Table of Contents Introduction The Indian Tradition The British Arrival Post-Independence Contemporary Architecture : Present day truth

y truth Conclusion Bibliography

Introduction: A unique culture in itself and an inspiring tradition, India, no doubt is one of the biggest developing countries/democracies of the world. A civilization that started more than 2000 years ago produced smartest minds of their spell and its because of them that this peninsula is famously unique in fields of arts, dance, culture, festivals and architecture. Such rich diversity in culture, tradition, religion, languages and architectural styles is hardly found and it is this which makes it one of its kinds. Yes, India has no doubt a great architectural heritage of its monuments, temples, mosques forts etc. But, if one asks a lay person, a building that could identify Indian architecture, he is likely to get an answer like Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, India Gate and other such monuments etc. Why? Dont we have anything of present time that could act as an icon to Indian architecture? Why is that we have to rely on our architectural heritage to represent India. And why that when were asked to recall architects only a few name s like Charles Correa, B V Doshi, Raj Rewal etc. come to our minds. Truth is that we have failed to create architectural examples able to represent contemporary Indian architecture which our ancestors did even with lesser knowledge and technology. In this process, the very identity of Indian Contemporary Architecture is vanished somewhere. In this paper, I would be discussing present Indian architecture in a deeper sense and try to find the causes which directed to this hypocritical stage and what could possibly reset this. This dissertation is to offer a conceptual approach on the influences that have shaped modern Indian architecture over the years. A question to us and search for true Indian identity is what this paper is all about.

The contemporary Indian architecture, as studied by me, is a result of various factors and events. These include practices from traditional Indian architecture, colonization to the architectural education system prevailing in India. This literature review has been summarised on the basis of these factors. This initial stage of the research will involve itself with an in-depth study of past and present architectural scene in India and factors affecting it. The services for the following sources will be utilised for this part of study: Libraries for the books, periodicals and journals Internet for websites

1. The Indian Tradition: Indian traditional architecture as said earlier is one of its kind. Indian architecture, though developed differently in different parts of the country, still, carries similarities which I call the Indian aspect which make it sole in their region. It consists of some key elements which can be proven relevant even today. Few of them are spatial planning methods, proportion of built with un-built, value of light and shade etc. as said by Yatin Pandya. According to him the timelessness in Indian traditional architecture is conveyed by these few elements and these should be profoundly studied and practiced smartly in order to achieve the objective of identity. This understanding should not only be constrained to the plan geometry and faade design but even afar that. Looking at the famous Indus valley civilization, more than 3000 year old, our ancestors created full on urban settlement that lasted for decades. Astonishing facts show that they even with almost zilch resources, knowledge and technology achieved what is still relevant in the contemporary world. Their straight forward thought process and their simplistic approach produced utilitarian designs which was just the solution for a particular problem be it planning, residences or public spaces etc. India is country of numerous geographic conditions, cultures and traditions. Throughout history we have had great periods of architectural identity, periods which were unique and self-sustaining. Periods dating back from Indus, Mughal to colonization. This Indian civilization succeeded in surviving because it has always

maintained its links with the past, with always possible interaction and exchange of ideas with the other civilizations. It has always succeeded in surviving by reviving itself and attaining a new identity without relocating itself. Lets have a look on Indian architecture in a broader timely hierarchy. Long before this, Indus developed in the north which has been explained briefly earlier had a successful urban settlement. Indian being a vast land grew its tradition/civilization in parts at different levels. These traditions although seem different at different perspectives but were quite fit for the region or climate. This regionalist architecture gave India a true image of itself not affected by any external element. Aryans, Vedic age, Mauryan Period, Gupta period, early Islamic period, Mughal dynasty all of them lasted for hundreds of years, settled here, lived here, and nourished India the best way as they could, and this when they mostly were immigrants. They brought their culture and adapted India climate as well to create something which could make their lives here as comfortable as possible. They did not imply their tradition but adapted to Indian context be it architecture, culture or tradition. This is what has given Indian tradition a unique identity in itself. But total break from this tradition and history occurred with the colonisation of the sub-continent and arrival of urbanization to the country. 2. The British Arrival: In spite of rich accommodating culture and heritage, it was not even partially prepared to adopt something as alien as European architecture. The intentions of British architecture were simple and obvious to emphasize their dominant position and symbolise their rule. Their mind-set of being the super power and ultimate force driving the world civilization made them do what we now see as colonial architecture. They totally discarded Indian traditional architecture and laid seeds to the new design except in some cases where it wasnt even properly done . E.g. Lutyens Delhi being a perfect example of colonial architecture where the pseudo Indian traditional architecture is combined with European architecture without any proper vision of Indian context and future. This is why it has kind of failed serving the present day needs.

