Observations and Complaints against BEST Bus Infrastructure and Services

Date: 17^th May 2012

To,The Chairman,BEST,Mumbai.

Subject: Observations and Complaints against BEST Bus Infrastructure and Services

Dear Sir,

I am a regular traveller in Mumbai since birth (1985) and I use the BEST buses daily to commute in and across the city (Mumbai & Navi Mumbai). I am writing to you to bring to your notice the extreme changing condition of the BEST buses and other related affairs in the past few years.

Before I begin, I must introduce myself as an architect – only to be able to assert that I have keen understanding of how people interact with objects in their surrounding environment, and adequate knowledge of design to critically reflect upon urban infrastructure. However, it may not even require a designer to point out the issues below, since they are very basic and every-day. I have found multiple discrepancies in these very aspects of BEST services over the last few years. Let me enlist them one by one.

1. While initially the best buses had seats made up of steel framing and had enough steel rods to hold on to, they have been replaced by plastic ones reinforced by steel rods. The quality of most of these seats is extremely poor. Most buses have deformed seats which don't even remain fixed to the bus floor. Moreover, the leather of these seats gets torn more frequently than the earlier ones.
2. The plastic framing of these seats, which also doubles up as handles we hold on to during sitting or standing come out due to bad quality. Such a situation exposes the reinforcing metal hollow sections. These exposed sections are extremely dangerous since one can hurt oneself due to jerks in the bus and rough roads. Since the plastic is of poor quality, it develops cracks which can hurt public.
3. I want to say that sharp metal corners that remain exposed all around in the interiors of the bus are extremely dangerous. All commuters are extremely vulnerable to fatal mishaps because of the rash best drivers and extremely bad state of roads in our city. There are multiple times when my family members and I have experienced bruises due to sharp pointed edges of the bus and torn our clothes do to unexpected jerks by the driver or extreme crowd in the buses.
4. According to me, the earlier windows that opened upwards were far better than the ones that slide sideways. Apart from being ugly, they do not allow a clear view of the outside from within, since there are far too many framing members that obstruct our vision.
5. The red LED indicators seem fancy but we can't figure them out in the sun. One has to rationalize this kind of frantic 'digitization' and upgradation. In many buses, I have also found these LEDs to be frequently non-functional and thus, rendering the flashing text unreadable. A clearly legible painted text earlier (which was white on black), now fragmented into red flashing dots is extremely difficult to read.
6. Lastly, I want to bring to your notice the extreme carelessness that the conductors and drivers display at bus stops. Many drivers or conductors do not stop at the bus stops even if the buses are absolutely vacant. They don't wait for all passengers to board properly. I have seen small children, middle-aged and old ladies slip and fall down multiple times because bus drivers start the buses before passengers are completely in the bus. Sometimes we are not even able to board the bus because they do not stop. When we argue, they are almost indifferent and don't take any responsibility of the event. This is a direct question to the kind of recruitment and training you offer them. I hope you will look into this matter since it directly affects the well being of the people using and paying for your services.

I could actually go on with this list; however I only feel it may be wise to stop here owing to the time constraints you may have to respond to this letter. It is my sincere request that you understand that matters of design have become important in urban environments for the well being of people. The above matters are all utilitarian & functional. I have taken special care to not point out any matters concerning visual aesthetic of BEST facilities.

BEST infrastructure has not remained the same as it was before. I wish to have the older spirit of BEST buses back in Mumbai. Although I appreciate the networking and connectivity initiatives that BEST has undertaken in the past few years, basic quality of infrastructure must not be compromised upon. I have not taken a majority poll on the above issues for two reasons: I hear people complaining and taking about the above issues all the time and secondly, I believe people in this city are far too busy to write an official note like this and pursue a complaint.

Looking forward to an earnest reply and some constructive action.

Anuj Daga

Architect, Mumbai.

anujdaga1@gmail.com

a.daga@aoamumbai.in

+91 98191 41118

201, Hill View Society, Yashodham, Film City Road, Goregaon (East), Mumbai – 400 063.  

