For all that talk about Indianness, and the fervent name change (thankfully at a standstill right now), it has often made me wonder - How much of our current conditioning is a result of a Colonial foray or action, and whether something good actually came out of it? Can we actually 'own up' to the Colonial for the things it has given us- atleast in terms of Design and Landscape Attitudes - legacies if I may say so, and resist re-naming them/ erasing them out from collective consciousness?
Pointers towards attempting the question (not in any order of importance) include:
1- What is Colonialism? who were the colonizers in India?
1- What is Colonialism? who were the colonizers in India?
2- Did colonialism happen as a sweeping change or were there distinct phases with specific character? was it ubiqutious by nature or regionally specific/derivative ?
3- Colonial attitude towards "System" and "Land" and their efforts - (It has given us "documentation" (e.g. Surveys of India, Territorial Mapping and Boundary fixing of states, towns and open land, Classification of the physiographic regions of India based on Geology, flora/ fauna, natural systems, agricultural yeild)
4- Land acquisition: Inherent ability of land in terms of defense, trade, physical growth, connectivity with hinterland, conflict with natives
5- Territorial demarcation: Factory House, Port Town,Castle/ Fort, Presidency
6- Settlement typologies: Cantonements, Sanatoria- Influences- Roman Military town, Ebenzer Howard, Functional planning and segregation within a cantt and its aesthetics, Railway Colonies, climatic response of buildings
7-The location of Railway stations and its impact on native town form and trade routes
8-Bazaar / peth vs Market
9-"Civil lines" Vs Native Towns,
10-Bungalows vs Densely packed streets
11-Esplanade vs Maidan
12-Boulevards, Avenues
13-Evolution of the Road section- carriageway, Tramline, sewer line, setback, pedestrian pathway
14-Coherence and Streetscape- a comparison of the streetscape of a colonial street with a native street, Royal Crescent (Bath) as an influence.
15-Public and Social open spaces- Greens, Gymkhanas, Promenade, Church squares, Cemeteries, Bandstands, Memorials, Parks and Gardens
16-Hill stations- Scenic landscapes,forest lodges
17-Private school campus
18-University campus
19-Tea gardens
20-The Mall
21-Cricket Polo Football Horse racing fields
22-Land reclamation
23-Afforestation
24-Botanical Gardens
25-Zoos and Conservatories
3- Colonial attitude towards "System" and "Land" and their efforts - (It has given us "documentation" (e.g. Surveys of India, Territorial Mapping and Boundary fixing of states, towns and open land, Classification of the physiographic regions of India based on Geology, flora/ fauna, natural systems, agricultural yeild)
4- Land acquisition: Inherent ability of land in terms of defense, trade, physical growth, connectivity with hinterland, conflict with natives
5- Territorial demarcation: Factory House, Port Town,Castle/ Fort, Presidency
6- Settlement typologies: Cantonements, Sanatoria- Influences- Roman Military town, Ebenzer Howard, Functional planning and segregation within a cantt and its aesthetics, Railway Colonies, climatic response of buildings
7-The location of Railway stations and its impact on native town form and trade routes
8-Bazaar / peth vs Market
9-"Civil lines" Vs Native Towns,
10-Bungalows vs Densely packed streets
11-Esplanade vs Maidan
12-Boulevards, Avenues
13-Evolution of the Road section- carriageway, Tramline, sewer line, setback, pedestrian pathway
14-Coherence and Streetscape- a comparison of the streetscape of a colonial street with a native street, Royal Crescent (Bath) as an influence.
15-Public and Social open spaces- Greens, Gymkhanas, Promenade, Church squares, Cemeteries, Bandstands, Memorials, Parks and Gardens
16-Hill stations- Scenic landscapes,forest lodges
17-Private school campus
18-University campus
19-Tea gardens
20-The Mall
21-Cricket Polo Football Horse racing fields
22-Land reclamation
23-Afforestation
24-Botanical Gardens
25-Zoos and Conservatories
26-Hospitals and Sanatoria
27-Waterworks (dams, canals, reservoirs)
Even as a mere overview, it seems like a lot. Include subjects like Botany, Medicine, Geology, Engineering etc. we get an overview of the 'other side' of 300 years of so-called subjugation.Yes, I concede there were rotten apples, but there were also Indians who became British and hob-nobbed with them. That is why i choose to make this point of view leaving out 'personalities' and keeping 'people' only as a passing reference, to used in plural.
