Not another brick in the wall

Not another brick in the wall



Few things in life match up to the energy and infectious enthusiasm of youth.Dressed down, with dishevelled hair, armed with a ‘devil may care’ attitude, life in college is all about imagining how destiny can be designed. As Eleanor Roosevelt rightly said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Last week, Surat’s senior citizen and highly respected architect Ar.Tarun Dave, suggested to this columnist that,”You have shown us Surat’s glorious past,now its time to show the city its forthcoming potential .”

What better way to discuss future trending than to talk about the generation next, hence, today’s column is about the recent annual festivel organised in totality by ASAC- Architecture Students Activity Council, the student body at the Faculty of Architecture, SCET.

‘Whats new, one would ask, don’t all colleges do that?’ Here is why this one was different:

Earlier in this year, these very students made special efforts for a presentation on Surat’s ancient ship building technique- they had sourced an old boat from Surat’s Machiwad area, and set it up near the college amphitheatre with masts and sails. In exotic yet frugal fashion, they had lit up the entire pathway with bulbs that beamed from within paper plates partially stapled to represent oyester shells.

Coming back to the festival, aptly named EVOLVE, its concept depicted and revolved around evolution of the living form of thought.Nourished by little other than Kalubhai’s chai and affordable canteen bites, students took time out from tedious submissions to construct a fish pond and an eco-friendly amphitheatre. Bhumit Shah and his team painted some wonderful graphics on walls, numerous artistic hands set up sculptures and installations. A team led by Dhruv Rupawala and Abhinav Kelawala took inspiration from Rajarshi Smart’s art and put up an exquisite version of an autorickshaw ,converting it into a trolling three wheeled monster with a multi expressional kathakali dancer’s face. Various proffessional workshops on paper pulp, bamboo, canvas painting, film making and theatre were held taught by renowned artists that arrived from all over India .Students grooved to college rockstar Ian Christian’s rock band‘Morphine’.

ASAC chairman Dhruv Gusain pointed out,”Our student body of three hundred like minded people who love to experiment gave birth to EVOLVE.” Working as a team with pure gumption, these tweenie boppers multitasked as artists, witty writers, marketing gurus who succeeded at raising funds and sponsorship support by a leading hardware brand and hotel ,to bring out a first rate journal edited brilliantly.They then approached 4 eminent architects from metro cities and impressed them enough to visit Tapi town. Ar.Krishnarao Jaisim from Bangalore thanked ASAC for,” An eventful evening at a very fascinating venue with a fascinating lot of students.” Ar.Sonal Sancheti from Mumbai acknowledged,” There is culture to the college, that I can see through a smallest thing like an invite.I think you all are in a great place.”

An educational institute is as good as its students prove to be.Having historically bagged 4 prestigious National Awards this year including The Nari Gandhi Trophy and The Rueben Trophy citations; these are exemplary architects of the future. All they ask from us are ears that will listen, tongues that will appreciate and hearts that will understand. They know where they are headed, and no brick in the wall is going to stop them from what they are poised to achieve in the Surat of tomorrow.

GUJARAT’S GANDHI INSPIRED AYN RAND’S HOWARD ROARK

Over the weekend, Essar Steel had organized an exhibition in Mumbai, which displayed models of iconic buildings, renderings, drawings by Richard Meier.

Youngest architect to receive the Prtizker prize, Meier’s spectacular talent is seen in some of the world’s finest structures-Jubilee church Rome, Getty centre Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona, to name a few.

Speaking about the exhibition, Richard Meier said, “The remarkable beauty and rapid growth that is to be found in all parts of India is intoxicating for architects who have the opportunity to work there. I hope to soon be among them.”

The exhibition was held at the Sir J J College of Architecture which is celebrating its centenary year. The college annually gives The Nari Gandhi trophy ,which is named after its most brilliant student. A master craftsman, who never believed in sketches, drawings or samples and yet worked at brass tacks to create a medley of free flowing space along with organic materials like stone,rocks,wood,leather,earth and terracotta.

Born in Surat, Nariman Dossabhai Gandhi, who studied architecture in this very same college for 5 years, in the early 1950’s ,thought way ahead of his times. A favourite and most talented apprentice of the famous architect Frank Llyod Wright, Nari holds special place till date at the Taliesman, where a huge rock named after him, stands at its entrance.

He also studied pottery from the Kent State University, which made him innovative in the art of masonry. He would stack earthen pots as arches, make brick and stone stairs.Suryakant Patel’s brick bungalow in Surat and The Kino’s cottage at Versova, are some fine examples of his existing work.

Asha Parekh’s stone bungalow at Juhu was made by him, it is said once a thief could not figure his way out of it.Asha also joked about the doors being only two feet wide asking him,’you expect me to squeeze through this?’ To which he replied,’Sure.Since you are an actress, this will ensure you stay in shape.

‘Nari a famous nature-lover architect, used to disappoint many rich clients by building small toilets when they wanted huge magnificent bathrooms. He was labeled an eccentric because no one understood why he persisted with small bathrooms. Some of his physically well-endowed clients had to actually enter and exit their washrooms sideways. But he was well aware that the larger and fancier the bathroom, the more time and water wasted in it! ‘Wrote eco-nutritionist Kavita Mukhi, of Mumbai ,on why she appreciated him.

Carpenters, who worked under him,recall how he worked his magic on a leather couch without a single stitch and just wrapped it in its frame.

Architects blog online of how this genius would give wood the old, mossy effect by getting carpenters to rub it with curd and lime juice for a month! He never wasted any material. Everything was recycled to be put to re use. There was method in his madness.

He hated his work being tampered with and believed doors created barriers. When his friend and patron, Sadiruddin Daya once added a glass door to ‘keep the birds out’ at his home constructed by Nari, Nari angrily asked him,’Do you change the colours of your paintings too?’ post which he did not visit Daya for two years!

Amrutlal Thakker, his close friend stated, “I have heard him being called an eccentric genius, talent gone wild, even crazy- but he was not crazy, it’s the world around him that was! Here was humanity personified, art and expression exemplified, in a normal, humble, down to earth Parsi gentleman, who wore simple old clothes and possessed a wealth of mind and intellect, that would humble the most enterprising and exacting philosopher”.

Tall, heavy built with a gentle white moustache matching his white khadi kurta and pyjama, a liking for leather kolhapuri chappals, he always carried a cloth bag (jhola) with him. For him simplicity did not mean plain, it meant harmony. His brother Jimmy once said at a book launch in Nari’s honour, how Nari lived by the principle that, ‘A rose does not speak the virtue of beauty, does not show, but surely spreads its fragrance.’

Many articles suggest that it was maverick Nari and his guru Wright, whom Ayn Rand visited while writing The Fountainhead and based the character Howard Roark on, who states, ‘A building has integrity, just as a man and just as seldom. It must be true to its own idea, have its own form and serve its own purpose. ‘

For Nari Gandhi, it was just a way of life, as Howard says, ‘I don’t build in order to have clients; I have clients in order to build.