The Architect from Moira

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the architect from Moira

ft.com

‘‘my father’s family came from Moira - and yes - I know, thats where they keep the lunatics’’

A glimpse into Charles’ childhood, background and the relationship shared between him and his beloved Goa

A person can find a lot of pride in being a Goan: he is part of a culturally rich place, bound in tradition and steeped in values. The assimilation of different cultures over the centuries and in the manner they crossed paths gives one a unique upbringing and way of life.

The list may go on, but speaking entirely as a Goan architect, it is a great source of pride to know that Charles Correa was…a Goan. The man who forged a new architectural identity for the whole nation of India, one of the most brilliant minds of the 20th century and one of the finest architects to have trudged the world. Yes, that man was a Goan.

Early life

Although Charles was very much a Bomoicar, he never strayed far from his homeland. In his article ‘Learning from architecture’ Correa says ‘’My father’s family came from Moira-and yes, I know, that’s where they keep the lunatics’’ cheekily referring to the eccentricity of the villagers. This gives us the impression of a man who was well in touch with this heritage.

For Charles however, it all began on the opposite side of the Indian subcontinent. His father, Carlos, who was with the Indian Audit and Accounts Services, was stationed in Secundrabad and it was here that Charles was born, in September 1930.

In very tragic circumstances, his father suddenly died a week before he was born. His maternal grandfather, Manuel Augustine Heredia, originally from Piedade in Divar, but living in Bombay then, called his daughter Florinda to live in the metropolitan city. And that is where Correa studied – first at St. Xavier’s school, and later at St. Xavier’s College.

Top: Charles’ family home in Secundrabad

Middle: Young Charles Correa - that look... destined for greatness

Bottom: Correa during his formative years in America

Photos taken from Volume Zero[Motion Picture] - Arun Khopkar(2008)

‘I think I became an architect because of toy trains’

Charles Correa’s architectural journey began all the way back in his childhood in the 1930s and 40s, when he would play with his favourite - Hornby Tinplate trains. He spent countless hours designing patterns for the assembly of his miniature railway lines. So much so that when he came across an architectural journal later on, he felt he could read the various plans and sections. All thanks to tinplate trains!

In his documentary ‘Volume Zero’ Charles describes how he and his siblings would be brought to being brought to watch the ships at Ballard Estate in South Bombay. Watching the process of manufacturing of the ship’s hulls and the manner these huge machines were built had a great impression on Charles’ young mind. Somewhere, subconsciously it triggered something inside of him, a precursor to the field he would be entering. Years later, he admits how significant this episode of his childhood was... “I could appreciate what Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn talked about- Machines for living”

Dawn of change

When Correa was born in 1930, Goa and India were in very different conditions. India would gain independence from the British Raj only in 1947, just before Charles was about to embark on his architectural voyage in the US in 1949. Infact, by the time he returned from doing his masters at MIT and set up his own practice in 1958, Goa was still Estado da India Portuguesa. At this time, Bombay had a significant Goan population, and was an important centre during the freedom struggle, supplying various propaganda material to those taking part in protests for Goa’s cause, which came to frutition in December 1961. We would imagine that Charles was busy conjuring up the design for the Gandhi Ashram in his mind through this all, but at the same time he would have been well aware of the developments taking place in his homeland.

The fact that at such a ripe age, Charles lived through two ground breakingly significant transition periods in the history of these two places would have been instrumental in shaping his outlook towards life. These invaluable insights would play a pivotal role in helping him shape his thoughts about the architectural identity of the region. No wonder he was so successful in forumulating a bold new contemporary character for Goa (and India as a whole), one that was forward looking yet deeply rooted. Its because he understood perfectly the context and the aspirations of the people, but also because he too was one of them! He possessed that unquantifiable quality of understanding the roots of the place, something no architecture institution can teach.

For Charles, the timing could not have been any better. The building spurt that took place in Goa in the mid 20th century required architects. The lack of architects in Goa led designs to be imported from either Bombay or Portugal, evident in the case of Mandovi Hotel and Dabolim airport respectively. As the tourism potential of Goa was being exploited, a cartoonish architecture started springing up in a bid to market the European aspects of the place. Goa’s architectural identity suffered. It desperately needed a strong modern framework to design their buildings under that spoke of its time and context. And the answer came finally with the Kala Academy and the Cidade de Goa.

