Architecture to Agnize
Recognizing and enhancing the existence of Vernacular in the Urban ABSTRACT Quoted by Gandhiji at the time of Indian Independence in 1947. 1 Villages were selfsustaining units which were rich in culture and tradition. He believed that the revival of the villages and all its cottage industries, handicrafts and agriculture was India’s answer to development. However, in 2018, there were only about 597,464 census villages. 2 “India is to be found not in its few cities but in its 700,000 villages.” Villages are constantly abandoned and some get engulfed or morphed into cities. 3 A place is in a constant state of flux and it’s nothing new to see the pressure of urbanization lingering upon the Urban Villages. With all this held India on contrary to the Gandhiji’s statement on villages, I believe India is to be found in its cities, it’s villages and everything in between. The motivation for this thesis is to understand the social and cultural dimensions of Human Habitat and its effects on the built form on a larger scale through an Urban village. Analyzing the transformations in these villages and various contemporary issues faced by them. The study aims to ease the existence of Village trapped in Urban and on the verge of getting engulfed in the City. This attempt is to be demonstrated by Architecture interventions which will help the community flourish in its way. Koli Community or the Fishing Community in Mumbai is one such community battling odds to survive and preserve its cultural identity. Koli Community lives in Mumbai way before the island city came into existence. The Village and Community rich in cultural heritage are now on the edge of losing its identity to that of the City. As the culture and the community’s image will always be evolving providing self-flourishing solutions through architecture will remain the aim. This project will focus especially upon Strengthening and Enhancing the Cultural Identity of An Urban Koliwada Through Architectural Interventions and thus being a promoter of culture through appropriate design programs.
1
Gandhi Book Center. Gandhi on villages. Excerpts from Harijan. Livemint. https://www.livemint.com/Industry/ORuZWrj6czTef21a2dIHGK/Electricity-reached-all-Indian-villages-on4Saturday.html 2
3
An Urban Koliwada Redevelopment of a Fishing Village in Mumbai, India. Ashvini Mary Dinoy
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