harvesting tank. The water from the paved areas and landscaped areas in the central zone are collected and reused for irrigation.’
It is a well meaning attempt, translating the ‘emotions which a soldier transits through when he/she goes to war’ into a geometric manifestation. Beyond the creation of what the brief called for, by organizing separate sections, the design places an emphasis on people to consider each space with its own distinct history.
Fig.41. Statue of a soldier in NWM Fig.42. Honoring the Brave Warriors at NWM Figure 4 12 War history “Set in Stone” in the Veer Chakra
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At this scale, even though the project embraces the vast peripheries of its given site, it is commendable that the invisible becomes visible only by navigating the journey and the power of conveyance that the architecture mediates for the visitor.
The material palette used is another conscious nod to the context, and because of that, the space innately responds to the heritage zone, not very inextricably different from the existing landscape. Elaborating on another relevant integration, the architects say that ‘the lighting in each circle enhances its emotional component differently. The lighting in the central court around the eternal flame spearheads sideways and up building a sense of eternity as it fades out. The Tyag Chakra seems floating with a series of small lights which resembles the oil lamps that are light in memory of the beloved ones in any Indian home. The streaks of light on the steps create a sense of transition through the concentric rings. As much as the light brought in emphasis and character, the darkness made the required experience deeper and absorbing.”
The Experience: When the visitors look around the War Memorial they realize they are surrounded by memories of over 25,942 fallen soldiers. And though each plaque depicts just a name and a number, they are so much more than just that. Each name has a story behind it, one that is perhaps eerily similar to the other, filled with bravery, strength and honor that is akin to fictional superheroes of our times. And yet, each life is also so different from the other. 4 13 Nationional War Memorial at night enhancing the creative lighting strategy
Figure
As the visitors walk through the four concentric circles the Veerta Chakra, Amar Chakra, Rakshak Chakra and Tyag Chakra of the National War Memorial that is designed as a Chakravyuh, an ancient Indian war formation they are blown away by the brotherhood among these men in the midst of such diversity and adversity. One couldn’t help but wonder in absolute amazement the sheer grit and mental fortitude these men and women had while defending their motherland to the peril of their lives. Something they had sworn to do. Memorials are places where loved ones pay a few priceless moments every once in a while with their brave and lost family members, a memorial is intended to be more than just that. It is a place of offering, a place of remembrance and a place of understanding the sacrifices made for one’s freedom. The National War Memorial symbolizes just that.
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Children and adults walk around trying to grapple with the magnitude of loss and trauma, while these brave soldiers continued their duty to the nation by reminding us what it means to be truly “Indian” and that our strength lay in our diversity.Figure 4 14 The visitors are able to connect to the memories of their loved ones through architecture.
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“Either I will come back after hoisting the Tricolour, or I will come back wrapped in it, but I will be back for sure.” -Captain Vikram Batra, PVC
CHANDIGARH WAR MEMORIAL (REALIZATION OF WOUNDS AND SCARS)
ChandigarhWarMemorialis oneofthefewmemorials built in Indiain thepost Independence era. When completed, it was perhaps thelargest memorial dedicated to war heroes inthe country. Significanceofthismemorial canbe gaugedfrom thefact that it wasinaugurated by thethenPresident of India, DrAPJ Abdul Kalam onAugust 17, 2006. The memorial has been set up to preserve the memory of about 10,500 brave martyrs from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. It is an expressionofthenation’s gratitudeforthesupremesacrificemadebyits bravehearts.
41 4.2
4.2.1 BACKGROUND
Chandigarh War Memorial was the brainchild of Lt Gen JFR Jacob (Retd), a 1971 Indo Pak war hero, who was then the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh. While laying the foundation stone on April 28, 2004, Gen Jacob termed this memorial as a “ShandarYadgar” (Magnificent Memorial). It was constructed with the funds raised through a citizens’ initiative led by the Indian Express Group of Newspapers and supported byits very special community of readers. No government moneywas spent on its construction.
