India is on a cusp. There is clearly a gap widening between the haves and the have-nots. This disparity has its several side-effects on the society, but this is not what Iam discussing here today.The well read/bread are all the time nudging the envelope and have left their footprints on every part of the mother earth and beyond. When these globe trotters come back to their country of birth, like a sea-gull fliesback to the boat it flew away from, they can tell the difference. Been there done that generation in this country is getting restless as the taxes paid by them are either not spent by the authorities as desired or are being misused by those who donot pay those taxes themselves and donot value the infrastructure created for a civilised life.

There was this well defined gap in the median strip on a newly built road in my city. Everything was great but then after some time a petrol pump came up just before that gap in the median.For those driving on the same side of the road on which the petrol pump was made it was a direct access, but for others driving on the other side itwas very tempting to just cross over to the other side and drive about 50mtrs in the wrong side to reach the pump, instead of going all the way to the next turn 1.5 kms away and taking a U-turn.This going against the traffic rules lead to a mess at the crossing on a daily basis, especially during the rush hours on an otherwise not so busy road. Then one day, an otherwise indifferent, authorities flung into action and decided to close that gap in the median, to put an end to that nuisance, with seemingly impenetrable reinforced cement road barriers. But for the riders it would mean no crossing between 2 turns 3 kms apart.Ignoring the diktat, initially a few dare devils started lifting their cycles or motorbikes over the median to cross over. Then one fine day, or rather night, a few kerbstones of the median edge were removed to create a gap between the newly placed road blocks by some unknown citizen and thus the 2 wheelers, with some difficulty, started flowing through the gap. The trickle became a poor and the traffic jam was back again and this time with more severity as there was a long queue of bikers who found it inconvenient driving up to the next U-turn 1.5 kms away. Once again some extra RCC blocks were put by the road authorities to squash this pest of an issue. Barely very next day a similar drive through was created on the other side of the RCC blocks this time big enough for even 3 wheelers.

What does it say about our psyche?This is a very small example that how we are misusing our democracy and nobody wants to toe the line. There is a constant struggle between the managment and the managed in this country. Everybody blames the government for the traffic jams but nobody bothers to behave responsibly and takes care of their own duties.

The hangover of “the Raj” is so evident in our everyday life that we still feel that Civil disobedience is a way of life. Nobody remembers or cares that the British left this country some 75 years ago and now it is our responsibility to run this nation and make it habitable for everyone.

May be uneducation is the cause why people donot understand their Rights and Duties. But then how does one explain that the same set of people behave differently when they travel abroad.

Clearly the citizens in this nation are breathing in a lot of air of misplaced independence. And this is so visible in every public action of the constituents of this great country. Doesn’t this explain the attitude to disobey/disrespect even simple rules meant directly for the well-being of every citizen like throwing trash in bins, wearing helmets, seat-belts etc etc or something very recent as wearing of masks for protection against Covid-19 ?If at all rules are followed it is to escape fines or penalties.

As a nation, we were lucky we didnothave to go through the adversities of an all out war in our recent history.Those nations which were almost totally devastated and decimated during both the world wars less than a century ago are much ahead in terms of providing good living conditions totheir citizens. And this can be possible only if both the sides contribute. Every nation has to go through this transformation and we too are changing everyday. But we must believe that the colonial days are well behind us and it is about time we start introspecting and respecting our public property and duties.

Unlike fully developed economies Architecture is at a pretty nascent stage in India. Both the service providers and seekers have not yet been able to fathom it’s real potential . As such it is an uphill task for all the practising Architects to educate before practice, which unfortunately is not very well received.

In West an Architect is like an institution that has a certain character/style and only those who approve of his/her designing traits/skills approach the consultant. Once the site is finalised, they simply cite their requirements and then it is the architect’s duty to transform the space into a functional art form as per the well understood designing skills.

Whereas in India the client’s brief is not limited to just requirement but here they even meddle with the design concept & process at every stage too, like hiring an artist and dictating what/how to paint. As a result there is a major chaos & cacophony of design and the end product is nobody’s baby.

Typically if a project turns out well people take the credit themselves and if it goes South then it is the Architect’s fault.

People miss the point that a consultant is to “advise” not “seek advise”.