Top: The architect strikes a pose

Middle 1: Entrance pergola at Kala Academy

Middle 1: Visual Imagery in the open street running through Kala Academy

Bottom: Cidade de Goa, the clustered village resort

fotomodelka.info/kal-academy.html

A brave new identity for Goa

The Kala Academy, a performing arts centre on the banks of the Mandovi at Panaji, was completed in 1983, ten years after it was conceptualised. The Kala project gave Goa a bold new modern building that was still somehow ‘Goan’. A modernist plan of post and beam construction on an orthogonal grid offered the architect the necessary variation in dimensions demanded by a programme that makes use of several performance halls, exhibition galleries, informal public gathering places, etc.At the same time, it was a relatively low mass spread horizontally across the ground lending it a human scale, a sca

An open ‘street’ going through the entire building allows one to enter the building without being self-conscious about entering; it makes an otherwise serious public institution seem less “institutional” and more relaxed and appropriate.

Another project a few kilometers away was the 5 star resort Cidade de Goa. Again, the modernist framework comes into the picture. A row of cuboids that are alligned to a meandering spine gave it an appearance of a organic village cluster, but at the same time that of a futuristic town. Correa expertly managed to remain within the fine line that separates serious architecture from a cartoon.

www.flickr.com/people/urbzoo/ www.goatrip.co.in

Both these projects are significant as they created an identity of contemporary Goa and did not merely express a commonly held idea of what Goa is all about. In a contemporary context, they reinterpreted elements — the clustered village and the public street that have only an indirect association with Goa, derived mainly from the Portuguese past. However, they speak of a large and remembered part of Goa and to that extent are credible and successful attempts at defining and expressing our identity.

One with the water

Another of Charles’ major projects was The Verem Villas, a group of houses abutting the historic Mandovi River. He stressed on the importance of the Mandovi - ‘this was the historic river. We have many rivers in Goa, but this is the historic one’ This only proves that Correa understood Goa. He listened to the site as he sensitively laid out the homes in such a way that they were very humble pieces of architecture, yet introduced a gradual descent towards the river to highlight its significance.

By now, we notice that the majority of Correa’s projects in Goa were immediately abutting Goa’s majestic waterways, and he explored that relation in each of his designs amazingly well. The way the open street of the Kala Academy invites you through the building to enjoy the scintillating view of Reis Magos fort across the Mandovi. Or the view of a ‘village washed up against the coast’ in Cidade de Goa. Then the Dona Sylvia resort, built in 1991, situated on Cavelossim beach is another lesser known example which explores this profund relation between land and water. The exception here would be Margao Railway Station, in which Correa collaborated with Mario Miranda in 1992.

The pen is mightier than the stone

However, his contributions to Goa are much more than those in brick and stone. Correa wrote extensively about Goa, and expressed his views on the the state of affairs frequently. His love for Goa is evident in his article titled ‘Goa : Planning for Tourism’ when he describes the ride along Ponte de Linhares as the most exhilerating experience while observing Goas ‘virgin landscape’. He equally hated the hideous ribbon development of Porvorim, blasting its lack of thought for pedestrians and quality of urban space.

Perhaps what Charles felt about Goa can be best summarised when he said ... ‘ Over the past few years Goa has been dotted with several kitsch structures which claim to give a Goan experience. Ofcourse architecture must be based on our past, but it should re-interpreted in the context of todays materials, and todays aspirations. Goa is a more serious place than a cartoon’ We either tend to cling onto our past, or build something entirely alien, but Correa constantly reminded architects to use ‘your own voice’ while respecting the past at the same time. It is probably for this reason that Correa’s architecture has a timeless quality to it. They are universal in their outlook, yet steeped in their roots.

