By Madhusudan Santosh Chandak
Independence, freedom, republic! Yes, we did become one of the greatest democracies of this world not even a century ago. We finally achieved a dream of a millennia actually. However, did we even realize that there were so many battles going on behind the scenes and are still breaking the great Bharat from within. Yes, a big battle was won 75 years ago but the real question here is, whether the war really is over yet! A war not just in terms of colonization, politics, human rights or military as in the past century but beyond, to concern the human conscience, nature and intellect. Do we even realize that we have been losing countless many battles! Some did realize but never spoke up, some tried but didn’t quite radiate and some don’t even care, but the most disheartening is the fact that the majority never even seem to realize that there is even something going wrong! That something has been breaking us apart slowly and steadily beyond this illusive element of freedom. The collective conscience that builds up our notion of a nation together is being eaten away for all these years and at the very current moment too!
Our administrative powers came into our hands. True! So true! But when we think deeper, how extensively rooted were the effects of the prolonged domination that our nation experienced at the hands of the Mughals, the British or for that instance the Portuguese, French, Dutch, etc. The toll of course wasn’t just of political or geographical boundaries or even human life for that matter. What I’m speaking of goes beyond the scope of realization for most, the one that is seeped and seeded deep into the subconscious of the minds whose collective conscience holds our nation together. Today we look at the past, the foreign domination and speak of the progressive boost that India gained post-independence. It seems like, the ideologies and ways of life became so simple, too simple I would stress!
The ease and comfort of the sense of freedom prevented us from questioning their prolonged impact on one’s behavior, life-style, beliefs, morals or even the basic reasoning behind the actions started to be sidelined in front of the ease of consumption or utility. As it happened the name of our nation itself became the representation of the element of geography & geology occupied by a certain settlement ‘the land of the great Indus valley – the land of Sindhu’ coined thereafter as the nation ‘India’! A strong name representing a strong, holy, ancient and vast land but why represent the roots of only geography or geology and what of the other roots of our existence! When we hear the name ‘Bharat’ we understand an entity of existence dedicated to finding the ultimate truth radiating the knowledge of life & meaning following the light of wisdom ‘RAT(रतः)’ as bright as the sun’s fire ‘BHA(भाः)’. Here the essence of the name goes far beyond the materialistic existence of the roots of geography, geology, climate, socio-economical, cultural or historical context for that matter. The elements of pride and honor for our motherland, its resources, its roots, its people have completely blinded us from the meaning and reason of our existence. We constantly forget that we are one nation, one race, one being all in search of meaning, knowledge and reason and that is what the meaning of ‘Bharat’ is, a guide of existence!
Strongly stating one would say that ‘for decades now, the unquestioned or uncriticized ‘karma’ has been overpowering the sensibility, criticism & reasoning of ‘dharma’!
Objects and tools as mediums became larger that the meaning of the task itself! For instance, consider ‘Architecture- a space molded for some function in context of human need and comfort to protect from the elements of nature. Once, the elements and users were the core concern of the space for which the architecture was created, but today, the existence of architecture itself overpowers the need or comfort of the user within while constantly ignoring and degrading the elements around. This simple example of architecture’s ignorance is not just limited to the physical comfort of the people but play a major subconscious role in the strengthening or degradation of society. It’s a slow and a silent battle in an endless war of existence! The solutions of these battles have always existed with us since ancient times, experimented, practiced, experienced and proven! However, the sophistication of lifestyle and ease of progress that the foreign dominion gave India made one casually consider the ancient wisdom, simple lifestyle and sophisticated spiritual aspirations of then as old ‘good for books’ orthodox thinking. Where I am looking from, it feels as the most abnormal scenario of losing oneself consciously to the ease & wants and a hamster’s wheel of the materialistic existence, nothing more, nothing less! An existence with lost meaning, no reason, just consumption!