People and Places

Just Travelling in the city can fill you up so many questions of where, whats and whys. These days I am doing rounds of te city to fin out information about scholarships and loans. Buildings that seemed everyday and were overlooked in the precinct of old Mumbai have become suddenly important now. Statues around the city and in the buildings that seemed useless seem important because you realize that they built the city and are still pumping in money.


But apart from that, these historical buildings suck you into a completely different space. The quality of light, the smells of offices and the scale of spaces you encounter fill you will a sense of pride and certain lavishness. You breathe deeper and walk with an air of control. Such feeling makes one ponder of the lives which lived in these buildings.

Apart from all these, I have encountered several people, a similar kind of people I must say in these places. Firstly, making a list of scholarship trusts and then visiting them one by one has made me realize that most of them are Parsis - Godrej, Tata, Netarwala, Davars...all are actually Parsis. Then, the buildings in which they are housed also have a distinct Parsi feel - orderly, quiet, not necessarily neat places. However, the most noticeable of all Parsis is their distinct way of greeting and welcoming:

1. The space itself quietens you down. If not, the Parsi ladies or gents will sneakily look at you hinting you to sit down. If you look impatient, they will order you to sit down. Making you sit down is almost ritualistic. 
2. After you compulsorily sit down, you will be asked to wait. 
3. When the waiting time is over, you shall be asked to put your plea. 
4. Then you will be given an answer, almost as if you posed it to an answering machine. You wont know whether to feel scared or elated. 


Most Parsis / people in Parsi setups whom I have come across for official purposes in their offices behave in a very typical manner - under a strong code of conduct stipulated for them presumably by their forefathers. They transcend you into a different world - mystical and magical. But their quintessence is something that is also adorable. As they talk to you with so much promptness, you feel they almost know your future and are just exactly expecting you to say what you would say anyway. Their expressions are exaggerated and they use every muscle on their face to express amusement. All this makes interaction with them really interesting. 


Suddenly a thought came: whether it would have been different if I didnt have to encounter Parsis for all such affairs. But this led to another big question - how are most philanthropic institutions parsis? Where did parsis get so much money from? Who left them so much money? Why hasnt it exhausted yet?


With this I am reminded of Ranjit (kandalgaonkar's) project on philanthropic institutions and trust buildings in Mumbai. I shall ask him how is it so...?

Baghban VI

There comes a time often when we think critically of our relationships. It's a time when we ponder over what more can we draw out of the relationship that we nurture. We mostly fall into a relation because we need it - socially, psychologically or physically...but there comes a time when this 'use value' of the bond is over. 


However, on the other hand, relationships can grow with time. Maturing relationships are satisfying and keep things going, since there is something to gain from it all the time. If nothing, one can look forward to sharing vulnerabilities in a maturing relationship. Our relationships with parents seldom grow with time - or atleast it happens so in my case? Or I am not really sure. For example, I think a boy doesnot need a father after a certain age - say about 25 years, or may be it varies from person to person. But at that age, one looks for a new dimension in that relationship. This new dimension allows to explore life from a new standpoint. A relationship has to be able to offer a lens that allows such perspective. Otherwise it can become hindering. Two issues are involved here - one is the condition of a maturing mind and the othr is the hegemonic parental purview.


Children are often looking up to find people to discuss their newer problems, and newer dimensions of life with someone, during their changing or liminal ages. Parents seldom become mediators in such ages. That's why we take on to friends - whom we believe to be in the same boat as ourselves and who seem to be equally concerned and affected by the circumstances that influence us. Contrastingly, parents are always wanting to 'show us the way' implicitly commanding a hold over the 'moral' ways of dealing with a situation rather than exploring it. Exploration of a situation is important to be able to learn from it. Exploration is the very nature of an evolving mind - just like we explore objects as toddlers. The exploration of the intangible becomes more fascinating in our young years like the tangible during infancy. We want to deduce our own results or formulas of dealing with the kinds of situations we fall in. We also experiment ourselves with putting ourselves in new kinds of situations.


