Research Fellowship Proposal – UDRI 2008

melancholy memories
of the city

The idea for the research is taken from Salman Rushdie’s book Haroun and the Sea of Stories - an allegorical account of perception of a city set in a sad backdrop…

"…a sad city, the saddest of cities, a city so ruinously sad that it had forgotten its name", which is located beside "a mournful sea full of glumfish, which were so miserable to eat that they made people belch with melancholy".

Mumbai has always been projected as a city of dreams. For an outsider, Mumbai has always been a city of hopes, the opportunistic city, the popular Bollywood, the city of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. A popular notion amongst outsiders is that every Mumbaikar is a neighbour of a filmstar. A ready question on any outsider’s list at the first meeting with a resident of the city would be “How many hero / heroines have you seen?” Mumbai’s history more or less follows these questions. We talk about the Gateway of India, the Marine Drive, romanticize about the colonial past, the cosmopolitan culture, and more recently the enterprise and the Bollywood, which is documented very well. The popular history of the city always talks about the seven islands, the colonial rule, the beginning of a metropolis and growth of a commercial hub – a morphological understanding of the place. However, it cannot be neglected that the city has many more events to recollect that just these. When we are talking about events and people, we are talking about memories. Good memories are always generalized and compiled. However, something amidst all this remains untold – the bad memories.

Never is Mumbai’s history seen in the light of its dark events. The research paper is geared towards breaking the notion of Mumbai being a city of dreams. The purpose of the research is to construct an experiential history of the city by collecting memories of people, which are not good in taste. We remember the dark events of Mumbai only when another unpleasant event occurs in the city. These distasteful memories are merely collected as journalistic records and published every time another bomb blast would occur, or the city is filled with water in another downpour, or so on. However, these impressions never contribute towards a significant part of Mumbai’s history. What still attracts people is the new lifestyle, the modern buildings, and the city lights – as projected by traditional history.

Research Problems and Questions

The project will try to explore new ways of reconstructing the city, the prime questions being - Why should the history of the city only be celebrated by the glorious events of the past? Why does the history need to recollect only the good times? Why does the city of Mumbai attract so many people inspite of the fact that it is actually a machine? The aim of the thesis is to look at our city of Mumbai as it is – in the most pragmatic manner. Once we break away from the projected positive image of the city, we may be able to capture important fragments of history through collecting memories, which are not much talked about. The less talked about memories will discuss problems that the everyday inhabitant of the city deals with. At the same time, it will give an insight into the problematic past of the city. These recollections of the past hide into themselves
a conception of a city space, which has never been talked about. The objective of the research is therefore to construct a city space, which seems to be unacceptable, but is still lived in. The project would attempt to make the difficult history of the city more agreeable to natives as well as outsiders for whom; the city of Mumbai has always been a city of celebration and fantasy.

Aims and Objectives

The objective of the thesis would be to collect stories from different kinds of people, of them having unpleasant historic memories of the city and stitch a new layer of history for the city – the difficult narrative. These stories will question the idea of the outsider’s image of the city versus the problems of the native. These stories will also delve into the change in the perception of an outsider becoming a native of the city.
Thus, the scope of the thesis is to methodically use narratives to capture experiences contributing towards a difficult, more unpleasant history and on the other hand deconstruct the idea of Mumbai as a city of Enterprise.

The compilation of these varied experiences may be extremely interesting to read just as stories, but at the same time, the thesis will attempt to draw a picture of the space which each story would create for the city. These pictures, coming together as a storyboard will help in imagining a physical manifestation of the “bad” city through individual memories.

So once the bitter bytes of the city are scanned, one might just get a complete different perception of the city. A city playing in the hands of various interests and nurturing itself on biases. A city thriving on so many interests can not be silent. It is boiling. Different people living in different times in different parts of the city will contribute to a palimpsest of images. The city of Mumbai is therefore no more has the nice man’s image; and neither does it have that glitz and glitter of the Bollywood. It becomes a city which lives on the edge, with every working person contributing towards a memory - a collective memory that is deep hidden since a long time. The common man wants to share his bad memories. But conventional history does not provide the opportunity to do so – because histories are always written in good taste.

The research will allow the inhabitants who are associated with the city to share their bad memories of the city. The research will undergo an ethnographic study of experiences of the people in the city. These experiences will be collected in the form of stories or narratives. The narratives thus collected will help in re interpreting the history of the city in an alternative way – where the city of Mumbai will no longer be available as a platter for beautiful dreams. The research allows the city to reflect upon its unpopular past by looking through the bitter everyday memories of the ones who make the city.

