28 May 2012
Public, Private and the Sacred
Every morning, as I impatiently wait for
the lift to arrive – the old lady in the neighboring flat sits outside her
door, painstakingly drawing out an elaborate kolam. The elaborate diagram that I inadvertently stamp upon every
evening, in my haste to reach back home.
It was an image of this kolam that we began our discussion with,
this Thursday. We spoke about Charles Correa’s article named “Public, Private
and the sacred” wherein Correa brings forth the need to address the realm of “sacred” in the art of building.
According to Correa – while the word
“sacred” might have a million implications – it primarily refers to the human
fascination with the infinite and unbounded. This endless fascination has
manifested itself in various forms over the ages. The mandala, the Jain cosmograph, the Islamic
char- bagh pattern, each evolving from the thoughts, aspirations and shared
history of a population – and developing unique architecture that seems
timeless.
The question that was posed before the
forum was to identify the myth of modern India. Is it the neon lights, the
nylon sari or the TV antenna? How do we
create architecture that that matters to the people of India – that
allows them a habitat to live with their own mythic imagery, their aspirations
and their dreams?
The discussion that ensued showed a
definite drift from the thought that echoed in the article.
There was a general agreement that this
“nostalgia” towards history and the bygone is merely blocking our path. There
was a counter – argument which stated that we are now in an increasingly
globalizing world, and must look forward instead of looking into the past for
inspiration. The question of context need not be “over-philosophized” but
merely taken as a matter-of-fact condition that needs to be dealt with. Designs
need not essentially respond to the surroundings in the conventional sense.
They may fascinate – or even shock – and these very buildings may form the
context of tomorrow. Some of the young architects were of the opinion that we must
now cut off this umbilical cord to the past that seems to the limiting our
design possibilities and must wholeheartedly embrace the future and all its
possibilities.
The myth of today, as someone stated – is
the sharp whip of rationality and scientific innovation. As such – why must we
shy away from bold forms and cutting edge materials?
Then
again – when I look around me - I see the most wonderfully pluralistic society.
Every day that I drive by the little slum near my apartment complex – I see
almost a replica of the living patterns of yore. The little open to sky court
that forms the major living space, the verandah which forms the social space.
I see Vedic symbology painted on modern
doors and as I gingerly walk past the neighbor’s kolam, I realize that in our
country – the past and its myth – the sacred is fundamental to the aspirations
of the people. It is exactly what makes us what we are.
How do we cut off this umbilical cord and
forge ahead – fascinating, shocking and creating a whole new pattern?
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