As a result, immediately after independence, there prevailed confusion in the field of architecture. The subject was totally hotly debated in order to arrive at some clarity of the goals to be achieved. The newly born India (Independent India) in order to match the technological advanced and economically rich Western culture adapted to growing idea of Modernism. Modern architecture thus came to India not as a result of a progressive approach or social and economic development but as an alien invasion or and import. An import forced on a region by external forces, in particular international politics, global economic forces, international media and international fashion spread through cultural changes. Architecture traditionally before the arrival of British on Indian soil was from social point of view, a creation of sculptural forms hewn out of stone. Architectural material was stone tools: chisel and hammer and the aim was glorification. In the process, the everyday needs of a common man were ruthlessly neglected. Then, British arrived on the scene, it was through them that elementary modern building construction and planning was introduced to India. Their aim, however, was to house their organisations, and their people and whatever was necessary to control an empire as big as India. Apart from self-serving military cantonments and civil lines, they also left the basic problems well alone. It was no intention of the British to educate Indians in the art and science of architecture. Consequently Indian minds, during the British reign, were completely out of touch with the progressive thinking taking place in the rest of the world. The most significant phenomenon that took place during the first half of this century was the construction of imperial Delhi. Sir Edward Lutyens was a masterpiece in high renaissance architecture, the result of a way of thinking typical of the early nineteenth century in Europe. It is interesting to note that at the same time as the construction of Delhi, Europe was having the period of modern architecture movement in such schools as the Bauhaus.

3. The post-Independence: The countrys independence changed the situation. Times changed. In place of religion or other traditions, the situation demanded attention to those problems which ruthlessly neglected earlier. The ordinary man, his environment and needs became prime focus. Demand for low cost housing became urgent. Post-independence and

partition times also increased the no. of migrants to India which ascended problems regarding high density housing etc. We leaned ahead and built no. of housing and public buildings. We made mistakes and learned from them. Simultaneously, we also looked for an architectural identity which could be globally acclaimed. This resulted in arrival of true Modernism to India. This arrival was not to create masterpieces or to create revolutionary architecture but to create a language which could sustain in future as well. The emphasis did not lie on the awesome monumentality but functionalism with escorting asset of economy, utility and simplicity. As a matter of fact some of these great ideas of Modern architecture were not to come to Indian soil until 1950, when Le Corbusier at that time was a leading architectural revolutionist created Chandigarh, one of his most ambitious projects. This had tremendous impact on the mind of Indian architects who had so far seen only the glorious temples or forts or imperial Delhi in the name of Modern architecture. They found this tradition of Modern architecture quite acceptable. Chandigarh became a hit and such a hit that even after decades people kept on following the scheme. But ideas of Corbusier had to be crystallised before being adopted in India. Some realized that concrete forms were not at all solutions to Indian problems howsoever sensational they might be. There was another phenomenon took place at the same time which influenced the modern Indian architecture to come in future. Indian architects started going to Europe and America to seek higher education and cultural inspiration. This had both positive and negative impact on architectural language of India. Except a few intellectuals most of them took inspiration from architecture developed in western countries. But unfortunately these solutions which they applied after learning from west were miles away from the harsh realities of Indian Identity. They should have realised the chaos it will create in future by the pseudo Indian Identity which they created. They should have realised that if someone wants to do something for India under Indian circumstances for Indian political, socio-economic and climatic conditions, west was never a place to take inspiration from. We will have to evolve our own pattern of development, on our own methods and materials of construction and our own architectural expression. We need to be authentic. A few practitioners realised this and started looking for solutions in different directions. One of the first places where they looked was the original architecture of India, the Vernacular. Long

before the arrival of British they looked for architectural identity from desert settlements of Jaisalmer to village development in hills, plains, sea-coast etc. Complex vernacular plans were analysed and looked into keenly for inspiration. While some architects were busy finding solutions in traditional India others were trying make use Indias interaction with world in terms of technological advancement. Invention in structural details and building construction materials became point of attention for the budding architects. But only a few architects like BV Doshi, Raj Rewal etc. were able to find solutions for so called Indian Identity.

