I,Student Architect: 2015

Monday 21 September 2015

STORY OF AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE

MY MARRIAGE TO ARCHITECTURE #3
(Admin's note : Third article of a series of articles on the same topic)

(Written By Chitra V)

THE DECISION

It was the year 2011. I had completed my 12^th standard board exams and was awaiting the results. And I had my eyes on this young man, Animation. Since I didn’t want to be an engineer or a doctor, I decided to tell my parents about him.

My parents weren’t exactly pleased by my choice as they thought Architecture would be a better groom for me. So my father advised me not to rush the decision and take a year off to think it through. The condition was that, If I still do not have a clear cut decision by the end of 2012, I were to prepare myself for an alliance with Architecture.

I went out with Animation quite a lot in my one year off. He was different than I had expected but very lovable nevertheless. We got to know each other quite a lot and just like that one whole year passed by, in the blink of an eye.

Me and animation had become the best of friends but I wasn’t in Love. So I convinced myself that it was not meant to be and agreed to go with my parents decision and I prepared myself for an arranged marriage with Architecture.

And that is how me and Architecture exchanged rings and took vows.

THE MARRIAGE

Architecture was Sophisticated, Charming and Intelligent and like all intelligent men, he was a lot of work. As time passed by he became more and more demanding and got me into thinking this marriage was a really bad decision. Everything was always about him! I didn’t have time for myself anymore.

THE NEW FAMILY

I woke up every morning, to please his family. Back to back submissions, presentation sheets, trophy works, manual drafting, all nighters, I worked hard to make a good impression, but the critical reviews just took a piece out of me every time i went through one. But nothing I would do could please them. They were high maintenance and not easily pleased. Eventually I got so lost trying to please them that I started forgetting about myself.

Architecture never stood up for me and that’s when I started thinking, holding on to this marriage was just not worth my time. It had been 3 semesters already and I was worried about the options a divorce would leave me with.

I complained a lot and Cried a lot to my parents. I went home whenever I could. I guess I was hoping to get reassurance and a reason to hold on. That’s when my father said “All marriages are difficult, And require adjustments “ and I felt bad, really bad! Now even my parents are not getting what I’m going through. As my complaining kept going on and on, they got fed up. They told me I could do anything that I wanted! Get a divorce if that’s what I’m trying to tell them.

And yet again the final decision was left to me. At times I was proud to be married to architecture. But is that enough reason to hold on? I don’t know what we had and what we will have. Everyone said we made a wonderful couple. But putting up with his family was unbearable to little insecure me. I was indecisive and broken and under appreciated.

Time passed by and after four long semesters, I finally decided to take this marriage on my pace. I stopped trying to please everyone, I stopped trying to be perfect, I stopped being so hard on myself. As I started appreciating myself instead of seeking validation from his family, I started feeling a whole lot better. I found my peace one step at a time and I learned how to be happy.

Two more semesters passed by, 3 years of marriage!

I’m still as confused, unsure and indecisive as I was. But now, a tad bit more hopeful that maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I would realise that I have always been in love with architecture.

Still Waiting for my platinum day of Love.

Chitra

Monday 3 August 2015

HOW A YOUNG ARCHITECT-IN-THE-MAKING WAS SUBJECTED TO BRUTALISM IN OFFICE! ( PUN INTENDED)

(Written by Ridha )

Three years of architecture is over and we head out for doing our half a year long internship. When I came to office I had mixed feelings. My distant relative recommended me to this enormous firm called QDC in Qatar.

Leaving my comfort zone among my seasoned friends was not easy. I have been studying without my parents being around for some time. So going to stay in Qatar practically surrounded at all times by not only my parents but a bunch of relatives( they live in the same building ) was certainly a whole new experience for me.

Another surprise was Qatar. I knew middle east would be hot, but I didn’t know it could be “go outside and die of a heatstroke” hot!

I came during Ramadan time, when the heat is at its peak. That did not help. How do I put this? The heat here at night can be compared to what Keralites would experience in a fine hot afternoon in, lets say, Palakkad.. My parents tried to give me solace, “This is nothing! The weather is going to turn in a few months and it's going to be so cold you would want to run away from this place altogether. The A.C is not going to help you then”. How nice. Something to look forward to.