Some Questions to explore and inquire into:
Was the colonial city a type of Urban sprawl ? Why? Why not?
Did colonial town planning attempt fusion or was it hegemonic?
How did the colonial interventions change the notion of 'Landscape' (in its broades sense) for its inhabitants and for the natives?
Issues:
If any of the questions merit an answer, and if any of the 25-odd pointers symbolize 'value addition into a system' what should then our attitude be towards Conservation, Preservation etc.of such a 'legacy'?
Did colonial town planning attempt fusion or was it hegemonic?
How did the colonial interventions change the notion of 'Landscape' (in its broades sense) for its inhabitants and for the natives?
Issues:
If any of the questions merit an answer, and if any of the 25-odd pointers symbolize 'value addition into a system' what should then our attitude be towards Conservation, Preservation etc.of such a 'legacy'?
Proof:
The recent twin exhibitions at the Prince of Wales Museum at Mumbai saw people ooh-ing and aah-ing at the beautiful manner in which India had been captured on canvas. One was with paintings on Indian landscapes and its people, the other on Cartography, which included some fine maps of India, some drawn up merely using verbal descriptions but presenting a fair degree of accuracy.
Wonder how many politicians saw it.
if u saw the painings at coomaraswamy, all the couples from various parts of the country looked as if they came from a similar set of stencils. almost all the people documented were brown in colour, important documentation, but racist.
ReplyDeletethe early maps of mumbai and india were damn interesting, threw light on the perception of the sub-continent in the west at the time. the detailed drawings of a few cities, kolkata being one of them were brilliant, well detailed.
Racism?
ReplyDeleteThe concept of Caste, creed and regionalism existed in India long long before the English were even born in England.
The English just came here, saw how we treated each other, and did exactly that. They became Romans in Rome.
I think the English were true to documentation to the extent that technology of the time allowed them to be. They could not afford to fudge that, especially since some Indians were converting themselves into Sahibs and Memsahibs.
No matter how great the artist, with the colour palette that existed then, you think it would be possible to distinguish the subtle differences in Indian complexion like that of a Tamilian from a Malayalee? We can do that today with our softwares offering 88million (or is it more?) colours.
It is another thing altogether (Lost Wisdom) that our forefathers could show perspiration on a maiden's forehead through colour on a stone surface (Ajanta caves).
Infact even today long after the Britishers have left, everyone south of Maharashtra is called a "Madraasi" and East of Bengal is a "Chinki", ignorant of the cultural differences between the peoples of these regions.
What is worse- this myopia of ignorance by our own people or being painted in similar tints by an observer from a foreign land?
Thanks for writing in:)
I have wondered whether India would have been the same had not the British come. And,while in school (not understanding politics,economics,politics of economics,etc then)I wondered:the British initiated the formation of states,etc,brought in the railways and various technologies,and helped initiate the formation of systems that have aided in our development.And then wondered,would we have not been able to do the same without them?The "we" includes the various kingdoms.Wouldn't we have come together and set up an administrative system that would unify the country, if at all that unification was required. Were we like the warring Arabic tribes that Lawrence had to unite in Arabia? Would all the various kings have gathered at a forum and fought over providing basic amenities? Now, it might be pointless to even look for answers to these questions..the question,according to me,is not whether one must acknowledge one or the other for the present,but why is it required to acknowledge/thank one or the other?
ReplyDeleteThe need for power through control of and over resources of various kinds has always been the root cause for everything political, economic, social,and (maybe) even cultural.And generally the process to achieve them has also been the same- through planning of the city/kingdon, throgh architecture, through laws,policies,through relationships and various other media.. And all of our lives either get spent trying to get out of these systems of power and control (and our effort itself is,in a way,one of gaining power over "the power"),or working for or within the power/control. So,does everything boil down to survial of the fittest?What if there was anarchy?Would that lead to confusion?Confusion is bad because it is against order.Order is controlled.Sometimes,even confusion is controlled!!
After going through Bernard Rudofski's Architecture without Architects,(apart from falling completely in love with the images and what they showed) the intensity and yet the subtle way of development of that architecture hit me.Now,slum hills are like termite-hills-how a beautiful "system" develops in such a "messy" way!
yippy. we got the next tod prof.
ReplyDeletebout th rest, i'll see if i can log into my own account when i want to write; sheerly so tht i dont run out if space. :P :))