THE ROOTS – WEAKENED AND CONSCIOUSLY BROKEN! GEOGRAPHY– BOUNDARIES OF CONTROL OR EXCUSE OF MORALES? Our existence essentially revolves around several factors as humans. We might just consider them to be ‘The roots of our existence’ and can roughly identify them into about six factors. Like for instance consider India’s ‘Geography’ and the way it stands today with the borders, constantly struggling to maintain them as we see in the North. Once the great landmass of Bharat, today has shrunken down to what scale! But the concern here isn’t the imaginary line of control but the fact that it has let a notion seep into us that our responsibility as citizens has surpassed that of casual humanity with those beyond the line. We forget so much that Bharat once stood for! It never was about a geographical boundary!
These imaginary lines of divisions subconsciously have been giving us the ease of bargain of our moral responsibilities within the confines of these so-called boundaries, be they the over emphasized, debated, warring national and international boundaries, or the states, districts, cities and blocks struggling for control of their own individual concerns neglecting and ignoring their true meaning and duty. This zooms down to the architectural boundaries of compounds and plots to the walls of the buildings and rooms that we today hide ourselves within in the name of protection, of comfort, of privacy and what not as if the beyond of the boundary doesn’t concern us if it doesn’t directly affect or has any use for us! Where is the reason of these boundaries lost! Or is it just easier and comfortable this way that we question only when its of use and turn a blind eye to the whole world when it doesn’t!
Morals, are they really lost or the presence of boundaries has just habituated us to pretend and ignore, I wonder!
GEOLOGY – ‘I-THOU TO I-IT’ - CARE OR PRETENSE? India has been continuously transforming in terms of its natural geological settings with its urban pace. The way it has attracted so many invaders and settlers right from the period of ancient Indus Valley Civilization to consume the boons of the earth within is really intriguing. The way our geology, our natural resources are being consumed and rather depleted or degraded by over-consumption has become a major aspect of concern as the pressure experienced by the geological structure and resource is immense. The geological cycles are sensitive and interconnected to a large web of eco-cycles. With a constant struggle between environmental sustainability and the development of India into the notion of a Developed nation in place, Geological structure beneath is in a crucial state today. It is giving out constant drastic results as consequences of poor human choices.
From the ancient times when Bharat had a spiritual and responsive relationship with every living and nonliving entity in creation of cosmos recognizing the living forces and energies as Gods, goddesses and spiritual beings. It seems to be a bond of co-existence, respect and meaning with nature, like the ‘I-Thou Relationship’ as defined by E.A.Gutkind as a mutual caring relationship of Man and Nature. Then as a part of Nature, today we treat nature as a toll for progress, growth and survival, as an object with such disregard and conscious ignorance as if Nature and Man are distinctive entities one using another, like the ‘I-It Relationship’ as defined by E.A.Gutkind an estranged relationship between Man and Nature.
We as humans have a keen sense of self preservation. In every time of need, we speak up as the apostles of humanity with the pretense of saving others only when it suits or necessitates us in some or the other manner. When not in need the same trees, forests, lands, animals or seas may even vanish from existence and we couldn’t care less giving a sigh of ‘oh, that’s so sad!’ and moving onto our daily run in the hamster’s wheel. India has seen its own fair share of ignorance too! Floods come and go every year, landslides happen every year, clouds burst every year! But we won’t learn, pretending to care when the disaster strikes while ourselves being the one responsible for the disaster each time! Sometimes we can’t comprehend the level to which we stoop, finding ease in the regularity of disasters just to prove ‘We Care!’.
Care, is it really lost or the urban race has just habituated us to consciously ignore & pretend to care for ‘OUR’ earth while defiling ‘IT’ skin to bone!
CLIMATE – EVOLUTION AS GROWTH OR CHANGE AS A BURDEN? Moving ahead when we think about the root of ‘Climate’, yes, the entire world knows that India stands for almost every type of Climate that is out there, India has it, represents it, it builds its own cultures and responses towards those diverse kinds of climates. India proudly states its ‘Unity in Diversity’ a cause of the various diverse conditions, beautiful and intriguing in absolute manners. Proud of its three major natural elements, the rich fertile soil, the rich flora and fauna and the rich web of rivers, lakes and streams that India possesses. The geological terrain, the scales of the mountains and valleys that it has, the rivers cutting through, the beautiful peninsula sea shores, the deep holy and sacred natural forest grooves with the versatile flora and fauna altogether a boon for the growth of us humans.
