PROBE
-2017-
NEWSLETTER EDITORIAL TEAM: Mansi Verma, Neha Mahindrakar, Nithya S, Satish Chandran, Sweta Kandari
ISSUE #6 SEP 24
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FEATURE ARTICLE:
Heri(TAG)e
Four years ago, as part of my study tour I walked through the streets of Ahmedabad’s walled city. The city bustling with people and cows, a dense settlement in narrow lanes woven together by fascinating stories as narrated by the enthusiastic guide. It was a part of the infamous heritage walk that started at Swami Narayan Temple and ended at Jami Masjid. Coming from the southern part of India it was interesting to see this spectacle and experience a part of the lifestyle in these ‘Pols’. Buildings with wooden facades in labyrinthian passages having hidden corridors was just the glimpse of this popular settlement of Ahmedabad. Having lived here for about a year my perception and understanding of the walled city and its heritage has only evolved. Then one day as I landed in the Ahmedabad airport after the city gained its much applauded ‘Heritage City’ Tag everything about this city changed. It was not a celebration of heritage, but commodification of it. The 600 year old walled city spans across 5.5 Sq.km and houses about 4 Lakh people. The dense and chaotic urban fabric makes what some call a “compact layout” or efficient use of space made up most of the walled city. This primarily evolved to protect the inhabitants from the harsh climate of the region and to defend against the invaders. The intricate carvings and the wooden havelis are a treat to the eye. It also has some ingenious setups like collecting rainwater run-off in limestone tanks through copper pipes to store pure water, construction of vaults and temple under the ground to protect from invaders and many other details. It is a fascinating experience to see
Source Image: The editorial team
the strong character of the place and to walk through the crowded streets. This is the site that holds the prestigious World Heritage City tag and this is the heritage that is commodified and consumed. The image I saw when I arrived at the airport was stamping a template of a specific frame of an architectural space from the old city, around the arrival gate! As Ashworth stated Heritage is defined as “a contemporary commodity purposefully created to satisfy contemporary consumption”. In this case it was the walled city of Ahmedabad. The walled city is not a singular entity or monument but a socio-cultural setup with various layers of complexity weaved with heritage. The heritage value is not just an economic asset but a political one too, as Ashworth summarises “Heritage contributes to political identity, Heritage supports tourism, Heritage tourism contributes towards the individual’s appreciation and political identification, it is a symbolic representation of a cultural process that encompasses experience, memory and remembrance”. The AMC setup a heritage cell in the year 1984 and later started
the heritage walk, but much of its celebration started thereafter. It was used as a means to retain and uplift the identity of the city, this in face of all the criticism the city faced due to the communal riots. In 2010 a Brazilian dancer created a video on the city’s rich but crumbling past. This sensitised the people of the rich heritage they have, it also evoked the government to project it to the world. Six years ago the proposal to include the walled city of Ahmedabad as a World Heritage City was laid, citing its rich architecture, culture, heritage
and the communal harmony. It is ironic as the government wanted to change the name of Ahmedabad to Karnavati, citing the fact that the city was built on the ancient site of Karnavati. Historical evidence for the same is not strong enough, but it was proposed. After the
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city earned its Heritage tag, there was a tweet from Subramanian Swamy that the city will be truly Heritage worthy if renamed as Karnavati. Sure there is a political will and drive that led to the realisation of this prestigious status, but at some point it just becomes a strategy to earn economic and political gains by commodifying heritage. Ahmedabad rightly called the ‘Shock City’ should look towards the multiple social stresses it is subjected to. The city has contrasting nature of development in it, tagged as a heritage city it is also aspiring to become a smart city, with its initiative of GIFT city, construction of metro and the recent start of AhmedabadMumbai bullet rail project. It is a city of opportunities and a lot of constraints, this heritage tag can be seen as an opportunity to address the various issues of the walled city. Instead of exotifying and commodifying the culture, heritage and the life of pols, let’s look towards developing the physical and social fabric of the place and the path it chooses has to be comprehensive and focussed, unlike the lost vision of GIFT city. This is a great opportunity for the city to rethink and revisit the strategies of development for the ‘Pols’, we have to make good use of it.
in new light The Lilavati Lal Bhai Library has faced passionate criticism from its users right from the time its doors opened. It is constantly lashed with questions about its functionality, circulation, rainwater issue, energy use and much more. This list could be expanded endlessly if desired. Its first impression has driven most of us reluctant to understand and embrace the building. We fail to look beyond its failures, to acknowledge the potential and opportunities that this building has generated.