Top: Dona Sylvia Resort, Cavelossim | Middle 1: One of the houses at Verem Villas | Middle 2: Frontage at Verem Villas, roadside | Bottom: The Charles Correa Foundation HQ at Fontainhas

Correa had a special affinity for Fontainhas, the Latin Quarter of Panjim. Along with his wife Monika, he would make it a point to take his two children Nakul and Nondita, to Goa for their vacations, and without fail, on a trip to the quaint little ward. Years later, in 2011, he set up the Charles Correa Foundation, a non-profit organization with the aim to find solutions to spatial and land related problems of Goa. And the location was obvious. He found himself a cosy little house in Fontainhas for his office. The interiors are very Correa-esque and we can assume that it was his vision and design that was implemented there. If it were, it would have been his last project, in the most loose sense of the word.

www.flickr.com/people/urbzoo/‘‘We used the natural levels of the site, exaggerated them a little bit so that you came down to this point...

As you enter, you are really stepping down to this water. and thats the most compelling thing you can do. Look through a house and see the water ahead of you...

Then you dont have to play any tricks, we just used the tile roof, simple brick walls and columns. Infact if we had played tricks and made an over-ambitious house it would have killed the site.You had to be very quiet to hear what the site had to say... thats very important in architecture - to listen to the site.’’

...whereas in Goa you hard balcão without seeing tw looking at the traffic goin

‘‘when we built our house in Bangalore some years ago, i wanted to put a verandah in the front. but then i realised i had never seen someone in Bangalore sitting in their verandah. coz its so clammy and cold, people dont do it...

...you have to have that real experience of t no thats wrong, my hand is taking me to the

ly ever see a o people sitting there g by...

The Correa home at Verem, within the same group of housing he designed

he place to work as you are drawing, to realise - wrong place.’’

Charles was part of the board for the Regional Plan 2021 which was formulated in 2008 during the tenure of Digambar Kamat. He shuttled up and down to Goa for discussions, all at his own expense. ‘Goa is the first state in our entire nation in which the regional plan went through this process. We can be proud of that. Goa is a model for the rest of India to follow. And all this work was guided by a task force, none of whom were paid. They only wanted to give back to Goa a little of what Goa has given to all of us’

The prophecy comes true

A verse from the bible says… ‘A prophet is always neglected in his own hometown’. And it can very well be applied here too. For Correa gave numerous suggestions to how Goa should move forward, but were hardly actually taken up. He spoke of ways in which tourism and the general society could co exist so that Goa could ‘preserve its cake and eat it too’. But the destruction of Goa’s landscape in recent times and certain planning strategies go against the ideals he spoke of.

The Charles Correa Chair, organized by the Goa College of Architecture and the University in honour of him brings various experts in the field of architecture around the world to interact with the students to further their exposure. In 2017, the recipeient of the Chair, Ar. Heinrich Wolf said that he felt ‘politics is a crippling force to the development of a nation’. Its quite true. Theres a massive rift between the opinion of the general public, more so between architects, and the politicians of any state for that matter.

Correa’s structures however, stand humbly, yet defiantly in their settings. Years will go by, but it seems that the lessons he portrayed through his buildings will be evergreen. Thousands of new buildings were built in Goa in the past 50 years but somehow very few are as serious pieces of architecture as Correa’s. Even less have made an attempt to reinterpret Goan architecture in our contemporary times. And none have shaped a vision for Goa to march into like Correa did.

References:

• Correa, C. (2010). A Place in the Shade. Gurgaon: Penguin Books.

• Correa, C. (2013, May 23). Charles Correa in conversation with RIBA President Angela Brady. (A. Brady, Interviewer)

• Almeida, Sarto, Mehta, J. (2008). Architecture of Goa: Seeking Vision and Identity - the Current Scene. Retrieved from https://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-21229

• D’Souza, D. N. (2015, June 18). Charles Correa No More : ‘His works were ahead of time’. Indian Express.

• Fernandes, J. (2015, June 17). The ‘Moidekar’ who hoped to save Goa. The Times of India.

• Frampton, K. (1997). Charles Correa. Thames & Hudson;.

• Khopkar, A. (Director). (2008). Volume Zero [Motion Picture].

• Menezes, V. (2015, July 11). Goa’s dirty secret : Charles Correa was consistently ignored. The Times of India.

• Varma, R. (2016, June 16). Architecture as an Agent of Change: Remembering Charles Correa, “India’s Greatest Architect’’. Retrieved from www.archdaily.com: https://www.archdaily.com/789384/architecture-as-agent-of-change-remembering-charles-correa-india