But the instituion of parenting is about getting the end results of all the situations 'right'. Although we need to understand that our elders too may have gone through such situations. What one needs to extract is the mental landscape of our elders during fresh situations of their times. In the realm of the intangible, often the basic nature and structure of interrelationships between people remain unchanges. The manifestations they result from and result into may be different. Parents could do a great deal if they share their life with heir children. This helps the children to feel about their parents as their friends. It also gives the children confidence to share internal conflicts with them.


This again brings me to my age old theory on expression. It may be difficult to express for a lot of people - into words. Many people write, very few draw. Most people express through the tangible world. It may be very difficult for some people to articulate their experiences. There exists no institutions on releasing formula for expressing oneself. Expression in our society gets suppressed to an extent that it may manifest into material life. The material life around us thus gets coded with such values and expression. Therefore it becomes very difficult to detach from the material life. This kind of relationship with the material is complete contrast of the consumerist. It is a relationship similar to that we develop with a certificate or a medal. But in our real lives, would materials be able to hold us down to our relationships?


I do not know. But larger ideas with maintaining relationships are related to ideas of freedom and independence. I do not feel mature enough to deal with it. Hence it will be only wise to stop here.

Earlier threads of 'baghban' can be searched at "Search This Blog" Section (Type Baghban)

Appliances and Music

I found out today that the musical pitch the exhaust fan in my bathroom produces due to its vibration is 'E'.

For a long time I wondered how I could perfectly attune myself to any song in my bathroom. Why would I feel so comfortable singing any song in the drone of my bathroom? Today, it occurred to me that I must try and tally it with the notes on the Tanpura app that I downloaded on my mobile some time ago. And to my surprise, the resonance was the same!!

Although I am not a bathroom singer, bathroom almost becomes my singing room - not only for the bathroom tenor, but also due to the drone of the exhaust fan - Every space has a frequency! Similarly, the tubelight at Opolis architects where I used to work used to make a distinct hum. I would occassionally reach office early, and switch on the tubelights without the fans to have that resonance in the space. In the absence of any one, I would be humming along songs comfortably. I am sure it too must be on a similar pitch. 

Chaitanya had helped me find out my pitch recently when we met for a singing session. He suggested me to sing at E, which is generally the pitch for male voices. It was E! 

How interesting it is to find out such trivialities around our everyday lives. Some great coincidences! I will try to record the hum of my exhaust fan and put it here. Some great intersections of men and machines.

Till then, happy singing!

Unfinished Poems

The following examples trace how it became more and more difficult for me to write poems as I indulged more and more into architecture. 

After finishing first year of Architecture, 2004

Rajasthan Study tour, 2006-7; On the sand dunes, Jaisalmer.

But there are many examples and I shall be embarrassed if I put them all here.
I shifted to prose over the last 8 years, gradually.
Poetry now translated into architecture.

Objectification & Nuance

notes from Chaitanya Karnik's class.
Interior Design, 2011-12

Software Photography

Often, the real world that we see around does not seem something that one would want to capture in a frame. The real world is a default mixture of colours, textures and materials. On the other hand, photography is the careful measurement of colours, textures and materials in a frame that creates & gives visual pleasure. We encounter a lot of visual content today as we live our everyday lives. Therefore, one may not always be able to find an appropriate frame to capture through a camera. Everyday lives thus secure a relegated position in our social set-ups. The aesthetic of the everyday lives is rejected since it is difficult to measure the right amount of it for a perfect visual frame.

In this context, the introduction of the handy digital cameras and further the mobile phone cameras have enabled a huge mass to experiment with visuals. In order that photography becomes accessible, what a photographer normally 'adjusts' has been converted into a kind of implicit 'code'. Thus we have phones with numerous embedded camera softwares which are able to change the captured photographs (which would otherwise hold no aesthetic value) into something that appeals everyone's eyes.