In the design presentation for the library, Bimal Patel, the President of the University expressed that the campus was in dire need of a new library building. Along with this, he stated that the new building would help our university to make a global statement during Archiprix 2017. His vision became a reality as the structure of the building along with its façade was completed in a surprising span of 14 months. The extremely short construction time of this building is worth applauding.
Constrained to a very small ground surface area (in comparison to the area requirement) and strictly restricted in height, the only option was to go below the ground level. The North entrance of the library is aligned with the iconic stairs of the FA building, attempting to make a connection. Interestingly, the building has three identical entrances instead of a dominant one, thus welcoming everybody inside. The library building by Rahul Mehrotra, strategically positioned on a raised plinth and is accessible from all departments. It successfully makes its mark, despite being surrounded by older buildings on the campus designed by B.V. Doshi. Once inside, the volume feels generous, and mezzanines on the basement levels create unexpected transitions, surprising the user with new spaces and experience. In the opinion of some users, the rapid change in levels has a high possibility of repelling students who seldom visit the library, leaving them confused and frustrated. However, regular users say that the books are well organised and segregated. On getting acquainted with the layout, finding the desired book is a walk in the park. The well-lit first and second floor assigned as reading spaces are unlike any other place in this building or on campus. The entry to the topmost floor of the reading space is through an impressive straight flight staircase, enclosed with wood panels on the sides, partially lit by a skylight above and diffused artificial light that emanates from the handrail. In my opinion, the top two floors of the building can be easily altered for multiple use like lectures, seminars and exhibitions.
Source Image: The editorial team
When we look outside from the topmost level, there is a strong visual connection with the entire campus. The transparent glass box, openness of the louvers help in connecting the space within the building to the outside campus. From here, one can have a panoptic view of the entire campus.
Source Image: The editorial team
The enormous volume between the inside box and the outside shell creates an insulating buffer which helps in keeping the useable area cool. If it helps in making the building sustainable and conserve energy can only be proved with time. Despite of various criticisms that the building has recieved, we cannot overlook the successful attempt of the building with respect to its scale, volume, material exploration (use of steel and louvers), facilities and spaces that is intimate inside and interactive outside. After the initial whiplashing and unwelcome feeling that this building has received, I hope the users pay equal attention to successes along with its failure to realise the true potential of the building. No architecture is perfect and we can’t go back from what is already built, but are we ready to accept the positives as openly as we have focused on the negatives?
Death while pooping This could be the worst form of death. It would partially be a joke. Who would want to be remembered as a person who died while pooping? Doesn’t sound right, right? We are not all Tywin Lannisters (sorry for the GOT reference). Around 2 acres of land, halfcovered in flora with all the possible insects from The Animalia Kingdom our hostel has dogs, peacocks, mongooses and snakes to name a few, living in harmony (most of the time) with us. We tolerate anything that doesn’t bite, or maybe bites, but occasionally. This green land apart from trees sprouting from half of its area has four blocks (originally staff quarters) on the other half of it. Each block houses four flats- two on the ground floor and two on the first floorwith 5 students allotted in each flat. With two bedrooms and a
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kitchen (that you are not allowed to use), each flat is quite spacious.