4. The Present day truth: India and Indian architects are in a big confusion, to an extent it has never been in its long history. Traditions seem to be outdated and we dont know where to go. Passing through a massive transformation, an upsurge in different walks of life that might throw it off balance if its age old characteristic soul and spirit do not stand to the test. According to Rupali Gupte in her paper, the Indian architects today in search of true Indian Identity are making negotiations to this cultural landscape i.e. India. Even the great successful projects are the results of negotiations of the cultural landscape by bureaucrats and politicians who funded these projects like Chandigarh, Imperial Delhi and Institutions of India. These negotiations, in the process, create a multiplicity of simultaneous fluid identities. They have been trying to Indianize Indian architecture since the time of modernization. In this process to achieve this Indianness they use old mythical Indian traditional methods and symbolism. These practices dont seem true to Indian architectural identity and India wont be able to draw future on past which in case of India is very diverse and complicated. Its like creating a tradition by himself. India is running through a crisis of identity and faith. Today the contradictions of architecture stand between the disciplines of science and art because all our buildings should be creative and also be capable of creating a physical environment. So, the crisis of Indian architecture is in the art part of it, as said by Romi Khosla, architect and designer.

India is a diverse culture with multiple religions and practices. So there is no single state religion, no dominant religious community, and so the rulers cannot use the power of fundamentalism to tackle the problem of crisis in faith. Contemporary Indian architects are in deep search for true Indian identity and as India is a great civilization having vast history, this takes them back to the past. But acc. To Romi Sir, the answer doesnt lie in there and not even in pure modernism. Europe also followed this theory of pure modernism and generated their own architectural identity but their history is just about 1000 year old unlike Indian civilization. This attempt of creating a new tradition and identity (Lutyen, Louis I. Kahn and Le Corbusier) has been quite successful. But still, evolution is always required for a tradition to sustain and this is what Indian Contemporary Architecture lacks. There is no alternative therefore but to bring the cultural development of India in harmony with the process of internationalization, while at the same time maintaining countrys traditional characteristics and qualities. All agree that aspirations to any single universal style of architecture, whether international or regional, should be rejected as it is incompatible with cultural diversity and the commercial world. As Ranjit Sabikhi in Indian and foreign Review (1968) puts it: Tradition is to be respected as something to be learnt from, but it is subjected to a metamorphic action extracting only the significant elements, interpreted anew in terms of new materials and methods of construction. Todays architect is characterized by an increasing rapid pace of life. Introduction to new materials and techniques and invasion of new images from all over the world through increased exposure and globalization has made the industry very demanding. Unlike earlier days, building programmes have become more complex, clients expectations have gone high and a very little time is made available for the architect to design and execute. The role of architect has changed from a master craftsman to executing practitioners. Among new generation of architects there are only a few names that stand apart. They have, along with the previous generations, made possible the start of a new architecture that is specific to that particular time and place. Although, our great traditionally rich architecture can be greatly

misinterpreted and mis-presented. These architects have proved with their work that principles of traditional architecture still have a role in current architecture. It needs to be well understood that a few individual buildings done by renowned architects, do not form, part of the national urban scene. Things are happening around us but few care to notice. Their projects are being increasingly looked, as worthy of admiration. Still not much is known, investigated, researched about them or their works. In this context Prof. A.G.K. Menon observes that through exhibitions, festivals and publications about Modern Indian Architecture, a rare relation between architects and their architectural critics has been built up. Initiated by these architects, the publications about modern Indian architecture are mostly produced for a non-Indian market and preferably involve for themselves western architectural critics, who consciously create an image of a specific Indianness of their buildings. Menon says that this conscious external view influences heavily the design work of Indian architects. In this process, Indian identity is constructed which does not corresponds to the local interests and conditions but serves the interests of external non-Indian market. Although, Is there an architectural style that you can consider as contemporary Indian? Jagan Shah, architect and historian, feels there is and picks from 20 midcareer architects- he calls them the new moderns for an explanation of contemporary Indian. Auroville-based Anupama Kundoo is first on the list and it is her own residence that Shah holds up as an example of the contemporary Indian, identifying it in her attention to three areas: Eco-friendly building materials, alternative technology, and an architecture that is energy-efficient and climate-responsive. Starkness of form ties in Kundoo with Bimal Patel. And Shah picks on three structures by the Ahmedabad-based architect, the most distinctive being the container terminals operations centre in Chennai. A solid block oriented in east-west, the entire south facade of the building is a plain, blank wall, the north being entirely of glass, looking out over the containers stacked far into the distance. In this line-up of architects, Kapil Gupta and Christopher Lee are probably the most international.

