Chronicle Of Contemporary Indian Architecture (Page 1)

By -

Nearly a quarter of a century ago,  received one day in June 1984, a letter from Ms Razia Grover Associate Editor of a new architectural journal to be launched shortly, Called Architecture-- Design, requesting me to contribute an article. The reference was given by Dr Balwant Saini, then Professor and Head at the Queensland University, Australia when had just completed my Master's degree with a thesis on "Chandigarh - Trees as Elements of urban design," under his supervision. 

It was very exciting as a young academic, teaching in the chandigarh college of Architecture to be called upon to contribute an article to a journal started by media Transasia with an editorial board comprising luminaries like: B V Doshi, Balwant Saini and other famous names! Moreover, the consulting editor Was a dashing personality and leading architectural historian Prof Satish Grover of the SPA. In fact, the coming together of so many leading lights of the profession was like a renaissance of Serious architectural journalism in India.

Although there had been the good, old Patwant Singh's very respected DESIGN,
encompassing the arts and architecture around, right since my student days, as the premier Rajnis voice and reviewer/Critic of Indian architecture- a vacuum existed. Some good duality magazines focused on interior design had come up - but a space for a high quality State-of-the-art exclusive -architecture journal existed. And so, Architecture + Design was good news indeed!

I vividly recalled my first meeting with satish Grover, Manjulika Dubey - the charming editor, and with the very warm hearted and encouraging Razia Grover. All three were sitting in a small, cramped little room in C P Kukreja's office in Green Park. They had liked my research work then in a relatively new field of landscape design. After a little crisp discussion about my research work, suggesting some modifications for publishing purposes, they asked me if I would like to be a correspondent for the new magazine. My answer was an instant yes! Because apart from the great promise of the magazine, the entire team was so friendly and there was camaraderie about the adventure of starting of a new project.

(Continues...)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (page 5)

By -
Image
When disputes between Nakarattars arose due to private misunderstanding, Nakaravitutis along with temples and Saivite monastries (matams), provided venues for extraordinary meetings of the Community to resolve disputes. These meetings Were held under the jurisdiction of a respected elder or elders in the Concerned Community and were called Panchayats - on the pan (Indian model) - although disputes were typically mediated or arbitrated by a single person. Besides Nagarathars from different places get together attemple festivities making their affiliation to the temples and the bonding to their Pangalis stronger. These Nagarathar pilgrims stay in the Viduthis by paying any minimal amount feasible to them, as Mahamai. The Viduthis hold an Undiyal (Hundi- money Collection box), in which the pilgrims deposit their Mahamais which is used for the running of the Viduthi. Spatial vocabulary of Nagaraviduthis in Chettinad: In the traditional context of Chettinadu, the edifice of Vidut...
Read more

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (page 6)

By -
Image
The third zone is the service zone in the form of courtyard for cooking and Serving food. The toilets also are located here. Sometimes there are exclusive bhojana halls to serve food. The Central axis is how ever maintained and the planning is Symmetrical. Some Viduthis are divided into two, three or four divisions, paralleling each with their own central axis about which it is planned. These axes run parallel to each other starting at their respective entrance with well detailed main door flanked between the colonnaded thinnais on either side. The Illupakkudi Viduthi has two divisions, one for administrative functionalities and other for performing rituals. The soorakudi Viduthi and Pillayarpatti Karpaga Vinayagar Nagarathar Viduthi has exclusive bhojana halls. The Mathur Viduthi is the biggest of all. It has two divisions with a common wall between them. Both the halves are accessed from the main road. The western half, with more elaborate entrance is further divided into three...
Read more

Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (page 7)

By -
Image
The Vituti was directed by a board of trustees and employed a manager and staff to provide services for travelling Nakarattars. These services included, in addition to provision of lodging and meals, provision of mailing facilities, making travel arrangements, Clearing baggage at local customshouses, and arranging for absentee prayers at local temples. In short, vitutis were extremely useful in the mobile world of the Nakarattar. Vitutis were normally financed primarily by large gifts or endowments (kattalais) and operating costs were also subscribed through endowment. In addition, every guest paid what amounted to a nominal rent (called makinai, like the Nakarattar religious tithe) fixed by the manager of each Vituti and subject to revision according to need. Thus, many of the redistributive functions were performed by the endowment of temples and temple festivals were performed by the endowment of the closely associated nakaravituti. This housed a shrine dedicated to Lord Dhanday...
Read more