Nawabi nostalgia

I must say I was impressed by the setting and cinematography of the recent movie Dedh Ishqiya. The fading Begum Para and her crumbling mansion have been beautifully portrayed in the movie. The movie made me wonder and imagine the life and times of Nawabs of Awadh region. Legacy of Nawabs of Awadh is their contribution towards development of arts, crafts, language a unique culture.

Mahmudabad Palace, Mahmudabad, U.P.

Mahmudabad palace close to Luckhnow provides a fitting backdrop for the movie. This particular Qila or Kothi as they call it is a whopping 67,650 square feet (6,285 square meters) in size. The is a part of twenty acre complex comprising of private gardens and lakes. The Kothi played an important role during the Indian uprising of 1857, and was completely destroyed by the British. It rebuilt immediately thereafter using the original plinth.

The present heir of the property fought a 32 year long battle to regain the control of property lost after independence due to various acts and ordinances. The sheer size of the property has made conservation difficult, especially since the parts of the building have been unused for 50 years and the combination of neglect, aging and seismic damage have further exacerbated the problems. As this wmf link states, the site is emblematic of the plight of many still privately owned 18th and 19th century palaces,for which the size and scale make conservation difficult. 

The art director has beautifully transformed the palace and its interior in the movie. Whether it is the grand hall, or the living quarters of the begum or the beautifully lighted outdoors area where the mushayra competition is staged. The sepia tone of the palace and interiors subtly enhances its age while adding to the old charm. Many such palaces lie in various states of disrepair all over the country. Many may have even vanished to make way for modern development. My only hope is the local governments and more importantly the people take initiative to identify and restore such beautiful monuments which stand as a testimony to our history. I hope such architectural legacies will find a place in our ever expanding urban environments.

And yes, Mads is stunning in the movie! So go watch it!

Links for further reading:
http://www.uppercrustindia.com/posts/52/The-Riyasat-Of-Raja-Mehmoodabad

http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/07/slide-show-1-the-love-and-lament-of-raja-of-mahmoodabad.htm#6

http://www.rajamahmudabad.com/gallery/

Thoughts on future: NaMo's vision of 100 new cities

Recently in a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, Narendra Modi, the future PM of India talked about his vision for the nation. He talked about creating 100 new cities in the country where concepts such as smart cities, specialized cities such as health cities, sport cities as well as twin city concepts, satellite towns etc.

India today stands at a cusp of an era of development and growth. The population is going to drive India to become a superpower in coming decades. Indian cities will see unprecedented growth in the years to come and the key to success lies in thoughtfully planned developments rather than the uncontrolled growth patterns we have witnessed in past few decades.

Big vision plans needs to be prepared for such a venture which will identify and outline creation of such new towns, redevelopment of existing towns and implementing other concepts such as twin cities etc. This is necessary to ensure an equitable development, keeping in mind the role of environment. Such vision plan would also be necessary to bring different stakeholders on the same page.

We should make sure not to imitate the Chinese model which has brought about huge development at the cost of destruction of environment and the imposing a modern rationale and eradicating the existing palimpsest of culture and old urban settlements.

Presently 75% greenhouses gases are created by cities worldwide. It would be absolutely imperative that all these new cities are sustainable. This means innovative ideas for commute, work and in general the way we live need to be set up.

We need to take steps to ensure urban planning as a field is institutionalized in India. We should set up new research centers at a few key universities in the country which can bring about innovative urban ideas. Probably instead of creating a gigantic Mumbai of 36 million (population projection for 2050) or other big metros such as Delhi, small towns around these cities and even in the hinterlands could be created which will provide opportunities to the people in the areas and thwart overcrowding.

In many cases we could revitalize some of our old towns and the plan for growth around them which will take in to consideration their history, the settlement form and the climate. For instance, the small towns in Maharashtra are still much different than say small towns in Gujarat, which have evolved as a result of local climate and tradition. Such nuances in city planning need to be studied and applied while planning for the expansion or new towns.

A street scene in Junagadh, Saurashtra, Gujarat

Old towns such as Bijapur in Karnataka, or Junagadh in Saurashtra similar to many towns in Rajasthan still bear a strong cultural flair which transcends in the architecture and settlement patterns. Any new plans for expansion of such towns should consider these factors before planning for growth. Different urban design guidelines should be created for different towns. One formula for all cannot be a solution as is the case today.

Experimentation:
Experimentation could be a major component in all these new towns. Many different themes such as bike share, sustainable living, solar power, industrial make ups, mixed uses, garden cities etc. could be experimented at various levels. Vikram Soni, a noted UGC Physics professor from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi has come up with a concept of 'Natural Cities'. Such cities will be self sufficient and aims at providing a certain quality of life of its residents. Although widely criticized by planners and architects for a number of reasons, it outlines a completely different vision for future.

Non-architects and non-planners should also be encouraged to participate and come up radical concepts which could be partly or fully incorporated in different new town plans. Of course not to mention the importance of studying planning ideas and precedents world wide such as Masdar City or bike friendly towns of The Netherlands and Denmark.

India with all its problems and paradoxes presents a great opportunity to set a new paradigm for the future of humanity. In our means to address problems of population and poverty lie the answers to the future.