Climate is a sensitive cycle, if played with too much its changing patterns have brought whole civilizations and entire Nations to their knees. The burden that we put on the atmospheric cycles of immediate change neither giving it time to slowly evolve nor completely understanding its consequence. A nation that prays to the elements of climate, celebrates the changing phases and seasons, singing the rhythms and songs of the gods of sun, rain, wind or sky is also the nation which in a minute shifts back to disregard of climatic stability and deterioration. What kind of dual nature are we all living with where the teachings of culture and religion have absolutely no influence on need, greed and consumption. This burden on climate will be the horror of our generation if our conscience doesn’t align itself at the right place.
SOCIO-POLITICS & ITS RAT’S RACE: While speaking of the roots of ‘Socio-politics’, of course a major role in the Independence struggle. The way our society is rapidly transforming and in what sense are these transformations happening is something to be deeply thought about. We might have gained the freedom of speech, of expression, the freedom of exploring various ideas with minimal hesitation as before but beyond these elements of Freedom, there is so much more that we were fighting for. This and the political structure that India has seen transforming all over the years and the continuous struggle, the tug of war, the race of tom n jerry, chasing after each other, trying to prove oneself better when none truly exert their truest potential.
CULTURE- BELIEF & DISBELIEF: Exploring our cultural roots, where to start with it! A culture of diversity, of various beliefs, religious rituals, gods, goddesses and many more. Originally the great Sanatan Hindu Culture accepting the entire existence as one in search of meaning, reason and knowledge is also the same culture that today calls its own great Itihasa as a myth! Even if we believe in gods, we study all of our cultural and religious stories as myths and mythologies and are absolutely fine by it, no questions, no reasoning, no self-belief in practice!
HISTORY- A STORY TO HEAR TO WISDOM TO REVER! Also, the roots of ‘History’, one of the deepest that the world has ever seen, a cradle of civilization as we believe it to be, proven by so many, fully unquestioned! But still, a history that is eons old is merely dumbfounded by just the past thousand years of dominion, of dilution, of our journey from logical & spiritual reasoning to materialistic consumption. When we look at the Itihasa, the valor stories, the value of respect, the honor and pride in morals, the understanding of humanity, the essence of being a human has what has always been the essence of Bharat.
Today these same core values are treated as impractical bookish philosophies while their polar opposites keep grooming and twisting the minds of our people, the same people holding the torch of freedom! Freedom from what exactly! Forgotten is the history of the eras when our roots and growth of intellectual and spiritual aspiration were at their prime, when society, culture, economy, politics and religion were but one entity with strong base morals not debating with the importance of either.
If a Human is saved but the soul is twisted, are we really free!
If a war is won but the morals are lost, are we really free!
If Freedom is gained, but its meaning forgotten, are we really free!
ARCHITECTURE THE MOULD OF CONSCIENCE: The six roots, each in different ways and branches and together comprise of the entire basis of our existence. When thinking about my own role as an Architect and the role of ‘Architecture’ in the National movements, thinking about those forgotten spaces and places that resemble the memories, and symbols of our existence, of our entirety as a Nation and as Humans. There are so many of such spaces that remind us of the silent soft battles that we struggle with and fight every day! Some like to keep this war going, some struggle to win over righteousness in these battles and some are completely unaware of the existence of any such chaos.
To understand in a better manner exactly what we are dealing with here, I’ll just state an example. The great movement of Independence was the symbol of collective conscience of entire India. A united stand by the country and its people. Collective Conscience is a powerful thing, we know it how powerful united minds standing together aligned towards a single direction like a thousand arrows pointing at the same thing to completely destroy what they stand against. A notion so powerful that brings into existence an unimaginable potential as strong as to create an entire nation like the Great India as one being. Where is this collective conscience weakened when we talk of the everyday silent battles? National movements were triggered by even the smallest of events, of villainy, of hatred or disregard to human rights. Today every day in different corners of our vast nation such acts happen in broad daylight just flashing around as news as if an everyday dose of a certain amount of negativity and we forget them by just flipping the channels by pressing a single button of ignorance and pretense not even concerning our mind with such kind of negativity, to keep enjoying the folly of our personal peace and comfort.