Methodology

The research will adopt a qualitative mode of collecting data including in depth interviews as the prime generator of stories. Therefore, the study will primarily depend on ethnographic surveys and learn about the city through people’s past. These stories will be collected from people who share memories with the city.
These would include people from different areas dislocated during the numerous rehabilitation drives. Stories may pertain to the rise of slums or the rise of the working class in the city and therefore look at a particular economic section of the city, which drives it. The increasing migration in the city calls for having interviews with people who have been outsiders since a very long time. The research may look into stories of existence of people in the city, the struggle for space. An interesting aspect of the study could be to study the increasing fear with the city as an instrument. These would include the experiences of everyday travel, a comparative analysis, and in more recent context the fear of crime and the underworld within peoples mind. The everyday negotiations and the tensions that these create – exploring the meaning in – “I need my space”. The purpose of the research is to bring these difficult narratives together to stitch a history of the city, which may not be pleasant. In other words, the idea behind the proposal is to construct a history of the city through bad memories.

The ideas discussed above may seem to be more contemporary, but the research suggests that there existed times when Mumbai went through a difficult phase. Secondary sources for the project would be newspapers discussing stories of individuals, which will be used as pointers, local magazines that discuss works of local people and events and other relevant books from libraries where stories can be studied.

Studying and tracking blogs of people might also be an interesting way to understand their perception of the city. The nature of these people would be difficult to detail at this instance.

The research aims at collecting these bad historic memories of the city, which are never discussed considering them to be offensive / harmful or distasteful. Such memories do not contribute to the touristy image of the city; neither would it allow freedom for envisioning a dream but will be very realistic. Hence, these historic memories are never talked about. Thus, the thesis will try to construct images of the city through layers of experiences instead of physical markers and at the same time, it will try to break the popular notion of the city being a dreamer’s island.

***
A proposal that did not take off.
(I now realize how it could have been so much better!! I lacks major literature review. But the proposal was almost prepared in no time...)

Energy + Design

I was talking to Parameshwar this morning and he told me about his post graduation course in sustainability with TERI. He had some interesting facts to share with me.

I had always assumed that windmills are those vertical fans. We make gross assumptions here. Wind mills were mills - they used the mechanical energy to do work. (one such tableau model can be seen at the Nehru Science Centre). That means, the rotation of the fan would be used to do mechanical work (and it was not converted into electricity). What we confuse them with, are wind turbines. Wind turbines convert rotation of the fan into electrical energy. Unlike the vertical fans, there are also horizontal ones, which are very beautiful and perhaps more efficient. It would be really interesting if we started incorporating them in our designs. There are so many types of wind turbines - the helical, horizontal, vertical, etc. We don't even know half of them...These are extremely sculptural and would make great design elements instead of installing dead statues on our sites... 

You can just google them as 'types of wind turbines'

He also said that for tapping geothermal energy, one has to dig almost 10 kilometres below the earth surface. India almost does not have any scope to tap geothermal energy because there are no volcanic bellies here. The ones which we had, have now gone dormant, and hence not really usable. Iceland, which he said is the land of fire and ice, is fetching a lot of geothermal energy. Why I am writing this here is because I was assisting the Services course last year. While teaching Electricity, we pass by these facts so breezily, and students make it petty when then reproduce then in their answer sheets. However, we could possible engage such details in building design. The building forms could become huge machines generating electricity. We haven't considered inhabiting machines that probably could sustain our projects...

Regarding hydroelectric power stations, I had always presumed that the turbines must be placed directly under the water fall. But it's not so. Water collected in the reservoir is taken through pen stocks to the power station. Pen stocks are 2 metre wide pipes which push the huge turbines that produce electricity. 

The biggest problem with renewable energy sources is that they are intermittent. We do not have constant supply of sunlight, wind, etc. So, Parameshwar said that we actually end up installing 4 times equipment required to actually generate the basic energy that we consume. 

I am absolutely fascinated with all these technologies. Perhaps the static nature of the buildings disturbs me now...but i think we can creatively engage with exciting technologies which not only help us in addressing the question of sustainability, but also of creating exciting forms in architecture.

Thinkers of the World

The Architecture of Architectural Institutes II

An inspiring space to learn.

obviously: Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad.

People reading this post are encouraged to discuss the subject here.

Haridwar again

Fruits

Notes: S,M,L,XL

DRAMA

It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style. They affect us just as vulgarity affects us. They give us an impression of sheer brute force, and we revolt against that. Sometimes, however, a tragedy that possesses artistic elements of beauty crosses our lives. If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simple appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are no longer the actors, but the spectators of the play. Or rather we are both. We watch ourselves, and the mere wonder of the spectacle enthralls us.

