Stepping Stone…
I got introduced to the world of architecture and building design when my father built our family home. My father had dream to live in a house designed by an Architect and he started making it real as soon as we moved to the city. It was a great triumph when the house got built and my parents have proudly lived in this property since last 24 years and aim to live there forever. While we stayed in different locations earlier, my father would take us to visit the locally famous buildings, mainly fort complexes and palaces. I remember getting very impressed by walking into the grand corridors and various residential suites of those buildings. Understanding how those large structures were created hundreds of years ago to comfort the rulers of the land was very fascinating. I especially loved to see the intricate carvings on the walls and arches. Most of the palaces would be located at amazing locations like a mountaintop or in the middle of a lake, which would make them more impressive and secure. The knowledge, skills and hard work of artisans creating such beautiful structures amazed me each time, it made me realize how human creations could be so beautiful besides nature. I remember feeling tremendously impressed after viewing buildings built for powerful and wealthy people like the kings and queens.
Studying modern architecture was useful, but I was always driven towards analysis and documentation of historical sites with material exploration. I also liked travelling to various cities around India to visit famous historical builds, appreciate the era and techniques when they were built. As I would explore various materials used in buildings, I learnt how these could be incorporated in developing a cohesive and cognitive environment. Another amazing aspect of old palatial buildings was their architect’s use of natural light, materials and spaces. This precarious understanding of historical urban architecture and design has refined a mature design attitude in me.
Working on conservation of historical buildings became my primary interest, which led me to choose my final thesis topic of an adaptive reuse of heritage site at Jal mahal at Jaipur. I created the master plan of converting the palace into a tourism location. My proposal included creating an on-site museum, open air theatre, urban heritage walk and living cottages for performers and craftsmen who would be employed to work locally. My project included interactions with INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and JMC (Jaipur Municipal Corporation) got introduced to Minakshi Jain, a renowned conservationist of heritage buildings in Rajasthan. Impressed with my deep interest in her field of work, she offered me a professional training internship forming the final part of my course and a permanent job soon after I received my degree. Looking back to my education days, I now realize the significance of theoretical education. It has given me the true understanding of structures and enabled me to think more practically while forming new designs.
