the landscape of pluralism - an overview

An Overview: the landscape of pluralism

Last night was without any question an intriguing night in a long time when I look at it from a young architect’s point of view. All the credit goes to the stimulating talk by Ar. Prof. Rahul Mehrothra at the IISc auditorium for the launch of his book ‘the landscape of pluralism’ that triggered a lot questions in us, the practicing architects. More than questions I would say it was more of an opportunity for us to take dig into our own understanding of the practice and architecture in particular.

You know you’ve been to a fantastic talk when in the middle of the following week you are still wondering what you draw out of it for your own self. Taking no credit away from Rahul mehrothra’s own analysis of the contemporary architectural scenario in India I will now try to gauge my perception of my understanding of a practice and architecture as a by-product of the same.

Rahul being a practicing architect himself did what most architects would hesitate to even think of, especially when it comes to authoring a book which has no place for one of his own. Well after having a sneak peek into the contents of the book you’d only wonder why he chose not have any of his works for you’d see that He had a work that would find a place in every category that he broadly categorized in the context of Indian contemporary[1990-2010] architecture. He’s done it all. May be he wanted to be unbiased and remain true in forming his opinions of what is propelling the by-product of a practice in India.

One of the striking features of the talk was that for the first time there was an importance that was given to the patrons who drive the design above the concepts and the different schools of thought in architecture that took a backseat. And another was that He looked at everything from a layman’s point of view when he picked what is featured in the book and the only time he becomes an architect is while analysing the nexus between an architect and the patron.

In one of the categories he points out to the patrons as ‘Impatient capitalists’ who seem to hold the key to the kind of architecture that surface. He was also quick to note that as the patience of the patron builds, it makes way for better spaces to live. After all practice is, to meet the demand of the client but also not to succumb to it. Well, as a young practicing architect I can only wonder how not to succumb to the impatience of the client but to cater to meet his demand, while in that small gap between surviving a practice and meeting the demand of the patron, you see an opportunity.

In rest of the categories it is the primary interest of the patron which becomes the platform for a practice and gives way to architecture as it evolves, be it – a conservationist or a sustainable or a practice that resists the advent of modern or contemporary architecture. On the other hand he also stands still and takes note of the impact of architecture that is based on popular influence of Vastu, which is a booming market for the non architects who stand a better chance of surviving the competition from a qualified architect, while holding the client to ransom to faith. Or even the barefoot architecture of the masses. In all, while we [as architects only] debate of what is the essence of space as we understand, which is an influence to the way we live, there’s a driving force that catapults us in a direction we can’t ignore but think!!!

And when we return to the table to draw that line to define the space that we believe has its heart in the right place, the patron who inhibits the space is always there, playing his part in our minds. The concepts, the ideologies and the Isms of architecture to follow, build on this very foundation that is laid by the patrons. Well, we all knew it but Rahul Mehrothra, a master in his own right[http://www.rmaarchitects.com/], made that all visible and available at the tip of our fingers. He raised the issue that has never been touched upon, in my limited knowledge, which triggered a lot of questions. Questions that seek to know where you want to belong. You’ll also find an answer that only makes you believe that it’s a long and continuous struggle to belong where you want to be and this is just the beginning.

Same old shitty experiment.....

to see where and how to start anything new and find out what fills into the space in between the start and the finish....Before i typed the last line I was wondering if I should type this line that follows before that. I want you to read the first line in the same breath as you read the topic of the post above and this definitely isn't the beginning. But then i chose to say what is already said before I said what I intended to say.... For me both work just as fine as the other as long as both find a time and place in what i do while I do what I am doing.

After having said all that i had in my mind to say, I am now staring into the screen of my laptop with no idea of what to do next. I am continuing to wonder... I wonder if all this makes any sense. I wonder if there's any meaning in what i am doing. I wonder if I should just post it for I have already said why I am doing what I am doing. I wonder when is the time that is right to just click that button that will make it available to the whole world... I wonder how is that world that I may never see which is in access to what I feel about this very moment. I wonder If times stands still till I make that decision to do.... I wonder if all that I can only do is WONDER at the wonder of this wonder called 'whatever that one may call it but which a few choose to call it A WONDERFUL life'. I am still wondering or wandering still, Am I ?!

Without any fear of making mistakes I am continuing to ponder over the eventuality of getting somewhere anywhere where I may find I wonder what... But anything is welcome with open arms wide spread, wide enough to accommodate even more....

Looking down at the bottom of the screen I can now see an orange button that says publish now and the one next to it thats been constantly saving while i am toggling between other tabs trying to socialize on one page and check mail on the other... and the third one says Preview.... I beginning to wonder once again if preview is going to be any different from what I already know. And then there's this cautionary blinker that pops up every time the second button tries to automatically save 'All' my effort from the last 45 minutes to say these words that's so discouraging to continue doing what I am doing.... It says "An error occurred while trying to save".....

And that's the point I decided not try and save this into my draft nor see the preview of what I already know but instead press the button that says - publish post....sorry for eating away few precious minutes of your life But I see there are PARALLELS that can be DRAWN....

from darkness to light n back. . . .

Well all things come in here. when i say all it means a lot of things.Things like why I have not posted anything on my blog for so long and what are the things that's running mockery in my mind so on and so forth. . . But then most of the the questions have more or less the same answers or at least i can just say one thing and make you believe its the answer. . . and that is circumstances if I may say so.
Here i might even want to say how i regret being unable to post anything in the months of may and june and How i miss the two months on my archive list but then Its alright to miss a few things every now and then. You know, there's some sort of delusional satisfaction at your mercy to console yourself when you are in a situation you dare not imagine yourself being in the middle of one but in reality your are sailing right through one. . . In troubled waters you become your own strength. . .

All that i wanted to say or write or whatever that means right to the reader was, what I just did in the basement. I was drinking my Foster's beer and walking around with a smoke in my hand in the basement of my office...oops I almost forgot to mention in darkness. In fact what i forgot or remembered late or last was the most important thing that i wanted to say. I was intending to share with you the comfort of darkness over light.

As I told you earlier While walking in the dark i stumbled upon something under my feet. Feeling the same with my feet I kicked that thing around to light, first of all to see what it was and then decide what to do with it. In light i saw that it was, a tiny li'l coconut that might have fallen, separated from the tree, unable to bear with the force of the gusting winds, what ever be the reason, it was in the basement in the darkness and now in light but right under my feet.

I looked at the tiny thing on the floor and decided to kick it out of my sight through the gate. I placed it in light at a comfortable distance so that I could run in and kick the coconut out... Ran in hard and as luck of one us would have it, I missed the shot... The nut still remained in light on the floor of the basement. Ran in once again and this time I made sure i made contact with the nut but All that i could muster was brush the tip of the nut and the nut just rolled a few yards and settled at a distance....

One last time i told myself and with all the focus and conviction to get that thing out of my sight I ran in once again and kicked the nut towards the gate...the contact was just perfect, the direction was even better.... the nut went exactly where I intended until it hit that thin 6mm flat in the gate and rebounded back into the basement, into the light and slowly rolled back and slipped away into the darkness. . . .

I learned a thing or two about the comfort of being lost in the darkness in that small act in the middle of the night, with a heavy head just about buzzing, As for you you can choose to be either a nut in the basement safely lost in the darkness or myself waiting for that light with a little comfort. . . But in the act If you see yourself being me, just experience everything with eyes WIDE shut.....