The issue with studying History

Just completed my Lecture Series at Academy of Architecture. This was second year in a row where i was invited to introduce Islamic Architecture in India at the 3rd yr level.

In my view History- which is somebody's story told by someone- is better enjoyed when looked in a cyclo-lineal manner and by Physical experience. It makes sense to compare and contrast across timelines and across cultures which are seperated in both space and time. That is the cyclic part. The linearity helps in understanding the epochs , plateaus and the falls that occured as a matter of succession. The succession may be familial, ideological or ecological.

The question that comes to mind while doing these things, is why does the syllabus not acknowledge the role of Culture and mythology in the studies it advocates. Talking only about a style/ period without highlighting significant contributions of religious or mythical notions, socio-cultural achievements etc. makes History non-dimensional. It seriously hampers understanding stylistics determinants, morphological avatars, the use of spaces, and the relevance of thresholds and transitions- things which can be read in books but only experienced live by engaging the mind.

Academia offers group tours that are supposed to help understand nuances of design such as why and how is Red fort Delhi different from Red fort Agra. Sometimes, it is baffling to see that entire tours inspire trite things in places which have so much to offer towards the sensibilities of a budding architect. It helps if someone tags along and knows their Jehangirs from their Sambhajis. But that's a luxury.

On most occasions, all that is required is to switch off the mobiles, i-Pods, cameras and the giggles and just walk silently observing the play of light. Studying History does not mean one becomes a Historian or Archeologist instead of an Architect. Le Corbusier, Louis Kahn,Renzo Piano, Tadao Ando, Shigeru Ban etc. would vouch for that.

I am not mooting Conservation as the outcome of History at this juncture, but the fact that a period of 5000 + years of Civilization is a bloody HUGE reservoir of attitudes, ideas and methods and there ought to be living textbooks which can teach like no other teacher.
...and it is History that tells us that there are these textbooks. (ok..sorry for the alliteration)

There is the known and there is the unknown and between them are the Doors.
Jim Morrison