When I try to think about architecture, what exactly was it in the olden ages that united people not just in times of collective need but as a regular co-existence and what is it that divides them today so as to not care for even the neighbors who might be living for long besides each other. This is a sad reality of the great cities that we are building today and might as well be the fall of the collective conscience of the great India. Unless and until we have a common agenda, a purpose strong enough for the entire nation to come together, we are not going to be one. But is unity, is this connectivity between people just a notion in the times of need or can it really be an element of subconsciousness where we naturally are together with each other in thinking, in morals, in behavior and so many more things that don’t need a reason or struggle. Is the inconsequential ‘Love’ just a matter of books & stories?
I’ll state an example, there are two houses. Decent in scale, both of them face each other onto a street. Both accompanied by a comfortable scale of otla or verandah in front of their entrances raised from the road just enough to sit on and shaded from the harsh heat outside. The scene might somewhat remind you of the old towns of our vernacular living heritage or of the villages that our country majorly comprises of. We have all experienced some or the other time this scene in our life. It never seems odd to see people without even a glimpse of hesitation in their mind, naturally going and sitting on those steps, on those otlas, spending their time outside of their four walls doing various activities like studying, playing, reading newspapers, just carrying on with their daily lives but not bothering each other in any disturbing sort. Both houses carry on with their acts, some or the other person of the house is always there on the otla, enjoying, spending time. They are observant people, continuously observing each other, talking, sharing their life, thinking about each other every time they see. They are able to understand each other’s conditions emotions, routines, times & lives. They are in fact absolutely habituated with each other. One day if the other person isn’t there, they feel that there is something missing out, something different. They are curious or restless or even irritated of the absence of the person and that is where an unsaid emotion of care comes into the conscience of the person. They interacted, shared and understood, aware and present in times of distress or in happiness, or just casually but consciously and subconsciously connected. Strangers with no purpose, no need, no reason, just together for each other! There are always eyes on the street, there is always someone there outside. They can keep an eye on their children or even other children playing on the street. The women and others feel safe and unhesitant to go through even if its dark as the houses and verandahs share their light, as the people sitting outside are there for them.
Collective existence in society is not about just being named as a society but about sharing each other’s lives, sadness, happiness, disappointments, excitements and much more. We don’t need four walls to read a newspaper or to play around or so many other daily chores whose times match mostly with all other houses. Only that you require those four walls for the activities that ask for essential privacy. Yes, the bedrooms, the washrooms or the kitchen partially. But still of all the other spaces, what level of privacy are we talking about here that we box ourselves up into those walls and closed doors only to completely disconnect ourselves and live in a personal celebration of isolation not able to penetrate each other’s thoughts rather each other’s eyes or lives! You know, the apartments and housings of today disconnecting the people in the name of economical classes, of lifestyle sections and what not, closed off with all of the doors, people or neighbors not even able to see each other for days together or even more, sometimes not even knowing who lives next door or how is their life sailing let alone understanding their emotions or sharing them. Sure even in today’s times people share their good times but when the distress steps on the door, the other doors start closing.
Remembering a common experience and also a personal one that when in an old big city with an old city core and a new urban sprawl, when in the old part going door to door for interviews, interaction, celebrations, processions or others, the involvement and response expresses eagerness, happiness, curiosity and support mostly seeming quite habitual to stranger interactions and new bonds. I wonder why! Because when I conducted the same activities in the most urban, high profile, much literate and developed zone of the city, the eyes looking at me were expressing doubt, questions, neglect, disinterest and sometimes even irritation, anger or unfortunately disgust too! How come in the same city, one section can differ so much in human nature and morals than the other? What’s the catch here? Why this state of disconnection of conscience of those that come together when the time need it to be so? I deeply wonder whether the answer here are these spaces and the way of they have been molded and created. If so then those spaces that once built the collective conscience of the people, those lost and forgotten spaces and places and the essence of their existence, do they really hold the key to this silent battle? =Does the soft essence of architecture hold the potential enough to heal human subconscious? To mend their habits of pretense, disregard, conscious neglect, ignorance? To restore the essence of humanity? To imbibe the aspirations of intellectual and spiritual awakening!
