Letter to a young girl named India on her response when asked what is the meaning of her name Dated 22nd May 2019 Dear India When I offered to deliberate on the meaning of your name I thought I could pen down the response in a jiffy. Well, I knew it means something beautiful. […]
Read More >>Congratulations to the efforts of SIBC and India Unlimited for their hard work, vision and dedication to the cause of India-Sweden partnership. So what happens when you bring together bright young minds from two cultures, two very different cultures, India and Sweden? This creates churn and what emerges is an innovative dish, unique, to say […]
Read More >>ICOMOS at World Water Week 2019 in Stockholm The session is presented by Nupur Prothi Khanna, Secretary General, ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Cultural Landscapes; Dr Nils Ahlberg, President, ICOMOS Sweden and Board Member, ICOMOS International (International Council on Monuments and Sites); Dr Shadia Touqan, Director, Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), under the […]
Read More >>When a Swedish teenager advises PM Modi… Sustainability in the Indian democracy India is in trouble and only the Indians can save it. So, India is indeed in crisis. Most international forums that I have been attending of late, especially within the World Water week in Stockholm have a black, red, brown dot on India […]
Read More >>Co-scripting landscapes with nature, a possible message of the IPBES report for Landscape Architects. The Earth is in crisis. A 1500 page report, a collation of the writings of 145 authors form 50 nations with about 15000 scientific papers underlines the threat to life in this age of humans. **The IPBES* report 2019 on Nature’s […]
Read More >>My Learnings as an Entrepreneur I am an urbanist with an education in Planning, Landscape Architecture and Heritage Conservation. Beyond Built Pvt. Ltd. (BBPL) was set up in 2003 in Bangalore (subsequently moving to Delhi) to deliver best practice spatial design based on in house research undertaken by Landscape architects, Planners, architects, and interns. […]
Read More >>Art and architecture have a distinct place in this aging city, telling its stories, struggles and triumphs on its streets. Buenos Aires or Baires as called by the porteños (local inhabitants meaning ‘living at the harbor’) is rated as the most visited city of South America. A walk through the barrios tells us why.
Read More >>At a talk this September at the Royal Institute of Art at Stockholm by Sound Artist Tarek Atoui I found myself asking about the relevance of art and design for contested places, spaces with layered meanings, uncomfortable associations, memorials built for those lost to a painful past. What defines empathetic design? What is the role of art in healing? And in the context of this article can soundscape contribute to this?
Read More >>A recent visit to Wuhan (October 2018) for the Great Rivers forum and a walk through the local market area reminded me of the importance of thresholds in Asian culture. A colleague and art curator was very attracted to the small stools that the shop keepers were perched on. Devised out of waste material these oddities were dotting the shop fronts through the length of the street punctuated at items with benches that were part of a more organized streetscape.
Read More >>Touch down at Hamad International Airport (HIA), Doha, one is greeted with a designed landscape with geometrical patterns of shrubbery of different colours and heights in an arrangement which has become synonymous with international airports. This landscape sits on one side is reflected in the gloss of futuristic architecture and from the air seems to sit incongruously in a desert expanse.
We had just cruised over the desert sands and blue water and this splash of green was welcoming but rather startling as we were after all in the midst of a desert.
Read More >>Urban Planning Task Force (ISoCarp-NBPI, Ningbo China)
International Day for Monuments and Sites 2018
After a week immersed in the loss of heritage in this beautiful city of Ningbo, a visit to the Historic museum was a ray of hope and the way forward for Asian cities with their rich material heritage. We were working on the Xinmalu Historic District, in a 8 million peopled coastal city south of Shanghai. Here was a marvel that cradled the connection of the land and marine silk routes.
A hundred years on can Landscape architecture embody the emotions of a historic event that changed the course of history of a nation fighting for independence?
The Jallinawallah Bagh witnessed a massacre of ……Indians gathered for a peaceful demonstration on Baisakhi, the day of the annual harvest festival celebrated with fervour in this part of the country. Without warning, in what has gone down in history as a massacre ringing the end of colonial rule, troops marched through a narrow alley ……
Read More >>Where do we see ourselves heading in India regarding the future of our people and their engagement with public space- creating places that inspire creativity, encourage forging social bonds and instilling a sense of safety, ownership and participation within the world’s largest democracy.
I have often wondered how to make a difference in public spaces in India. We are able to design and showcase quality in private commercial projects yet when it comes to public spaces..
Read More >>19th ICOMOS General Assembly & Scientific Symposium 2017- An overview ICOMOS General Assembly 2017 and the Scientific Symposium is an opportunity for heritage professionals and enthusiasts from around the world to come together on a common platform and deliberate on various aspects of heritage conservation and management. Young professionals also get a chance to […]
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