DUTCH GREY

A Dutch friend asked me if I would like to see the tulip fields. Inwardly I really did not want to see the tulip fields. For some reason I thought that seeing so many tulips - red, yellow, white and purple would be too much. In any case, I did not want to see the tulips. My friend persuaded me to go with him. I am glad that he did. He brought me into a deep view. When we rode along the roads which moved through the tulip fields, I began to understand Mondrian. I always thought him to be an international painter. It was not the colour of the tulips but the density of the sand and earth where the bulbs were planted which reminded me of Mondrian. It was the atmosphere of opacity. The place, the land, the earth was dense opacification. The coloured flowers were not the issue, it was the infinite penetration and the compaction of trapped light crystals in the earth which illuminated the air into a grey solidity...dutch grey.

IMAGE

A picture esp. in the mind.

LOGIC

1. The science of reasoning by formal methods.
2. A way of reasoning.
3. Reasonable thinking.

MORAL

There are no moral phenomena at all, only a moral interpretation of phenomena.

Claiming Ideas

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.

The Architecture of Architectural Institutes

If we understand architecture in terms of its aesthetic value, then one can say that no Architectural college in the city of Mumbai has any architectural value.

I have visited almost 7 out of the 11 architectural colleges of the city and found that they do not even suffice the spatial requirements of the course, forget the visual ones. Institutes seem to be crumbling under the pressure of accommodating more and more students imposed upon them by the council. However, we were producing almost 4000 architects per year till the last year nationally, the number shall soon rise by double in the next two years. Still, this shall not suffice the need for architects in the country. It is projected that we need about a lakh architects to comprehend the kind of development the nation is going through. Amongst those who pass out, we can clearly rule out 50% graduates who either don't end up practicing architecture or pick up an alternative stream of engagement.

Given these logistics, it is crucial that we have a a fair number of architects who can collectively give an cohesive architectural direction to the country. The aestheticization of this production begins from the environment they are themselves trained in. If we are to discuss the architectural production in the future with this premise in mind, the physical output of the profession is questionable. 

A rough breezing survey of the architectural institutes in the city of Mumbai will show how uninspiring spaces they are. Inspite of being the oldest architectural college of India in the city - the J J college has not produced any strong responses to its site in the recent times. The building is an old introvert heritage which manages to fetch huge amounts of grant from the Government (recently it was offered a sum of 5 crore rupees) for its developmental and other activities. The campus is fascinating, but reasonably dead. Other colleges do not enjoy such huge grants, still, a college like Academy of Architecture has been struggling with its image. The history of the institute has been interesting with the land transforming from a silk mill to a modern building. However, the internal planning of the building is absolutely orthodox which does not allow any flexibility of activities pertaining to the architecture course. The institute is unable to decide its stance over more intake or better education. But it is negotiating this dilemma through the projection of seductive images of its future make-over and extension.

The Indian Education Society in Bandra is a building block worked out in plan and extruded over 7 floors. It has dead wells (courtyards) that are fairly out of proportion within its layout. Hiray college of architecture was almost deserted when I last visited it a few years ago. It did not have any formal spaced out entrance and felt like a municipal hospital. Rizvi college fortunately had a campus but its space did not evoke any kind of pleasant response. Kamla Raheja (in Vile Parle) has a strong introvert planning which looks over to its own landscaped mound. It has huge hollowed spaces which the faculties use in all possible ways. But it has to be noted that the architectural quality of the building may not have any effect in the making of an architecture graduate. 

Campuses in New Bombay enjoy a good expanse of land, but buildings on the campus seem to be planned in a childish way. D Y Patil college has passive landscaped patches and its Architecture block is very glocal in character. It is a cross between a mall and a municipal office. I have not really seen Bhartiaya Vidyapeeth, so I may not be able to comment on that.

Amongst the recently opened colleges - Balwant Seth COA is just a floor of the building dedicated to the course. It is thus, fairly an interior experience to be in the college. I haven't visited Asmita or LS Raheja.

It is a paradox that buildings that produce architects are themselves not architecturally rich (according to me). And I have already specified that I am only trying to look at the physical being and environments of the buildings. It's appalling!

On Cartoons

Tom & jerry / rat race

Road Runner / 

Jungle book / Animals

Popeye / strong, spinach

Donald Duck / Impatience

Duck Tales / miserliness

Shinchan / Celebrating brathood

(i have to elaborate the idea of cartoons here)

Roland Barthes might be useful here!