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Yuval Noah Harari HomoDeus serves as the impetus of the thesis research. Uncovering the uncanny parallels of Data Religion in his book and the deeply religious and rising technological realm in India. In HomoDeus, Yuval Noah Harari prophesies that the future of humankind will diverge into two distinct classes, the superhumans and the useless class, as the world shifts towards a datacentric society. This data centric society is perpetuated by what Harari mentions as Data Religion. A religion where data prophets and messengers are formulating new prophecies for society, which has plenty to do with technology and algorithms but not much with God. The birth of the useless class is the causation of technology and AI displacing the need for physical humans in jobs, thus rendering them useless in the economy. With the rise of Data Religion in Bangalore, the thesis seeks to envisage how the Dalits, useless class of India, can pray in their new temple that seeks to fulfil the promise of both religions to stay relevant in the economy, thriving within their community. The thesis does not aim to abolish the existing Caste System. Rather, to prevent the marginalised gap between the Dalits and superhumans from widening to the point of their obsolescence.
Part I: Thesis Research. https://issuu.com/atheerahkamal/docs/thesis_research_paper_atheerah
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Part II: The Two Faces of the Temple
The promise of the internet as a powerful democratising tool seems to deal the lowest caste in the religion of Hinduism, Dalits, with a double blow. Further condemning and suppressing them into the useless class. The design proposal thus leverages the concept of the jugaad mentality, which proliferated in India and widely amongst the Dalits, as an impetus in creating a new holy land borrowed from religious practices and architecture. The new holy land does not only embody the spirit of these lower caste Indians but also cultivates a productive economy borne out of their demise.
The Two Faces of The Temple Dumping Grounds of The Site
In the existing site of Bommasandra, garbage collected from Electronics City is often disposed of in specifically designated spots along the tail-end banks of Kammasandra Lake. The Dalits come up to these areas, foraging within the waste in hopes of bringing home a sack full of objects that could be repurposed for their business, home, bicycles and more. What is seen as unbridled heaps of waste, is a shrine of endless possibilities of creation for the Dalits.
The Two Faces of The Temple Cognitive Mapping of Electronics City
Electronics City, in the upper North of this mapping, is where the privileged upper castes tend to reside, borders Bommasandra. The juxtaposition between the two cities is extremely great despite fringing one another. Electronics City on the one hand is one of Bangalore’s foreword thriving IT hubs whereas Bommasadra reveals itself as a city stuck in its past. Rudimental jobs and a bleak environment. The waste systems at the fringes of Electronics City are managed by the Dalits, predominantly found in Bommasandra, and are hired by the elites of Electronics City to dispose of the garbage anywhere but in Electronics City. Leaving the Dalits of Bommasandra to dispose of it in their town. Thus, the Dalits wake up at the crack of dawn every day; going to each disposal point and bringing the waste back to their hometown to dispose of and burn the garbage.
Dalits constantly find means to make a living off their situation within their oppressed existence. Due to their condition in a disadvantageous primary economy, the Dalits manifest a secondary economy founded on their skills and beliefs. This situation parallels the term called Jugaad Mentality in India. The collection of garbage disposal does not end at the incinerator immediately. The Dalits in India operate on the term Jugaad, where there is a form of physical readaptation found items are turned into. This is a result of their plight a certain form of ingenuity arises out from the Dalits. Dalits find themselves foraging through these disposal spots, in hopes of finding many broken parts to form a piece to their missing puzzle.
Plot Size & Purpose
28,151.89m2
Waste Land A New Economy
Rituals, Rites, Recyling Land of The Dalits
The Two Faces of The Temple Respecting Religious Cardinal Architectural Planning
The typology uses the Dravidian, a southern Indian Hindu temple architecture style, rituals and beliefs as Bangalore is a southern state in India. The typology of the Hindu temple highlights 3 key areas of worship and congregation aside the surrounding smaller shrines. 1. The Gopuram (the tallest entrance to the temple) 2. The Mandapam (a congregation hall) 3. The Vimanam (the most sacred aspect of the temple, where the shrine to the main god is.)
One of the distinctive characteristics of a temple is the tierd facade which are often heavily ornamented with statues of their gods. The summit of the temple alled the garbhagriha, is the most sacred space within a temple. And this is where the religious connection between the temple, Hindus and God exist. The planning of the masterplan and spaces follows the religious architectral layout of a southern Hindu temple and orients itself to face the specific cardinal direction (north-east) furthur empahsising the design narrative of creating a new holy land.
The Two Faces of The Temple Protagonists As Gods of The New Temple
PUSHAN’S Messangers of The Waste The Pushan's gather the trash from Electronics City at the crack of dawn everyday, unloading the garbage at the New Temple.
The Sa mach
Each protagonist is named after the Hindu gods which are in keeping with the tasks of the protagonist or 'God' on the future landfill. Each protagonist in the holy land has a specific role to perform in managing the settlement. The introduction of the protagonists into the design seeks to birth a new network and efficiency of disposal and utilisation of waste. From picking up the trash from across the lake to the foraging and workstations of production, these protagonists' tasks have been written in scriptures and promised land with no discrimination and to enjoy their own fruits of labour with their people. Unlike the belief system they use to adhere to.
AMSHA’S Sorters of Sustenance The Amsha’s receive blessings of the landfill. Sorting & relocating the found blessings from the Tvashtr’s into its designated storage area.
The B sale o
SATVIR’S Beautifiers of the Temple
atvir's protect the symbolic structure of the holy land. Utilising inery to compact the waste of the structure and transporting unwanted items into the incinerator.
BHAGA’S Sharer of the Deeds
Bhaga’s incarnate as the Pandit(Hindu Priest), proselytising the of the found blessings on the holy land to the followers of the New Temple.
TVASHTR’S Seekers of the Landfill The Tvashtr’s approach the holy land, foraging through the bountiful waste. Upon picking up the found blessings, these Gods transport them over to be sorted and shared with the rest of their followers.
MITRA’S Followers of the City The Mitra’s are the protectors of the commoners and the New Temple. Buying, trading and building new objects to sustain the economy & structure of the holy land.
The Two Faces of The Temple Reviving The Discarded https://youtu.be/P8EpCfgDxOM
To understand the processes of garbage collection, a journey through an industrial waste site to forage for objects was embarked upon. Although the reality of materials is as such (inability to exact materials in Bommasandra) during the process of foraging, the exercise was an attempt to settle into the mentality of the Dalits. Negotiation of transporting weighted objects and dealing with the aftermath of a foraging haul. The found objects were then evaluated materially, in scientific and design aspects, to achieve a rejection of anthropocentric ways of utilising them. Negotiating between the found materials and the forces of the environment. At the same time translating the struggles of material transportation from the landfill to the endpoint into architectural spaces in the project.
The Two Faces of The Temple
The Two Faces of The Temple Design Models
Within the new holy land & masterplan houses 6 different shrines. Each shrine, created of the waste collected from the deposit of the Pushans, skillfully shows how these Dalits can create space by manning several disjointed pieces of waste together into a space tailored to their tasks in the holy land. From across the lake, the elite castes in their high-rise apartments of Electronics City, see a new settlement. The billowing smoke of the incinerator, preaches of the Bhagas, and rituals of showering in the lake are seen by these people as religious rites and rituals the Dalits of Bommasandra perform. However, in the holy land these rituals are daily tasks the Dalits are partaking in; maintaining their sacred settlement where they are seen, heard and belong without caste discrimination. Reiterating the novelistic approach of the parallel presence in Hindu religious scriptures and Bangalore, India.
https://issuu.com/atheerahkamal/docs/thesis_research_paper_atheerah
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