correa in bhopal

after almost exactly 20 years in the heart of the country for a discussion on architectural theory, i also took the opportunity to visit some of the icons of indian modernism. the ease of bharat bhavan in the evening light. people lounging on the edge of the water. the skylit art spaces spilling out effortlessly onto the sunken courtyards. the red brick and the white and coloured light cannons. the big idea subsumes the detail. ground, light, water, sky.

the vidhan bhavan is seen from across the city and the last time i was in bhopal it was under construction. the spaces seemed again perfectly scaled- monumental in parts and intimate in others. completed, the architecture's overt symbolism weighs down its effectivity. the overt 'indian' pastiche makes the building almost kitsch. 

samyukta maharashtra movement museum

a curious eccentricity in shivaji park commemorating the collusion of right wingers and comrades demanding the inclusion of bombay in maharashtra. the ground floor in newsphotos and sketches in the manner of commercial art students tells the story of the struggle in marathi, the basement is a portrait gallery where communists and bal thackeray stand arm in arm; while the first floor has a series of aerial photographs of marathi monuments - forts and the ghats of temple towns. all over towards the top of the ceiling is recreated relief work, warts included, of friezes from some of the colonial and precolonial monuments, snatches of poetry and rousing postures of workers and peasants in the tackiest socialist realism possible.

jogeshwari caves

 just off the highway at jogeshwari- along a nallah that gave the water, completely overrun by a slum. you enter through a narrow lane that dips between the shanties on both sides and enter another world. the caves are now active as a temple and as a study area for the nearby slums. lights and smoke in the morning and the sound of prayers. directly on top of the caves a playground where kids play cricket and water harvesting systems like scars in the ground.

kashimira junction

even on a sunday morning the throngs of people waiting for work is substantial. some others are waiting for a ride out to thane or into the city. below the recently completed flyover discarded cars and leftover materials from construction work pile up, and stray dogs sleep. as the slimy purple nallah runs below the new bridge mobile toilet units lie rotting near the tractors and trucks. laborers take long walks along the concrete walls.

shastri nagar sra

under construction- an sra project right near the arthur road jail. 23 stories around a courtyard. so much better that what it could have been. a model flat is being put together as demonstration. meanwhile, around the area high rises are being constructed rapidly and the new monorail snakes through the mill lands. 

mahim creek: thermocol raft