yes, hello again. A unique spare moment has allowed me (me!) to post again. Violet is sleeping calmly and Rachel is out to dinner with some people from the UW class. After all the long days, with me tied up with the architecture program, she was ready for a dinner out - hopefully with some adult conversation!
So I have a quiet moment here in our "India Home" to recite exactly what I've been up to. It really feels like we hit the ground running here, and it is hard to believe that our first class was only last Wednesday. Our main project seems simple enough - we are here is to look at the city of Chandigarh, as architects, urban planners, historians, artists - and see what we find. Chandigarh has a unique history (as most family members know by now) - tied to both Indian independence, major movements in architecture, and more recently the rapid forces of globalization. By globalization, we mean things like the speeding up of communication, the dominance of english as a global language, the presence of Facebook in almost every country - cell phones, KFC (which is here), etc. The point being these things change how we interact with the physical city. As a city planned from scratch in the 1950s, Chandigarh provides an interesting case study - as both an Indian city and an emerging global city (whatever that means).
Here we are in front of the Chandigarh College of Architecture
So this past week we've had orientation sessions, had to acquire a printer and scanner, figure out internet connectivity (ironically this was very important to how we do our work), secure space at the Chandigarh College of Architecture. In addition to this, I've have to organize eight different speakers (often two a day) who came to talk to the class, divide the class in to working groups and help them get on their way. Each group is investigating a different topic - like the effectiveness of the Master Plan of the city, how certain buildings (like theaters) should be preserved, how the architectural frame control (which restricts the design of many buildings to fit certain parameters) should be changed, and others. It has all been good work, but just taken a lot of time. Typical day is leaving the house at 8:30am, bargaining with a motor rickshaw driver (anywhere from 50 to 80 rupees)to get to the architecture building, consulting with students until noon, speakers at noon and 2pm, then trying to get home by 4:30pm, usually closer to 5pm. Usually no lunch (occasionally samosas and tea are brought in during the talks though), long days, especially as we are still finding our comfortable home routine.
On top of it all we (the instructors) are trying to get published articles and even a book out of this time here - so there is much planning, organization as well as thinking and writing that has to go into that. Not much down time.
Yesterday we had a tour of the Capitol Complex - which is world renown for its architecture. It was the great work of Le Corbusier, and is currently being considered for World Heritage status (this being India, that process may take a while). The building as design was quite impressive, yet I was overwhelmed with how poorly they are maintained and cared for. Even though they are operating buildings (still housing offices, the congressional assembly hall and the high court for the states of Punjab and Haryana) the garbage and broken windows were hard to get past. Great architecture, bad disrepair. India is full of contradictions.
In front of the Assembly Building
On the roof of the High Court, with the Assembly and Secretariat in the background
But we've just finished with our first round of speakers. Tomorrow is an open day, and while I'll still go in, I anticipate a shorter day. Perhaps the three of us will venture to the Lake or the Rose Garden, which would be nice. The weather was really pleasant today - and for the first night since we arrived, I am sitting in our place at 8:00pm with out heater blaring or wrapped up in a blanket. We hope for more good weather - it seems to make everything easier.
Thinking of you all.
--Tyler
Elite Society London
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