We don't live in a space that values / respects other people's ideas. Ideas are generated, and shared with good intentions but there is always a 'someone else' that capitalizes on it without crediting the person who originally thought of it. What is the incentive then, to the person who thinks of an idea, for sharing and expanding knowledge?
A few months ago in my conversation with a colleague studying abroad, I came to know that any kind of data is precious and needs to be preserved and protected only because it may be crucial for the ideas one produces. This data is the proof if you wish to every curate an idea or delve into a deeper research. I realized only later, what crucial data I was handling at Charles Correa Associates during the archival process. Imagine holding a letter written by Rajiv Gandhi in your own hands discussing matters of architecture...I think although I understood its importance, I missed out on capitalizing at the opportunity...Tremendous records of stories of important buildings lie in the archives of Mr. Charles Correa. I don't know how much of it would be really retained as 'useful' material at the end of his archival process. But one could even do a research on how tenders were made 60 years ago in the country if someone decides to work on all the junk that Mr. Correa decides to throw away all his correspondences of old commissions that he executed.
No, the post is not about Mr. Correa - it is about the practice of archive and mobilizing it through ideas. I introduced the idea of translating "Form, Space & Order" by Francis D K Ching in Marathi to facilitate deeper architectural thought into the minds of non-English speaking student body here. There are layers to the importance of this idea. But some one has already been thinking on it surreptitiously. Anyway, if it's translated, it would do only good to the community. But sometimes, I do feel that I let out a lot of ideas.
In a space where people build their careers out of such capitalization, one must be really aware and careful about acknowledgement. In being modest, we build up a lot of uncalled-for frustration for ourselves. It is important to claim right over the things you do today - its unfortunate (and sometimes petty), but that is the world we live in.
1 comment:
There are ways to find if the idea was original and the research is genuine. Patents can be sought and a false research can be identified using anti-plagiarism softwares. Its how you value yourself and how aptly you document your work while putting it up in the public domain. Its a shame, none of this gets taught to us during our B.Arch dissertation's time. Being able to express ones ideas and concepts efficiently can be rewarding and empowering.
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