Figure 4 16 Chandigarh War memorial sunken area Figure 4 15 Inauguration of Chandigarh War Memorial
Theplanofthememorial resembles aspiral galaxywithtwo spiral arms emanatingfrom the central oval-shapedarena. Oneofthese arms which fall onthenorth-easttowards theCapitol Figure 4 17 Bougainvillea Garden leading to the War Memorial, it completely blends with the surroundings yet standing out.
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The concept design prepared by these students was then handed over to the Department of Urban Planning, Chandigarh Administration for fine tuning of the drawings and finalizing the specifications. Shams Shaikh, a young architect of the department was put to task under the overall guidance of Renu Saigal who was then the Chief Architect of the Chandigarh TheAdministration.Chandigarh
4.2.2 THE DESIGN (INTEGRATION OF MEMORY AND TRAUMA TO FORM ARCHITECTURE)
War Memorial occupies a prominent place in the Leisure Valley / Bougainvillea Gardenin Sector 2 adjacent totheCapitol Complex of Chandigarh designedby Le Corbusier. The location of the site though was very important yet it posed a bigger challenge to the designers. As per Corbusier’s edict, no massive structure is allowed to be built in the LeisureValleyand adjacent totheCapitol Complex.
Keeping in view these constraints, the memorial has been planned as a subterranean facility. The major portion of the memorial which comprises an oval shaped arena has been kept six feet below the natural ground level aroundit. The built form ofthe memorial thus hinders in no way the visual continuity of the Leisure Valley, the Capitol Complex, and the Shivalik Hills on thenorth east.
43 Complexhas been planned as anentrancepromenade.Theotherarm which extends towards thesouth west has beendevelopedas anexit. Theshapeoftheplan is insync with theorganic characteroftheBougainvillea Garden.The entrance andexit routes ofthememorial merge rhythmicallyandharmoniouslywiththeexistingpathways ofthe BougainvilleaGarden.
Figure 4 19 Plan showing the entry and exit ramps of the Memorial
Thesunkenarenawhichis theheart ofthememorial comprises a circularpodium with a22 foot highmartyrs’memorial sculpture. Built inpowder coatedsteel sheets with atubularframe inside; this memorial sculpturehas beendesignedbyarchitectShams Shaikhwhowas also responsibleforthepreparationof workingdrawings andsupervision at site. The martyrs’ memorial sculptureconsistsofthreeconvergingposts,which signifythethreearmed forces of Indiathat are,theArmy, theNavy, andtheAir Force whichwork united forthe protection of thecountry. From this central platform (2675 sq.ft) that has been designed to observe and celebrate national days, a concrete paved circular ramp (going along a brick parapet wall finished with Kota stone) leads one to the ground level for exit.
Figure 4 18 Entrance and exit ramps to the central obelisk
The sunken arena has been encircled by 8 foot high exposed concrete walls with cladding in black granite stone slabs. On these stone slabs are engraved the names of about 10,500 martyrs from all armed forces who sacrificed their lives in the wars/battles India fought after Independence in 1947. At the top of these panels, a continuous concrete trough has been provided to conceal the source of artificial lights which illuminate the memorial in the
Twoevenings.ramps provideingress andegress tothesunkenarena. These ramps arealso bounded by theblack granitememorial panels. Wideopenings havebeenprovidedin the concretewalls supportingmemorial panels as thesecomeout oftheground level. Theseapertures providethe much desiredporosityand visual continuityin theotherwiselow lyingstructurewhichmerges well withthegarden around. The flooring pattern (in red sandstone and Kota stone) is such that it directs one to this main central area.
Figure 4 20 Black Granite stones engraved with the names of lost soldiers.
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Figure 4 21 The ramps in the center extend to two sides also having concrete walls with granite slabs containing the names of brave martyrs.