Office wasn't very pleasant in the first few days because, as it turned out, I was assigned in a team headed by our Design head, Pradeesh, which didn't have any other interns. Don't think there weren’t any interns in QDC. In fact my relative told me there were about 25 of them here assigned in the many different teams that work here. The only bright side to my office days then was that the particular team I was assigned to was responsible for doing the Al-Bayt stadium for FIFA World cup( check it out on Archdaily!) ,

which was considered the most important one after Zaha Hadid's Al Khor stadium, not that I got to do much designing, in fact the only work I did which stood a chance of being translated in real life was choosing the toilet fittings in the toilets outside the stadium. So if you are planning to go see the World Cup in 2022 in Qatar and ended up coming to the Al- Bayt stadium, please do pay a visit to the toilet and appreciate my taste. If you feel mesmerized by the liquid soap coming from the automatic soap dispenser it was because I PUT IT THERE!

But aside from that my office days were quite bleak. There was only one other woman there, Ashwini maám who was just under Pradeesh. Everyone else excluding two young architects were draftsmen, and most of them malayalis, but that was no solace to me. They told me that there was a high chance that a new intern would come soon. I was joined by Atia later. A student from Ranchi who was actually a Bihari but we didn’t do much talking. Then one fine day, god answered my prayers and there came my dear friend, Jayanth Vadyala!

He was friendly and we got along immensely well. In fact, Jayanth was more than good company. I think he told me his Gods were F.L Wright and Corbusier on the very first day itself. He was different. He says stuff like, “ I hate eating and sleeping, because I can do more productive things with the time.” for which I would reply, with my mouth stuffed in chappathi, “I consider eating to be one of my most important pursuits in life.”

He was a potpourri of talents. He made music, did digital art, wants to write a novel, he was interested in psychology, philosophy, he even told me he wanted to be an entrepreneur one day and above all, he was inspired by architecture and was up to date in the events concerning the field. I was ecstatic to find somebody like him, at last, to pour my random architectural rantings that I have kept inside for far too long. Keeping things inside is not Ridha at all!

So I set out to engage in my own voyage of discovery. Enough inspiration from Jayanth! Time to learn about the stalwarts of architecture and be inspired from them! So I set out to foray into the world architectural scene. Hmm....so most Modernists got inspired from Corbusier...I have learned all about Modernism and Post modernism and such from college, I know about old man Corbusier too..What did Corbusier do that they were so inspired? He has set benchmarks in urban planning, has formulated the five principles, and his works like the Ronchamp chapel and Villa Savoye has won critical acclaim.

I checked out Villa Savoye and Ronchamp chapel on google once more, I have sketched it for my history exams, and I have actually presented a case study of the Ronchamp in class. I browsed through the pictures again. One look at Villa Savoye and I was like, bleh. The stark white almost monochrome building stood out from the surroundings. I like buildings that had a connection with the surroundings. I felt the Villa Savoye and Ronchamp chapel did not have that. They stood up more like a monolithic ode to human technological advancement of that time. The truth was, I never really liked Villa Savoye. I was reading through it and suddenly Pradeesh is behind me. “What are you doing, Ridha?” he asks me.

I was feeling quite inspired and satisfied with myself because I was getting to know architecture in my spare time rather than browse about cats or something. He should be proud to have an enlightened student like me on board. Or so I thought.

“I am browsing about Corbusier, sir, I am trying to understand why so many people are inspired by him. Do you like modernism,sir?”. Stupid move, Ridha. My enlightened, giddy self did not realize I made a mistake saying that to the Design head. He replied “How many years you have been studying architecture, three? You still don’t know the reason? So you are reading about Corbusier, eh? You like him?”

I was burning with embarrassment so I went on to the next level of stupidity. I blurted out sheepishly “ Hehe, no, sir”. It felt like that scene in 90's Hindi movies where the heroine goes to the temple and denounces God in front of the idol of Goddess Lakshmy(usually because her true love was killed unfairly). Bells were tolling, conch was blowing or the equivalent of that in my office. Pradeesh sat down on the chair oppsosite to me.

Jayanth went stiff in his chair. The malayali draftsmen, wondered what was going on. The young busy body architects that worked under Pradeesh on the other side of the room, stopped their hurried clicking for a moment and listened before resuming with their work. “Why do you think so?” asked Pradeesh, what ensued could be related to a person falling in front of a bunch of people and acting as if he was actually performing a dance move. Something that started as a casual opinion turned into a debate, with its own audience glancing at us from time to time while working in front of their computers.