All this seems fine, but where is the catch you ask? I’ll narrate you a story (a true story, just like some movies). Oh! No! Don’t stop reading yet, trust me, it gets interesting. We have hardly begun. So, the 17th of September 2017, proved to be a very significant day for my roommates and me. Now, let’s name the characters in the play as Arya (my roommate) and Asha (who lives on the first floor). The morning seemed like any other day. My eyes open to the same heat that Ahmedabad tends to produce most of the year. I put on my slippers, whose bright pink contrasts with the grey tiles on the floor and prep my mind to run downstairs. I walk out of Asha’s room and try to run through the stairs, but the dog sleeping peacefully on the landing slows me. Now, I tiptoe to not disturb the dog- also, I think its pregnant again. I reach my porch in the ground floor to find the blue door to my room is shut. I knock for my roommate Arya to open and wait. Meanwhile struggling to position myself in a safe zone, away from the possible points the lizard on the ceiling could fall. She takes time to respond. When she finally does open the door, she looks distraught. With eyes swollen from lack of sleep, she looks worried and angry at the same time. Me: what expression? Arya: when night?
happened? did
you
Why
such
come
last
Me: early morning at 3. But I went to Asha’s room to sleep. I am anxious
Source Image: The editorial team
now. What happened!? Arya: Did you hear anything loud at night? Me: No. But what’s the matter? Arya: So you didn’t happen to use our loo at all? Me: No. You are increasing the level of my anxiety. Please, just spit it out. Arya: Our toilet ceiling fell.
I run to the toilet to check. The door can’t be pushed after a certain point because the debris blocks it. But the opening is enough to give a clear view of the now remaining ceiling. A thick layer of concrete chunk from the bottom of the reinforcement has fallen in pieces, heavy enough to inflict serious injury or kill. The fall was strong enough to bend our sturdy plastic bucket and mold it into a parametric shape. The expression on Arya’s face is still the same. She recalls she used the loo at five in the morning when she arrived from college and didn’t hear anything while she slept. Its 10 in the morning now and we are late for our classes, but we stand still, in front of our fallen ceiling, stunned. All we can think of is, did we just dodge death? Lakhdheerbhai who started as a watchman for Sristi during the initial years of its conversion from staff quarters to student hostel, and who still serves as a watchman for AES claims that the hostel was built around 1946. It was built as staff quarters for the professors serving the colleges under AES. Ahmedabad Education Society (AES) began for a noble cause, to educated Gujarat. It still holds the same foundation. The buildings of Sristi though have now aged and the organization plans to demolish it to incorporate a larger scheme. They now wait for funds to pour in to realize their recent dream. But, meanwhile, risking the life of students that reside it. Sristi has not been under any restoration whatsoever since time remembers. It has served its purpose and beyond. The quarters now stand worn and fragile. They have been infested with time and are waiting for their final, glorious fall.
Our ceiling since the incident has been concealed with a layer of cement, adding on to the multiple signs the building holds on aging. The authorities are now concerned (just
a little) about other bathrooms that show any sign of fall. But, would this matter if someone lost his or her life? Is this not a serious issue? Why isn’t CEPT taking any stand?
How Disabled friendly is CEPT? For most college students, coming to campus for the first time is an exciting, memorable experience. It may even be overwhelming for some to see just how many new options are available to them at their new campus home: new places to eat, to live, to work and to socialize, and new people to hang out with. However, for many students with disabilities, college campuses and the college experience itself can be overwhelming for exactly the opposite reason.
This year will certainly be remembered as a time of change in the history of CEPT University. Under this new library and ramps around college, I hope that the college will take important steps in a new direction to improve problems on campus that have been perpetuated year after year. As students, whether you find yourself studying in the library, attempting to eat in the Canteen or hanging out around college, it’s not out of the ordinary to hear our peers sarcastically point out the flaws of our college. Often we students complain about entities
Source Image: Student Survey
that affect us personally. However, the lack of handicap accessibility on campus is something that we cannot deny as a change that is immediately necessary. If CEPT is truly a great example of a diverse campus, then we would make its experience more accessible to all students. In order to become more diverse, the
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school must reach out to students with disabilities. This can be accomplished by providing venues to accommodate these students. For students, the few months of college proved challenging due to an injury that required them to use a wheelchair. “Getting to the buildings around campus was pretty difficult sometimes because many of them aren’t handicap accessible at all, studios in the college, were challenge for them” It’s rather disheartening that several of our classroom buildings accessibility for students with disabilities, but what is even more disturbing is that none of them are equipped with elevators with wheelchairs to enter and exit the college efficiently. Thus, students who need assistance in order to walk have no choice but to live on Campus depending on others.