ARCHITECTURE THE SILENT BATTLES: I believe Architecture and the art of molding spaces plays a major role in Human bonds, conscience and the building up of India’s coherent strength into an adherent strength, a strength not just of many as one when needed but further when many will always be one be beyond the need of purpose or reason!
With the flat dead facades of today’s buildings, not much opportunity to overlook onto the streets, not many opportune spaces to interact, it is like we are not even ready to give people the opportunity to interact, see each other, cross paths, share a smile, a greet, a happy gesture or further share their lives. A chance to just do something that will help them remember each other, their smile, face, name, the words their eyes speak, in turn to habituate, to bond and be supportive and caring with no expectations, no purpose, no agenda, just as a normal humane being. To let them be there each day in presence so that when one changes for the worse, other realizes and guides to heal and mend, when for the better, other encourages and boosts the morale or at least becomes kinder! Isn’t this the way the web of nation’s collective conscience become strong! If we could just give them that one opportunity, that one moment when they could at least interact for the first time is the entire key of creation here.
The opportunities that architecture today has been constantly neglecting, each day is breaking down the society brick by brick not just through the social and public infrastructure but right from every closed door of every house that is being isolated as a life, as a bond and as a piece of conscience! Its hard to imagine but this battle of social interaction and bonding that is being fought by the soft elements and experiences of Architecture is not visible to even the many eyes that create them. People utilize a space out of need and comfort but forget that spaces are as alive as themselves. They are as alive as the memories we have of them, the moments we are living in them and the dreams we build within them. They hold power to heal when hurt, guide when lost, accompany when lonely, comfort when in distress, to make us smile and reminiscence in memories just by being in them. A temple is where we uplift our spiritual energy, our senses, simmer down the chaos within, a space specifically designed to help control all the Indriyas, to realize the elements of creation, to forget the world of materials, to enhance the intellect and to regenerate the essence of life. Same is the case of the Mosques or the Churches and Cathedrals. But the problem here is people do utilize the space but don’t even realize the meaning or essence of that space. They forget the reason of using that space and mistake the utilization of it the same as the reason of utilizing it.
What I mean by the soft battles of Architecture, is the elements that we live in every day, around every moment, their essence, meaning and impact of existence has been forgotten and the battle is to revitalize the meaning and essence, to reconnect the conscience without purpose or agenda or any sort of need. India stands strong even today but the hidden problem here is that it misses out on the understanding of core and collective conscience at large in the society of today. This is where I believe we have been losing the soft battles and struggles of architecture especially. The nation celebrates and lives in the protection of some great centers of intellectual and spiritual energy sources. Understanding their true essence and recreation of such sources in the minute elements of daily life is the only visible way of banishing this darkness of illiteracy of meaning & purpose. The spaces and places that since eons have been building our nation with memories, with hope and strength with wisdom and knowledge, with beliefs and morals today have been forgotten even after being used every moment, their essence remains faded for the resonance with those utilizing them isn’t being achieved. In this era of materials, our citizens and myself need to consciously and subconsciously be reminded & taught that every act, every gesture, every word, every space isn’t just existing but has a meaning, a reason and a purpose to it beyond need, beyond debate, beyond materialistic consumption but for the pure bliss of existence!
We struggle every moment with the curse of ignorance, the curse of not knowing. India has experienced national movements time and again in so many ways. These elements & spaces that have been silently battling for us need our understanding and conscience to resonate strongly within everyone. Only then can we free this curse, only then can we mend what’s broken, only then can we understand our purpose, find meaning and reason of our existence.
It is an Architect's absolute 'Dharma' to understand the potential of a space to serve and instill the essence of conscience and purpose, for it is not in its nature to be good or bad .... It just exists to serve them who mold it to be so!
- with hope
By Madhusudan Santosh Chandak
👏👏👏V
Simply Amazing 🤩
Rightly said 😊👍 💯
Beautiful!!🤩
Well explained like always!!!