Even if I didn’t know a whole lot about architecture, I knew the English language. So I tried to make my point by using sentences like, “ It's not that I disagree with Corbusier, I just don’t agree with the way his ideas manifested in his works, I like F. L Wright with his Brutalistic and organic approach to architecture, I think Corbusier's ideas were taken to the next level by his followers rather than himself”. God knows what 'Brutalistic' was and I don’t know if I got it right.

Jayanth sent me showers of what I thought was pity from his place. Atlast, Pradeesh decided to drop the subject as he had better things to do rather than terrorise amateur explorers into the world of architecture. I wanted to dig a hole and bury my head in it like an ostrich for the rest of my life. I tried to put a brave front like ' This is my opinion, I am entitled to it', inside I was cringing because they also had the right to have their opinion, which was that I was stupid.

Surprisingly, Pradeesh came back ten minutes later and said, “Ridha, I thought you were just a talker, now I know you are a thinker too”. Ehh...what just happened here? I have no clue what did the magic in him. Jayanth was still far from convinced. But the draftsmen who did not understand half of what was going on were impressed. “Wow, Pradeesh always likes people who engage him in such intellectual talks.” they said among themselves. Inside I was doing the Samba, 'Brutalism saved me! Hail Brutalism!'.

Whatever that is. This was a great blow to my architectural odyssey and I spent the rest of my free time solely browsing about cats. After all, telling someone I like Persian cats instead of British Bobtail is not going to send me into the pits of despair that I was presently in, and cats are cute so it sorta helped to get out of my misery.

I eventually got over my cat fixation, as well as my shame, and resumed with my odyssey. I still don't like Corbu's manifestation of his principles of modernism. I fell in love with the likes of Peter Zumthor, who I feel is closer towards my interpretation of architecture. Maybe later, when I learn more about this vast ocean of knowledge that is architecture, I would understand Corbu better.

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Let me be your mirror

Written by Chitra

(This is dedicated to, the wonderfully crazy

and ridiculously interesting women in my life)

Sometimes when the epic workload hits and the all nighters drain me, I often forget to be happy. I forget that happiness is infact a lifestyle. Lately I've been catching myself feeling unhappy quite frequently.

two days back I decided this needs to stop. I looked back.
What change happened in my life that caused me to become so cynical?
What turned me into a person who needed constant validation?

You see the problem was that I've been asking myself the wrong question ! The question is not and it will never be "what is wrong with me? "

like a philosopher once said, as long as you are alive and breathing there is more right in you than wrong. The question i should have been asking myself is "how did I get here?" Beating myself up over simple mistakes , telling myself I'm not good enough, criticizing myself. Constantly telling myself I am incapable. The mind can only take so much before it breaks down.

Things fell into place when I decided its about time i started giving myself some credit. I remember where I took a wrong step. I had promised myself to always love myself and support myself no Matter what. It seems like I've forgotten that promise. After all, You can't hate yourself into being happy!

So here is a note to my dear girlfriends who have been my happiness and my life for the past one year...who often forgets how to love themselves...

Dear,

When was the last time you saw yourself in the right light? You've all grown so blind with self doubt that when you look into the mirror you only see disappointment ! even the most beautiful of paintings looks unimpressive under dim light. Can't you see you're seeing your self with foggy eyes?

You hesitate so much! Why are you not letting yourself try? Why do you stop yourself when you are about to try something, and convince yourself you can't do it? Why do you blow out the fire every time it sparks inside of you?

Look at you ! So scared! So tired! When have you taken it easy on yourself? When was the last time you let go of a criticism? Do you see how much you are worth ? Do you see how much you're loved and you're needed? Why are you being so mean to yourself? You've surprised me with your talent and you have inspired me to move forward...how can a person with that kind of power think so little of themselves?

I see your talents; Your might; Your determination; Your sincerity; Your willingness to help!

So let me be your mirror. Let me show you the way I see you. Look at me and see how you reflect off on me! If only you could see yourself through my eyes! love yourself the way I love you. Believe in your self because I do.

Look at you, you are so young! We are just starting to live our lives. you can't give up on it before you even start! So let me be your mirror when your eyes are filled with tears and you can't see yourselves anymore. I'll tell you how I see you, bright and clear.

Let me be your mirror.

Sunday 3 May 2015

THE DROPOUT'S STORY

MY MARRIAGE TO ARCHITECTURE

#2 STORY OF A DIVORCE.

