An Architect of thoughts

            “Trend” -The ruler with a hidden past. Any drift in lifestyle has an ultimate path cloaked behind it. Right from the ‘micro’ of a fabric to the ‘mega’ of an assemblage, there lies a subconscious idea with its roots spreading to the social ideologies and mental perceptions. Any such perception would let itself drown into the ideologies dumped by social media and communication means.            A time lag would let us think- “How did the land of sarees allow western wear?” With the politics of choice of clothing put aside, how did this thought even emerge and dig its way through the diverse  communities and classes ?            “Globalisation” - They say.            The whole process went through different revolutionary changes – from the secluded communities to opening up to a ne...

Teddy bears are universally loved. They can instantly bring a smile on the onlooker. History takes us back to the time when American President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip. That being illustrated by a cartoonist was the very first profile of the teddy bear. The round fuller looking figure illustration sparked the impression. A candy shop owner with his wife, inspired by the illustration, developed the stuffed toy that became known as Teddy’s bear. Even today, the soft curved profile with the smooth fur surface and fluffy volume leaves an impression on our hearts. Being the fluffy companion it can, share your space, make you feel the company, see you through your emotions, listen to you and hug you to sleep after all the chaos of the day gets over. As the psychological facts have it, “ A 20 second hug releases oxytocin hormone, that lowers blood pressure and builds trust, happiness and love”. This explains the affinity of the female po...

     The air is filled with sounds of varied decibels, making the humid wind more dense. With the density of humidity we sense the proximity to the sea and with the density of multilingual sounds, we sense the proximity to one of Chennai’s most happening places- Parrys corner . Located in central Chennai, it is home to varied races, cultures, languages and history. The Indo-Saracenic facades of the buildings are living reminders of the beginning of time when the Majestic Madarasapattinam started welcoming cultural intrusions, not to take over the existing ones, but for co-living in peace.      Over time, many cultures have found their home in the Central Business District (CBD) of Chennai opening the doors to exploring a varied range of food, clothing and events. Number of narrow streets named after contrastingly different sects of people, right from the West of India to the southern end , reflect the mixture of settlements. Each street is unique...

        It is tradition to celebrate Sundays and make the most out of it. Casual morning start only accelerates as the clock hands glide along the dial. The day kick starts and life is literally lived in that single day. City life is so. Energy gets built up as every day passes, only to get dumped over the weekend.         But when there is no energy to build up, there is vacuum. And all that enters vanishes into thin air.         What defines this energy? Is it about the activity or is it about the mind & its perception?         I would go with the latter. Even this still afternoon dullened by the gloomy weather, has the vibe flowing through the sounds of chilly breeze brushing through the trees. Petrichor , The smell of earth accompanying rain, fills the air and the birds that manage to fly through the cold North-East monsoon winds sit up and sing lullaby that puts the heart & soul a...

                      Thoughts are like wind, they come and go. But at times, the air gets still and the thoughts build up. Especially for an Architect , who has the right side of the brain working overtime.                       Shedding those thoughts as letters and words over a piece of paper would let oneself track the sequence and feel the connection that could best comfort an introverted mind. This connection between the mind and the paper is holy and a place as simple as a balcony niche could become a sacred place.                       By definition, Architecture is the visual art of building space. But by instinct, Academic years brought about a mixture of Psychology, Communication, Teamwork, Visualisation, Cr...