At the macro level, the design had to be sensitive to not stand out like a sour thumb in an organic space like the Bougainvillea Garden, and also be part of the continuity of the city’s famous landmarks the Capitol Complex, the Rock Garden, and the Sukhna Lake. At the micro level, the design had an important part to play, not breaking the flow of the regular users of the garden and be a part of their experience. Figure 4 22 Chandigarh war memorial at nightFigure 23 Ceremony at the Chandigarh War Memorial
4
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The memorial is lighted up beautifully at night. The lighting has been provided in the inverted RCC trough at the top of the wall above the black granite plaques. There are also some footlights provided at the base of the central monument to light up the dark surfaces during night. The selection of materials has been contextual as well as organic in nature and stand out with a lovely touch of green (planters). The curved walls were done in exposed concrete. The plaques containing the names of the soldiers are in black granite. 4.2.3 ANALYSIS (ARCHITECTURE+TRAUMA+MEMORY)
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Figure 4 24 Black Granite reflects the names of the loved ones lost.
Figure 4 25 Residents light candles at the War Memorial in Sector 3 to pay tributes to Kargil martyrs
Walking though the Bougainvillea Garden brings us to this memorial, which has an ardent, inviting design. All that was perceptible from a distance were spiral like walls with square punctures (inducing transparency) and the spire jutting out from the center. The urge to go inside and explore an important component of the architecture of a public building was thus fulfilled. As one steps into the arena, it does not take much time for me to get overwhelmed by the spatial choreography, so vulnerable yet emanating so much of strength.
The war memorial completely blends in with the lush surroundings of the garden and interestingly maintains its own character at the same time. It is a place frequented by visitors as well as the daily walkers. In the evening, the impeccable placement of the lighting is hard to miss; it lends the space an art meets architecture feel. The spaces within the war memorial provide a calm, peaceful and restive feel, which is perfect for visitors to pay their tribute to our brave soldiers.”
The polished black granite plaques on which names are inscribed dematerializes as a form and allows the names to become the object, a pure and reflective surface that would allow visitor the chance to see themselves with the names.
Figure 4 26 Establishing connection between the people and loved ones lost
The central monument exemplifying the mighty power and strength of the Indian defense forces is well complemented by the sunken space for people to sit and contemplate. The arena, with its lyrical narrative quality, the looming sky overhead, distant images of the Capitol Complex, and the pure greenery around was purely evocative. Materials in such spaces (which are devoid of any embellishments) need special attention to be able to demand notice independently. The memorial, while at one face, has a befitting scale and monumentality for our past heroes, is relatable at the same time. Weaving through the Bougainvillea Garden, it fits well into the theme while maintaining its own individuality. While it portrays the perfect architectural symbolism, it does not lament but emanates an intangible, resilient sensitivity.Keeping it simple, minimalist and conferring an ambience that can facilitate (and not create) the emotional connect between the visitors and the space can be an intense task for the designers which is excellently fulfilled in the design of Chandigarh war memorial. Frank Gehry had once stated that “Architecture has a lot of places to hide behind,” The Chandigarh war memorial defies this obstacle completely and remains a receptive addition in city beautiful.
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4.3.2
48 4.3
CONCEPTUAL FORM
The National War Memorial is planned as Concentric circles of different emotions namely Circle of Protection (Rakshak chakra) , Circle of Bravery (Tyag Chakra), Circle of Bravery (Veer Chakra) and Circle of Immortality (Amar Chakra). Each circle serves different functions. These circles have common Focal point which is a slightly sunken platform. The central focus is the obelisk containing the Amar Jawan Jyoti. The central obelisk is the most important part of the memorial as it exemplifying the mighty power and strength of the Indian defense forces.
COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDIES
4.3.1 IDEA: EXPRESSION OF REMEMBERANCE
The National War Memorial is the spatial manifestation of the idea of rebirth, gestated on the stories of, the life and struggle of unsung soldiers who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of nation. Culminating the Raj Path of the Lutyens Delhi, behind the India gate, this semi subterranean intervention, spreads over 42 acres in the C hexagon, retaining the identity as “people’s place” and embracing the memory of love, affection and pain. Each fallen soldier is imagined as a brick in the process of nation building and arranged as series of concentric rings, symbolizing the act of protection, sacrifice and bravery culminating in the immortal presence in the form of eternal flame. The memorial, while at one face, has a befitting scale and monumentality for our past heroes, is relatable at the same time. Weaving through the Bougainvillea Garden, it fits well into the theme while maintaining its own individuality. While it portrays the perfect architectural symbolism, it does not lament but emanates an intangible, resilient sensitivity.
Figure 4 28 Planning of the Chandigarh War Memorial
49 In the Chandigarh War memorial there is a single arena that contains the memorial panels circling the central area and extending like arms on opposite sides forming a spiral. The cental arena has a Obelisk shaped like three arms joined together, the heart symbolizing the immortality of the Jawans . The obelisk placed on a circular podium in a larger circular court holding the eternal flame and. The court cannot be seen from the outside. The sunken circle is a deliberate attempt to honor the martyrs and the existing historic structures and is a space for people to sit and contemplate.
Figure 4 27 Planning of the National War Memorials
In the Chandigarh War memorial the central sunken circle containing the obelisk is accessed through a concrete paved circular ramp on either side, theseramps are also boundedbytheblack granitememorial panels Figure 4 29 Intersection of ‘Path of Life’ and ‘Path of War’
4.3.3 ACCESS
50
The National War Memorial is accessed by two Pathways with Ramps that lead to the central Arena. The exit paths are hidden underneath the lush lawns above symbolizes the life of a soldier amidst the lives of the common. A gallery is designed as a pause space which displays a brief history of Indian Defense force. The landscape extends and the edges expand into these subterranean pathways Path of War. The upward ramp from the gallery does not reveal what stays ahead. On climbing up there is a sudden opening up of the entire spread of the memorial which is a parallel drawn to the war moment.’ These pathways were connecting the site of the War Museum and the lawns. The connections drawn at the central core also illustrated ‘a symbolic intersection of the Rajpath and the Yudhpath “Path of life” and “Path of war”.
Figure 4 30 Context and design of central obelisk
Figure 4 31 Context and design of central obelisk
In National WarMemorial,thecentral obelisk symbolizerising from the earth, meeting the sky, immortalizing the memory of the soldiers. The central obelisk and the opening out of the memorial intend to hold a subtle hierarchy to the India Gate and the Chattri.
51 4.3.4
In Chandigarh War memorial the central obelisk consists ofthreeconvergingposts, which signifythethree armed forces of Indiathat are,theArmy, the Navy, and theAirForcewhich work united fortheprotection ofthe country
CENTRAL OBELISK
THE NAME PANELS: SYMBOLS OF
REMEMBERANCE
52 4.3.4
Rows and rows systemized chronologically outline an enormity of the loss, a physical echo of the absence, a memorial for an individual soldier, not a general monument.
This element of the design concept behind the National War Memorial helps the visitor to realize that immensity of the number of names and it serves as a constant reminder of the high price of war. In essence, a progression in time and the comprehension of the price of human lives that results from the various wars are what's memorialized.
In the National War Memorial names are inscribed on self interlocking granite blocks in the Tyag Chakra (The circle of sacrifice). Metaphorically represents the formation of the soldiers in the war. As derived from the concept of chakravyuha the soldiers stand in the endless rows in the formation of concentric circles protecting the nation. The Circle has 8 segments. The base of the wall is made of concrete structure with self interlocking granite blocks. The wall holds names of 25942 martyrs, who sacrificed their life post independence for the Nation. The wall segments are categorically organized based on the timeline of the wars fought. It offers an experiential way of remembrance.
Both the memorials tell the story of sacrifice of the brave soldiers by inscribing their names on stones “setting in Stone” as a symbol of honoring them.
The chronological choice for listing the names on the memorial plays a critical role. The names inscribed on the wall in the chronological order of their dates of casualty, shows the war as a series of individual human sacrifices. As one walks along the wall, one would observe that the passage along the wall is simultaneously a passage through time.