Recently, I decided to engage in these photo software applications that I downloaded on my phone over the Android Market. Having studied the effect of the photographs I took, I invariably found myself clicking everywhere around. Even the most mundane scene around me would be changed into a stunningly interesting palette. Sepia, black and white, varied frames, etc, reduce the number of decisions you need to make (regarding frame, colour, light, etc.) and yet give out interesting results.

However, looking back at the whole process, I believe the escape from colour by choosing to click pictures in a black and white mode allowed me to study 'form' in greater detail than the colour. As architects, we are always more interested in form than the colour. With colour photographs, one has to be sure if it's being taken in the right kind of light. Places become photogenic because of their natural light conditions. In some places (as I once discussed with my colleagues), the light conditions throughout are so beautiful that any frame you capture gives a pleasing result. The camera otherwise, is not able to capture always, what you see with your naked eye. That can be really disturbing. Thus, the absence of colour in a black & white photograph creates shades of greys that always supplement the content of the frame. Moreover, this mode defines the diagram of things, rather than distracting you in its visual content. Further, the softwares help emphasize this diagram by strategically enhancing the tones that heighten the sense of perceiving a picture. That is the reason why you have camera 'modes'

Clouds

a fairy tale:

There exists very little social significance of clouds in our history. We talk of stars, we talk of planets - even the moon and others. But do we have extensive texts on the clouds?

Clouds give a much needed texture to the otherwise blue sky. Have you ever imagined the size of the sky - how big is it? It is the clouds that vanish and become the sky. Perhaps the intermediary phase between the sky and the earth (as per the big bang). They come together and go apart. They give us a focus to look at the otherwise infinite sky. We stare at clouds - deformed lumps of gas - and imagine multiple shapes through our gestalts. Sometimes fields of cotton, sometimes angels flying across, sometimes mountains or sometimes letters in the air. Clouds make us realize that we flow in time. That we move.

In summers, winters and rains, it does its job interestingly well. In its density, it consumes the scorching summer sun. Through its voids, it shows how light beams reach the earth. Through its threshold, it softens the light. In the rains, it contains water. Unlike the suns, moons or the planets, it holds no ego. It is ready to dissolve and melt. It is generous to take every one in. It leaves no room to explore. The planes dash through it. The birds fly within it.

And sometimes, they bring out unknown colours of the sky. Orange, yellow, purple - and the grey-black-white of the cloudy nights. All so titillating. It gives meaning to the 'wait' on specific festival days, by hiding the moon.

Marianna Hillmer, my German friend, after reading this post further added that I must see William Turner's paintings - and how beautifully it fits this post. Here are some paintings borrowed from various sites:

Historically, clouds have always been associated with confusion, unsurity and unclarity. They depict the storm, rough times, and unstable environment. It is only through the clouds that the sky can be moulded, twisted, skewed...Interestingly, it fits in the modern day terminologies of information technology - after the chaos theory. We today extensively use 'cloud computing' for communication purposes. It refers to a diverse set of end users that the computing caters to.

In modern plays, clouds are used to hide you, make you invisible or secretly bring up a character on stage. Thus they are associated with mystery and magic. Conceptually, they refer to something that 'appears from thin air'. They appear and disappear. Thus they allow time for magic to happen on stage.

And one could keep counting. Now am I romanticizing a bit too much?

PDF Trial

I am trying to look at options to transferring this blog to wordpress. I am bored of the formats of Blogger. I tried and found out ways to do that too, and I might do it some day. But, today I thought I must try out if I could do things that I want to do in wordpress, in blogger itself. One of them was attaching a pdf document. I did find some makeshift solution. Although I am not really happy with this ugly baby window, it serves the purpose.Try out making a sketch book by printing these papers. These grids will never let your falter in your 3d drawings!

Fore more, go to www.printablepaper.net
Grid Papers

Gift

What a perfect book to get at a time when I leave the architecture school.
Thank you Narwekar Sir.