The Role of Architecture in Nation Building

“Architecture is the thoughtful making of space” - the simple words of Louis Kahn beautifully describes the term ‘Architecture’. From the beginning of mankind, Ancient man moved natural elements like earth and stone into geometric forms, erecting our earliest human-made structures. Primitive people began building geometric structures for houses. During those stone age, people need a place to live or ply their trade because it is a necessity, not a luxury. Architecture is more than mere shelter, it is about form and space, about man and time. Each region is defined by its culture so is the architecture, each structure is designed to keep its purpose at the core, but it incorporates a lot more than that. The local climate demands a sturdy and weatherproof structure which leads to the use of materials which not necessary should be of the same locality but majorly depends on factors such as the feasibility, physical strength, and their availability. For a structure to be built on a large scale, the topography of the site becomes a starting point, the flora and fauna, structures and people adjacent to it, everything comes into play, simultaneously. Not all of the factors mentioned above were thought of while building every building that ever has been built but slowly and gradually, learning from his mistakes, man developed a science for designing buildings, developed different methods of construction, and added a distinct style to the structure for its function to be recognized.

In the Indian subcontinent, the earliest traces of architecture belong to the Indus civilization, dated between 2600 BC to 1800 BC. About a dozen Indus towns have yielded evidence of fortifications. The major Indus cities, such as Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro, and Kalibangan, consist of two distinct elements: on the west a ‘citadel’ mound built on a high podium of mud brick, and a ‘lower city’ containing the main residential area. Not only for their residential structures but also fortifications, the Harappans used mainly bricks - both of the sun-dried as well as baked variety. The walls were very thick and the gates were flanked with bastions. The ramparts aided a dual-purpose - security from neighbouring territories and protection from floods.

The visual hierarchy of the city makes us think about what would have been the basis of segregating the city in two levels. The Citadel housed all the important public buildings like the town halls, religious structures, granaries and the great bath of Mohenjo-Daro. The lower section of the city was where the housing for the citizens was located. The shipyard at Lothal—the oldest known trade centre, formed the ancient trade route between Harappan cities of Sindh in north and the coastline of Saurashtra in the west when the Kutch desert of today was a part of the Sea. It was a vibrant and prosperous trade centre in ancient times, with its trade reaching the far corners of Asia and African subcontinent.

The architecture of Indus Valley Civilization displayed remarkable planning features in its urban towns, the public spaces and the local houses. The ideologies of the civilization concerning their country’s defence, economic policies and social life can be very well depicted through the architectural remains.

Afterwards, in the 11th century with the advent of the Mongolian and Muslim invasions, there raised a need for quickly erecting structures arose the size of stones reduced. Many temples were ripped to pieces to acquire rubble for the quick building of mosques, forts, hammams, palaces etc. Many different combinations such as egg- white or jaggery along with lime as binders were tried to yield plasters and mortars to suit different needs in the use of the medium that yielded interesting results and gave rise to a new style, fulfilling the prerequisites of Luxury and stature which their structures demanded.

Architecture of the establishment in the Medieval Period 1500 to 1800 was largely as a defensive military establishment in stone, brick and lime mortar. Circular or multangular bastions with embrasures, large doorways, turrets overhanging balconies make up for most of the vocabulary of forms or the period. Today these structures are not only witness to the social conditions and life in Medieval India but also that of the various influences and ideas from outside that were embraced into the architectural imagery of the land. By the same idea, the architecture conditioned the culture of the people.

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In the Colonial era when the colonizers had firmly established their political hold on the land after successfully crushing the ‘rebellion’ (1857 First War of Independence )and imposing their cultural supremacy over the local population. They brought with them the wants of a nation that they had a vision of. Large administrative offices, clubs, colleges and residential palaces were just some of them. Usage of the local stone was always not to mention steel, tiles, fittings, etc. imported from Britain. Lack of information of the local climate, the appearance of steel and glass as new materials and also the excessive experimentation during this period is not to mention great confidence in engineering structures and an exuberance that was new India.

As mass media, the architecture had the locals in awe of the charismatic buildings that used large spaces, vast compounds and larger budgets than ever before. The Deccan College in Pune was built on 100 acres as compared the Shaniwarwada was built on 5.75 acres. Nevertheless for us today this heritage is that the wealth of the sons of our soil that represent the legacy as a cultural resource. it's only now that we've become conscious of the larger design that was utilized by a far off culture through the architecture.

One of the contributions of the colonial rule to independent India was the massive infrastructural provisions like roads, railways, dams and bridges and, with that, an oversized number of professional engineers. The stream of architecture, however, was out of balance, practically non-existent. Solon, the primary modernist of independent India, was cognizant of the developments being made in architecture worldwide within the 50’s. His yearning to place India on the globe map resulted in an invite to Le Corbusier to plan and develop Chandigarh, which is the most important milestone within the development of contemporary Indian architecture. Though Le Corbusier’s work had a significant impact on policymakers, Chandigarh stayed away from the limelight, while the look of other towns, cities and buildings by the management reflected the disconnect between planning and architecture. The scope of urban planning department was restricted by the government as a two-dimensional exercise in land use and zoning. An excellent opportunity was thus lost the possibility to debate the importance of architecture as a facet of the town. Architecture became limited to the size of the single-building design or, at best, Institutional complexes.

Corbusian orthodoxy became a guideline and even a trademark of the many Indian architects, without necessarily contributing to its evolution a la mode or substance. Today, it might be a slip to interpret contemporary Indian architecture as a surrender to pure Western modernism. Indian architecture, because it evolved during the 70’s and beyond, is that the synthesis of external influences and internal explorations and innovations.

Nowhere is that the stark contrast between affluence and abject poverty more evident in imagery than in Indian cities, with the juxtaposition of sleek skyscrapers and slum settlements. This poses a challenge to the sensibilities of architects on which people they serve and who benefits from their work. Globalization within the 90’s helped in external investments and an expansion of the important real estate markets. This made it possible for the affluent to boost the bar on their consumerist aspirations and devote themselves to the pursuit of their required field of interests.

The public sphere should always be seen as a combination of multiple ideologies and precise representations of the parts. It should reflect the strength and also the vitality of local enterprise on a little scale, the corporatized economy on an oversized scale. Alongside this, it must embrace the worldwide phenomena of socio-cultural diversity. a world city cannot conform to one template, and that, especially within the developing world, there's a greater need than ever before for each city and city to reflect its own unique characteristics. Thus, making architecture one in all the foremost important factors while building a nation.

References

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