What is Indian in the Architecture and planning as we practice it today? What defines and brings out this Indianess?

The innate feel that we are distinct but yet connected to the world is a feeling common to all of us. We feel this in ourselves but are unable to define this nebulous entity. Looking at past building from our cultural heritage heightens anxiety over the loss of depth and relationship in our architectural language. There is a nebulous feel that we are culturally different and disconnected and distinct from our architectural past & heritage. We are a new being desperately in search of some architectural moorings. Also we are lost in the modern context of architecture as we do not completely belong here either. This is a context we love to copy and paste from without the foundations of indianess . Very clearly to some and opaquely to others our spirit doesnt belong to this context completely. Some of us feel lost and and at times wonder and try to create our own interpretations in modest ways. The demand to explore this context being negligible / nonexistent. We are bereft of a language that defines indianess to our current architecture in spirit and form . On the other hand large developers and people who define public opinion drive the demand for cut paste copy from a foreign cultural context. A gothic cathedral in Lucknow, a neo- classical building with sprinkling of Baroque in Delhi or straight out photocopies of contemporary buildings from Europe and America marketed by using white-skinned foreign architects and firms are demanded to be staged and spectacled in an alien context. The demand for shallow architecture and planning being phenomenon. So what is the promise of this indianess in our current architecture and planning? Is it going to make our cities healthy, beautiful and environmental friendly? Is it going to solve the ugliness and brutalism that manifest our cities? Will it help us economically? Will it make our life worth it? Will it lift our spirit or bring us calm and peace? Will my people connect with it? What are the values of this indianess? What are its promises? What are its materials and ideas? These questions immediately place us in a larger context of Arts & Culture, religion, science, economics, governance, politics, leadership and philosophy which have defined the architecture and planning of each milieu before us. Our towns, cities and villages have shaped us for good or worse. Culturally we have traversed from our traditions to the wild east of today. The discovery of this innate feel of indianess is necessary to connect our spirit to the ground. We cant be aliens in our own land with our people. So what does Design mean to us? There is no exact substitute word for Design in Hindi. The words that best describe design in Hindi is abhikalp, parikalpana, ruprekha, yojna, rachna, tarkeeb .Strands of Indianess (World view) running through Design to reach the highest object of union with god Nirvaana

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Raasa kreeda Jugaad Vaastu Nirvaana Bhakti Sewa Dhaarma Maaya Daarshan Pavitra Shilp Local materials Local Climate kaama aartha moksha prakriti ahankara sattva tamsa vibhav Shringar dhyan gyan vigyan bhraman Aatman aananda yog yojna rachna tarkeeb ruprekha chitra parikalpana prarupa abhikalp upaya udeshya dhi chit BEAUTIFICATION SHILP KALA

spirit Frugal ways of achieving desired results spirit Highest objective. Dissolution of self spirit spirit spirit spirit spirit

Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design Hindi word for design

Thought on CONTERMPORARY INDIA ART ARCHITECTURE:-

A) INDIAN+NESS Memory (tradition, ritual, harmony) Form and projection derived from ----Born of the earth and mud here. before me after me.beauty & grace Neither time nor Logicwhatever is not of time or logic ..of the Heart..life.of objectless love PARAM-ANANDA Perception, fleeting, color, material , layout, methods, people, fabrics, weather, environment, resource availability, spirituality, triangular flag fluttering in the wind, celebration of little things in life and trying to find god in details. Sometimes worked, underworked or overworked. nothing irrelevant..at peacelove..calm ..silencesilent.INFINITY. B) CONTEMPORARY (TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE, ECONOMY,COMFORT, INDUSTRY, MATERIAL, TIME, LOGIC , SHORT TERM PRACTICAL)

AB> A+B
AB : Contemporary Indian Feels at home. ..at the cutting edge.. increasing the envelope peeling louts petals reveling new realities.celebrationbeauty ... Gracesymbal tree wool carried in hot summer airhappy....harmony..nowhere to go.. nothing to say. ..am present.. why do I find the flutter of the white triangular flag from the temple so gracefull, happy. Self complete..present . .COMPLETE. Land, river, rock ,tree, animals, ---Sacred ,graceful, beautiful wishbetter left aloneself healingof the same mud & water.i dissolve in them Values : Life Not me x feudalism, eliticism, materialism .. ++++++++++++++++++++ + ism

INDIA DISCOVER LAND, PEOPLE, Love, COMMUNITY,LIFE , HISTORY, TRADITION, QUIRKS, PLANTS, TREES, ANIMALS, FOODS, COMFORTS, PAINS,CHAINS, SHACKLES, SYSTEMS, THOUGHTS, SCIENCES, PSUEDO SCIENCES, CHARACTER,EFFORT, HEALING SIMPICITY, CHANGE, CONFLICT , harmony VALUES..BEAUTY..GRACE... CENTRED

Infinite LEAFED LOTUS PETAL....brilliant. astounding

Effort: Grain of sand measuring Universe..unfolding a leaf of the infinite leaf petal petalhair raisingexcitement Nevertheless voyage . discovery.dissolution into this land & earthbeautygrace.

neither believer nor disbeliever till I meet my GOD.

Feeling Confused , derooted, alien, uncentred , loss of language, expression , as an Architect. comfortable in thought with the west but feel hollow in the soul Yes . DEFINE TO ME WHAT IS The spirit the value INDIAN +NESS ?

every this follows from here

at LOSS.