Focus on resurgence of Indian architectural identity

Rajnish Wattas

Former Principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture

INAUGURATED on April 30, the new BR Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, with its hybrid fusion of domes, cupolas, arches and features from Hindu temples, could easily be taken for a grand palace of an erstwhile princely Indian state or an imposing edifice for an epic film set.

According to the project’s builders, Chennai-based OCI Architects, “The design inspiration is twofold: one is the cultural and harmonious blend of the heritage architectural style of Telangana and the other is Lord Shiva, with specific reference to the Neelakanteshwara Temple located close to Hyderabad and Wanaparthy Palace.”

The new complex is the brainchild of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who signed six files (six being his lucky number) after occupying his new seat of power at the astrologically advised time on the uppermost sixth floor. So much for a capital city (Hyderabad) that prides itself on being the cyber hub of modern India!

The new Parliament building in New Delhi, located near the old colonial colosseum-like Lutyens-Baker building, was inaugurated on May 28 by PM Narendra Modi. It boasts of inspiration derived from Indian traditions. Numerous historic architectural elements and artistic features, such as motifs, religious symbols and works of timeless craftsmanship, adorn it, both inside and outside. The crowning glory is the National Emblem of the Lion Capital of the Ashoka Pillar adorning the top of the hexagonal building, like a latter-day finial.

Contrary to speculation over the new Sansad Bhavan’s design, mostly kept under wraps during the construction period, it comes across as a harmonious understated adjunct to the existing one. The continuity of the stone work on its facades and the rhythms of the pillars, embedded in a muted manner, resonate well with one another.

The ‘Indianness’ comes through the sculptures, symbols and interior design themes. At all entrances, statues of animals/birds as guardians will be exhibited. They include the elephant, horse, eagle, swan and mythical creatures shardula and makara.

“The new Lok Sabha chamber has a peacock theme, with designs drawn from the National Bird’s feathers carved on the walls and ceiling, and complemented by matching carpets. The Rajya Sabha chamber has been decorated with the lotus as its theme, with red carpets,” says a press handout. The golden sceptre, called Sengol (supposedly given to Jawaharlal Nehru on the eve of Independence to mark the transfer of power from the British), has been installed in the Lok Sabha chamber, near the Speaker’s podium.

Among the buildings raised earlier, the Vidhana Soudha of Bengaluru, built concurrent to Le Corbusier’s Capitol Complex in Chandigarh in the early 1950s, is in complete stylistic contrast to the modernist, raw concrete style of the latter.

Described as Neo-Dravidian, the Vidhana Soudha incorporates various elements of styles from the medieval Chalukya, Hoysala and Vijayanagara empires of Karnataka. Kengal Hanumanthaiah, Chief Minister of Mysore after the 1952 elections, called the existing plan a “plain and simple type of American architecture”. He ordered, instead, extensive revisions to produce “a work of art in keeping with the tradition of Mysore State”.

Nehru, as the patron-in-chief of the Chandigarh project, resisted political pressure to choose an existing Indian town as Punjab’s new capital. He encouraged the state government to build a new one and opt for modernist architecture. “Let this be a new town...unfettered by the traditions of the past,” he had said.

Corbusier’s raw concrete modernist forms, though considered masterpieces the world over, and endowed with a UNESCO heritage tag, are primarily abstractions and distinctly different from the traditional sense of Indian monumentality, taking a while to resonate with the laity. The tight barbed wire security fencing of the Capitol Complex further alienates it from the citizens. The result is that his globally feted genius for its mastery of form, plasticity of materials and poetry of light and shadow remains relatively unseen and unsung.

Another modernist leap of faith was made by the then CM of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu, for building a new capital city, designed by a Singapore-based consortium. Called Amaravati, he envisioned it to be the people-centric pioneer ‘smart city’, built around the principles of sustainability and liveability and designed to be the ‘happiest’ city in the world. However, the fate of Amaravati is in limbo as the incumbent government doesn’t quite favour it.

Another example of fusion architecture among the post-Independence legislative Assembly buildings is the Rajasthan Assembly building, built in 2001. Its exterior has the famous traditional features of Rajasthan, such as jharokhas, chhatris, kamani, baradaris, arches and a dome with a diameter of 104 ft.

However, one example that has the best of both worlds is the Vidhan Bhavan in Bhopal, which the government of Madhya Pradesh built in 1996. Designed by eminent architect Charles Correa, the Assembly complex is an amalgam of elements from history intricately woven together in a functional modern expression. It derives its form from the famous Stupa of the Buddha at Sanchi, and the mandala — the cosmic organisation of functions, sequences and spaces within the ancient Hindu conception of the universe. Correa’s work combines a modern sensibility with themes derived from traditional architecture in a uniquely harmonious way.

Lost in the glitzy glass skylines of our new-age Gurugrams, Bengalurus and other cities is the timeless soul of India. No wonder public monuments patronised by politicians seek pseudo copies of traditional historic forms, however fake their aesthetics may appear in the present times. For, they invoke awe and glory of the pristine times in their vote banks much more directly than the subtle aesthetics of modernism calling for true genius. 

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