In India “respect” comes only through “fear”. When in trouble people visit holy places. Respect for any profession , in Indian context ,is directly proportional to the risk involved. Hence Doctors, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants , Teachers (necessarily in that order) have more respect in India as compared to an Architect. Reason is simple-Generally people approach an Architect when they are in the pink of their life. Though there is a tradition of camouflaging need with desire, primary reasons of an urban Indian to approach an Architect are:

-Post retirement usage (want to leave it for my son)

-Marriage round the corner( how can I bring her in this old shabby house)

-Growing family space demands( kids need their space as their friends have)

-Business is booming( let’s invest to earn more by showing the clients how big we are)

-Excessive disposable income( World I’ve arrived & have joined that richie-rich club )

-Because others hire an Architect we should have one too

-We need someone to vet our decisions.

-Need somebody to put across their point of view & convince others in the family etc.

By far the most common expectation from an architect in India is:

Create a masterpiece better than everybody else & that nobody has seen before.

Though ancient India is full of amazing architectural marvels which are no less than elsewhere in the world , post Independence India probably was exposed to modern architecture only when Chandigarh was designed and that was only about 70 yrs ago . But that scale was too big for common citizens to comprehend. The trickle is taking it’s time to reach the masses and the understanding shall take even longer.

Trust Takes Time and all Architects in India are waiting.

The biggest folly Indian Architectural fraternity or teachers have done, and continue to do, is that they lay lot of emphasis only on creative/designing skills of the students. There is persistent naive effort to create an impression that architecture is a field of Engineering which requires unique skills set. As such every Architect in India comes out of the school with such a notion and strongly feels that the world outside is just waiting to welcome them with open arms. Most of them start off with this delusion, which is the biggest disconnect any Architect could possibly have from reality.

Factually speaking, Architecture is a profession where disciplines like fine arts, design, construction managment, business managment etc are all rolled into one. Unlike other fields, it requires working knowledge of many branches of engineering like civil , electrical ,mechanical etc to succeed.

Once out in the field, most architects realise ,sooner than later in their career, that their profession is not at all different than producing/dealing in any other “commodity”, like an automobile, handbag, toothpaste etc.

Hence, like any other production company , an Architectural firm also needs the support of all the departments necessary to conduct any such business and sometimes even more:

Managment, Marketing, Purchase, Production, Sales, Accounts and yes AMC too !! Associates, Vendors, Managers, Supervisors, Dealers etc etc….you name it !!Only a complete supply chain and a crazy number of skilled people can complete this creative process too. So why so much fuss about it being just a one man show ?!!

Since such an important & integral practical knowledge about the subject is not imparted during the learning years in architectural schools , it gets pretty challenging to pickup the nuances of the profession while in practice. For an architectural career to succeed in India it is pertinent to have a holistic approach. Those architects who grew up thinking that they were on a pedestal in some noble profession ( like doctors, teachers etc ) serving humanity and everybody is looking up to them, are set for some major disappointments. A business by any other name would still be a business. And those who donot admit/agree tend to suffer/crib and get left behind frustrated.

The client in the Indian market is out (except for a very few niche/uber rich/ultra rare segment in some la la land somewhere) for getting a product and architects (or their firms) are nothing but a medium to satisfy/quench that demand/thirst or craving…nothing else. Infact, Indian market treats Architects just like an OEM, Dealer & Facilitator all rolled into one.

For any business to be workable or profitable it is important to understand the demand and take care of the supply, not the other way round.

Personally an Architect may be in love with his/her work and creative instincts. But at the end of the day they must learn it pronto to convert such emotions/creative juices into a saleable product for a willing client. Otherwise that “awesome” creativity may never see the light of the day & might not ever get a chance to come out of that “awesome” mind/paper.

If Architects sell an Architectural “product” thinking about it as a precious piece of art /sculpture and expect the buyer/client to treat it similarly, they are in for some rude shocks all along their career. They must not forget that for the client/buyer that creativity ( product of labour & love ) is nothing more than an everyday utility item and they may not look at it as romantically. While the Architect is free to think he/she is creating a masterpiece, the client/buyer is mainly thinking about the money that goes into the OEM’s pocket while extracting their own maximum gains. Just like any other buying/selling business….isn’t it ?!!

So simply put, better to be practical rather than poetical about your architectural genius or else, keep romancing your dreams.

Cheers !!

Practicing Architecture/Interiors for nearly 30 years in India I have realised that ,even after 73 years of Independence, it is a fairly lesser known, often misunderstood professional field and the clients do everything but never “Leave it to the experts”

Here are a few humorous experiences:

-Architects are introduced many a times as “In se milo yeh humarey Architecture hain.”