The wall dematerializes as a form and allows the names to become the object, a pure and reflective surface that would allow visitors the chance to see themselves with the names.
Through the reflective surface, the viewer would find themselves being part of the wall. Thus, the space apart in front of the wall connects to a space apart that is seen through the surface of the wall.
Figure 4 32 Each granite block is made to shape precisely and represents a martyr, on which his name and ranks are engraved
The reflectivity of the memorial plays a critical role. When a viewer stands and faces the wall to examine a name, he or she is also examining a reflection of him or herself which is reflected back on the polished surface. This effect is striking and powerful, with the high level of polish, the wall produces very clear reflections.
The wall acts as a dark mirror into a shadowed mirrored image of the space, space we cannot enter and from which the names separate us, an interface between the world of the living and the world of the dead.
In Chandigarh War Memorial Black Granite Plates are used to showcase the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation. The striking feature is the reflectivity of the polished black granite wall.
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Figure 4 33
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Furthermore, the experience of the polished black granite wall is enhanced as one touch the surface of the wall and to touch the names. For instance, touching the wall with our hands, the hand is reflected back from the reflective surface of the wall. This directness gives a felt presence that a hand seems to be reaching forward from within the space of the wall. Reflections creates connections between the world of living and their lost loved ones
Both case studies exemplify how to achieve a timeless status for the memorial design, but it is created within the context of a specific time and place that deeply influence that creation.
From this dissertation, the critical questions that concern the design of memorials have been the language, form, and the content of memorials. The concerns to these questions are essentially the analysis of the emotive and aesthetic strategies; they relate to an intriguingly varied, yet at the same time a uniform sensibility and form. This thought on aesthetics help expose a prevalent assumption that memorials must either "serve a didactic or cathartic function; they must either instruct or initiate a healing process”.
To conclude, having examined both case studies, we can draw in retrospect that the evolution in Indian memorial designs is largely a transformation from heroic figural sculptures to more conceptual installations such as the National War Memorial or the Chandigarh war Memorial. Although these two memorials have been accused of being too conceptual or abstract, we identify that both case studies participates in the ongoing exploration that challenges the classic and traditional roles of memorial while supplanting them with abstraction and space making strategies.
By examining both case studies, this article have brought attention and revealed a spectrum of emotive and aesthetic strategies of designing a memorial. This article identify that through the appropriation of symbols, meaning, and intention, a wide array of memories can be embedded simultaneously within a memorial: individual and collective, formal and informal, heroic and tragic.
In both case studies the design of the memorial reinterprets symbols to convey meaning and to commemorate the persons that have lost their lives during war or from a catastrophic event.
The design strategy in both case studies embraces the multiplicity of readings in its spatial aesthetics over the single reading of a statue memorial.
55 5.CONCLUSION
Having examined both case studies, the National War Memorial and the Chandigarh War Memorial, both re evaluate these aesthetic assumptions that memorial sites are locations for either initiating private healing process or re establishing national unity. In keeping with this idea these memorials help visitors establish a personal and emotional connection to the persons or events being honored.
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The aesthetic of remembrance in memorial architecture is a dialogue built upon the consciousness of how we are able to remember and learn from our past. In the building of memory in memorial architecture, memorial design can invite people not only to remember but also to think, speak, and behave anew. This paper hopes to stimulate and inform, as well as laying a foundation upon which can built the ideas that will expand our knowledge of memorial architecture.
In the aesthetic of remembrance in memorial architecture, remembrance does not exist in isolation but rather within preexisting context of the personal and the collective social memory of persons or events.
57 “Quartered in snow, Silent to remain. When the bugle calls, They shall rise and march again” The Scroll of honor, Siachen base camp.
[10]"National War Memorial, New Delhi India / WeBe Design Lab", ArchDaily, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.archdaily.com/936907/national war memorial new delhi india webe design lab. [Accessed: 01 May 2021].
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6.REFERENCE
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