5. Role of Architectural Education :

All those aspects discussed above are not the only ones which are responsible for current Indian architectural condition. Another very important factor that is responsible for this chaotic situation is the architectural/design education system. Jayashree Bhosale at Economic Times writes about this need for an Indianized design and by extension the Indian designers. In the whole post-secondary education boom, pure design schools have not been at the forefront.

According to Srinivasan Badrinarayan, architect, It is the architectural education of India that is responsible for the current state of Indian architecture. Good or Bad, but, it is the education system that has led to this state. His paper Three holy myths of architectural education in India talks about the myths of architectural education thats prevailing in India. To me, all these myths appear true not only on their own but also reinforce each other. These myths are based on idealism and dont deal with the actualities of the world. The writer thinks that these myths should be eradicated as soon as possible so as to reform Indian Architectural Education system. This seems so true because India is neither a week democracy nor week in technological advancement but now it is the knowledge and understanding of true India that can solve a problem of true identity of Contemporary architecture in India.

In his paper, INDIA, BV Doshi discusses about training of architect specifically in India. Earlier the job of architect was to create structures which being in budget and proper use of resources can prove to be a masterpiece. But now as the time has changed their aim has also shifted to satisfy the needs of builders and contractors or estate agents. Concern for environment is lacking in most of the projects due to lack of initiatives and foresight as well as architects self -imposed limitations in designing for a particular task. Today most of the architectural practice is concentrated in urban areas, which has changed the very occupation of architects.

There

are only five to six good design schools in the country. Had the supply of

experienced designers been enough, some of the top manufacturing companies of India would not need to hire design heads from abroad, says Forbes Marshall director, Naushad Forbes, who is also a visiting faculty at Stanford. The Indian

industry can meet just an estimated 10% of the demand for design professionals, as design schools take in only about 500 students annually.

The demand for professionals in emerging markets is particularly encouraging as design as a career in western countries has become saturated and fiercely competitive, says Sudhir Sharma, CEO, Indi Designs and erstwhile founder director of Elephant Design. Further, he says, most developed countries have developed expensive design practices, which are not viable in todays economy. The curriculum in many colleges for different years of study does not adequately expose them to realities of the field. There is not much practical experience for the students and hence they are not educated on the choices available to them, the materials available to them, the latest technologies etc. The need to make a difference, the passion to understand how their actions in design influence not only their project but that the impact is more far reaching is not installed in them.

Gita Balakrishnan, Architect

Conclusion:

The present day architect is determined to produce designs which would satisfy the complex needs of a contemporary developing society, in this case India. These designs would be based on his knowledge and acceptance of modern western aesthetics standards and technology as a part of international culture and a global economic system. Secondly, the constant reference to regional traditional practices, and desires to allow them to influence the current architectural situation.

Only a few young professionals who have attempted and produced modern works that are pleasant to the values of these ancient and traditional cultures and aim at generating modern regional architecture. This small nos. are fighting cultural and architectural crisis that exist in India. This study is important today for it will, tell us how meaningful these attempts in Contemporary Indian architecture have been. Also it will help us to understand the relevance of the present day architecture to Present Indian context and situation and help one search true Indian identity to architecture.

Bibliography:

Spatial narratives in Traditional Indian Architecture: An interpretation for contemporary relevance, Yatin Pandya, 2005

Indian Architecture and production of postcolonial discourse: A study by Architecture+Design, Shaji K. Panicker, (1984-92)

Modern Architecture in India: A post-independence perspective, Sarabjit Bahga, Surinder Bahga and Yashinder Bahga

Interrogating Modern Indian Architecture: Critical Regionalism, A.G.K. Menon, in Architecture+Design, 2000 Mapping India: an insiders guide to Indian architecture, Design and Fashion, Magazine, June 2010

Indian experience and search for some light at the other end, Romi Khosla Current architecture in India, Romi Khosla Three holy myths of architectural education in India, Srinivasan Badrinarayan India, B.V. Doshi Architecture and Contemporary Indian Identity, Rupali Gupte, Rahul Mehrotra and Prasad Shetty Indias evolution v/s Chinas Revolution, Venessa Quirk, www.archdaily.com, 2013

Indianizing Indian Architecture: A postmodern Tradition, Ritu Bhatt Search for an Indian Design Philosophy, Pashim Tewari, Dissertation, 1993, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Traditional (Re) interpretations in contemporary architecture, Prasoon Kumar, Dissertation, 1999, School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi

Architecture Today, Gita Balakrishnan, Indian Arch 2012 Complexity in Indian Urbanism, A.G.K. Menon Logic for Building Green, Anupam Jain, Architecture: Time Space and People, April 2013