-Very often project requirements are fixed based on what others have and not what is needed “My sister’s brother-in-law’s neighbour’s house in M’bai has that awesome…..and that Florida hotel pergola was sooooo….” and not much regard is given to the result of hardwork produced before them !!

-They are not sure about what they want “Aur kuch dikhaiye bhaiya…..kuch Rani colour mein hai…?!!”…as if they are in some saree store ,on a Sunday afternoon, dealing with some totally vella salesman looking for endless options before they come to that ever elusive decision.

-The professional feels like being a specimen of sorts when he is introduced to a family junior as “Isney toh kabhie architect hi nahi dekha”…..who then dictates his terms in the design meeting.

-Even the pet of the house has a point of view….”Tommy kaisa laga tumhara room…..”

–“Give us something new and different ,never made anywhere else before….and we want to physically visit it before finalising it ”. As a result of such oxymoron comments, all those “different” architectural marvels end up looking the same.

-“Yeh humare Archiitact hain “ said a senior Dilli wala client to his friend when he visited the construction site.

Some other misconceptions people generally have:

-Trust a casual comment by friends or family over the paid professional’s advise.

-Take the liberty to mess with the design at will….after all they are paying. Imagine a creative work where everybody wants to do their own thing….so it actually ends up being “different”.

-Architecture is nothing but a brilliant idea….which anybody can have. What is the fuss about ?

-We should hire an Architect because everybody else does.

Though one cannot paint everybody with the same brush but generally people in India aren’t as trusting and open to new ideas as they should be. Unfortunately they mostly come with their fixed ideas and ever changing requirements. All they want is some body to certify their own ideas and convert them into an ever changing reality which is so unfair. And yes ,only thing “fixed” is the “fees” with no guarantees of the “last payment”. As a result they donot get what they deserve and often end up misunderstanding the profession.

Internationally the Architects are treated at par with other professionals like Doctors, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants etc. Trust here in India it is a work in progress.

Kuch nami si hai ,shayad koi badli si hai

Deevar-o-dar se dosti ho gayi hai, zindagi kuch badli si hai

–Ambuj Nayar

कुछ नमी सी है ,शायद कोई बदली सी है

दीवारो-दर से दोस्ती हो गयी है ,ज़िन्दगी कुछ बदली सी है

–अम्बुज नैयर

Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

tujhko dekha hai mehsus bhi kiya hai, raaton ko jaag-jaag kar tujse rubroo batein bhi ki hain

teri woh chilman se ankh-micholian aur duniya ki ek-tarfaa rasmon se parey humne woh chori-chupey mulakatein bhi ki hain

dinon tak tera root kar muh pher lena aur fir apni hi hatheliyon se aahista-aahista be-naqab hona , tere rukshar ki woh shokh laaliyan bhi hum ne dekhi hain

jab jab siyaah se bhi kali raton ko tum na aa sakey maine kaali-ghataon aur in be-gairat barastey baadlon ko bud-duayein bhi di hain

hairat-angez duriyon se pareshan zindagi ke is daur mein bhi mere humdum maine tere deed se sukon ki sansein bhi li hain

tujhko payaa nahi na kabhi tujhse milney ki hasart hi kum hui Ambuj, e-chand tu mera mehboob nahi toh phir tujhse ye raabtayein kyu hain

–Ambuj Nayar

तुझको देखा है मेहसूस भी किया है, रातों को जाग जाग कर तुझ से रूबरू बातें भी की हैं

तेरी वो चिलमन से आंख-मिचौली और दुनिया की एक तरफ़ा रस्मों से परे चोरी-छुपके तुझसे मुलाकातें भी की हैं

दिनों तक तेरा रूठ कर मुँह फेर लेना और फिर अपनी ही हथेलियों से आहिस्ता आहिस्ता बे-नकाब हो ना , तेरे रुखसार की वो शोख लालियाँ भी हम ने देखी है

जब जब सियाह से भी काली रातों को तुम न आ सके, मैने काली घटाओं और इन बे-ग़ैरत बरसते बादलों को बद्दुआएं भी दी हैं

हैरत-अंगेज़ दूरिओं से परेशां ज़िन्दगी के इस दौर में भी मेरे हमदम मैंने तेरे दीद से सुकून की सांसें ली हैं

तुझको पाया नही ना कभी तुझसे मिलने की हसरत ही कम हुई अम्बुज , ए-चाँद तू मेरा महबूब नही तो फिर तुझसे ये राबतायें क्यों हैं

–अम्बुज नैयर

Thanks for joining !!