The lack of handicap provisions in our campus is part of this issue. If CEPT aim is to promote a diverse environment, then the administration must be willing to provide the means necessary to attract students with disabilities. An elevator is installed in the Library, it seems college should aim to accommodate its constituents., a student who has experienced the need for handicap accessibility firsthand, believes that need for handicap accessibility should be a priority. “CEPT needs to make these accommodations so that campus can be readily accessible to everyone.” I believe that this change could be a feasible step in the right direction for the college.
that are provided in the canteen for paper waste (biodegradable), plastic waste (non-biodegradable) and food waste (wet waste). Students are asked to dispose the leftover food, packets, bowls and cutleries accordingly. The garbage that is gathered is then collected by private agencies who have been given the contract for the transportation of the waste which the AMC (Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation), later takes it to waste management plants. It is then sent to recycling plants and other facilities for further processing. This is in accordance with the ‘Solid Waste Management Practices in Ahmedabad City’ given by the AMC. But the implementation of the waste segregation model seems to be inconsistent in the campus. The color-coded, specifically dedicated dustbins are provided only in one part of the campus, ignoring the rest of it. Only one common dustbin is provided in the other department
Illustration: Rutuja Ulhe
WHOSE FAULT IS IT ANYWAY? Environment is one of the hot topics that needs to be focussed upon in the current scenario. Sensible measures have to be taken in order to address the alarming rate of degradation of the surroundings. This is necessary across all scales of implementation, from the micro to the macro level. Trying to be true to its name, CEPT University (Centre for ENVIRONMENTAL Planning and Technology) has also tried to incorporate various measures in order to reduce the load imposed upon the surroundings. One such method that has been recently implemented in the campus is the waste segregation system. There are color-coded dustbins
buildings, studios and classrooms were all garbage are being dumped irrespective of kind of waste they are. This not only fails the implementation of waste segregation, but the overloading of dustbins also poses a problem to maintain the cleanliness and hygiene of the studio. If the university has taken up such a responsibility, then why is it exclusive only to the canteen and not to other places in the campus? For institutions such as CEPT University who are producers of bulk waste (as per the categorization by AMC), the waste generated must be collected and dumped in a common point from where the AMC staff would shift it to the transportation facility. But during this collection phase of the waste by the agency people, one can witness that all the waste is the collected in a single
container and dumped together which is then transported to a segregation plant by the AMC where the wastes are segregated. This raises the question about the necessity of waste segregation in the source. Introspection of the solid waste management system instigates oneself to analyse the attitude with which the whole scheme is seen. There is a structured, step-by-step process clearly specified in the presentation, but the same is not witnessed in the real life. Discrepancy between what is written on paper and what is in action is contradicting. There is an inconsistency between the two. This doesn’t pertain to only the municipality staff, but also us, the waste generators. Analysing both the sides of the argument requires certain questions to be answered. If there is such a dedicated waste management model implemented by the AMC, then why are the waste still collected in mixed nature from the source? Is it an ignore of duty from the collecting agency’s side or from our side?
why
Also if the university has taken up the initiative to be a part of the waste segregation at source model, then why is the segregation done only in one p a r t of the ca mpus a n d not throughout?
Is the waste collected so because WE DO NOT SEGREGATE IT ACCORDINGLY while throwing or because the MODEL HAS INCONSISTENCY in execution? A grave thought has to be given to our actions and its effect on the entire world. This is not something that we can argue that is not that much of a serious issue and get ourselves out of the picture. Whatever actions and decisions that we take has a larger implication. A shift in the attitude is necessary by all the stakeholders to ensure the sustenance of our environment and in turn sustain ourselves. Imagine what will happen if the alarming rate in which the waste that is generated continues. Will the fiction movie ‘WALL-E’ actually become a reality?
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