(Admin's note : Second year of college was probably the worst year of my life, and its only thanks to Aparna that i was able to pull through. she was there for me through thick and thin, and letting her go was really difficult ! so when i started this blog, i wanted her to be a part of it, even though she stopped being an archi and left TKM. So i asked her to write for my blog.
After reading Aparna's story, i thought this article belonged in the "MY MARRIAGE TO ARCHITECTURE " series, that i started off 2 weeks back . So i took the liberty of making it part of it.)

(Written By Aparna Kumar )

For a student to drop out, it's the worst thing anyone can ever think about. We are brought upin a society where one doesn't have a say in their lives. We are pushed into making decisions because our family wants to look good in society and not even care whether the child wants it or not.

I wasn't a victim of this, yet I was as well. The thing is after 12th I had no idea what I wanted, and being a child who always thought that her parents were disappointed in her, I wanted to make them proud. So, naturally I went along with their decision to join architecture, the course my dad had been wanting me to join since a long time so that I could take over his company.

Well let's just say it was disaster just waiting to happen. I fell in love with the place when I saw it on the first day. It was so tranquil so peaceful. I felt like I belonged there, and for once in my life I actually thought this was THE place where I can shine but it was like as if god was trying to mock me by showing how hell looks from the outside. Don't get me wrong I still love the college and the place but not the people. There were some friends who were my pillars of support through everything and for that I thank them. without them I don't know what I would have done.

I am a girl who is quiet and shy at first and then when I become close I become talkative and fun. My first problem was that everyone was talking in malayalam and that too with slangs and everything. I was born and brought up in Dubai and my family is a traditional malayalee family but because of my school I was forced to speak english all the time; at school and at home. So due to this I was very shy to talk to people as I didn't want them to make fun of me. Worst part was even the teachers sometimes explained in malayalam, this was super bad for me. When I thought I had mastered malayalam and everything was peaceful again, another problem arose; me lack of knowledge about any of the subjects. Everyone around acted like they knew everything ; it was like they had graduated and came back again.

And last but definitely the worst problem the design. I hated designing. I know what you must be thinking; you are an architecture student so how could you hate designing? well I hated it because I was no good at it. I was so bad I never even knew I could be this bad at something until now. All the teachers were behind me yelling at me , telling me I'm no good, I should just quit etc. This led me into depression and by depression I mean badddd depression.

I would eat a hell lot of chocolates and chips just to be happy. I survived on junk and outside food. Money started going really fast from my hands because I used to spend so much on food. I would eat all the time. Binge eating became my second nature. Coffee became my best friend.

I couldn't even sleep, I would just aimlessly watch movies on my laptop and do something on my sheets and just submit them. I knew this couldn't go on anymore. I had to stop it before it was too late. So I had serious talk with my best friend. How much she helped no one will ever know except us. She was so kind to me and she understood what I was going through and never ever judged me as a spoiled brat who just missed luxury.

Honestly I didn't miss Dubai. I just hated the course. If I could have studied something else there I would have but engineering and architecture were the only two things available there. And at last with her help I sent an email to my dad saying everything that I have always wanted to tell him but was so afraid that he would hate me.

After sometime I get a call from my parents and that is when I realized that they are and will always be my strength. They were happy that I told them the truth and now they were coming to see me to decide what to do. When they came, I felt at home, for the first time in a long time I knew I was making the right decision by deciding to leave college and go back to Dubai.

And that, folks, is how I left college and quit being an architecture student and came back to Dubai to join Manipal University to study media and communications. Now I am one of the top scorers of the class and I am happy-very happy with my life. I don't binge eat and I hate coffee ;D

So if any of you out there face any problems, trust me, tell your parents because they are the lifejackets you need in life when you are drowning.

Friday 1 May 2015

Presenting From Archestra and studio 46 THE AVENGERS!

(By Ridha and Chitra with the help of our little crew ;) )

Disclaimer: we have only tried this as a joke, and we took the liberty of rummaging through your fb photos and display pictures.

So last night Ridha had a sudden epiphany. How would it be if the avengers were cast from DOA of TKMCE.
These last few days it has been a trend in the social media to cast avengers from their favourite movie industry. So why cant we have our own? So here is what the I, student architect crew came up with. (We have only considered the fourth and third batches to limit our possibilities.)

Presenting From Archestra and studio 46!

THE AVENGERS!

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