MY MARRIAGE TO ARCHITECTURE #1

(Admin's note : First article of a series of articles on the same topic)

(Written by Divya Rajesh )

The time had come for my parents to choose a groom for their daughter.  A career choice. It was an inevitable and equally stressful decision making process. Their daughter’s happiness would depend on it. It had to be the right one on so many levels for her marriage to work out. They started out by considering her likes and interests. Even as a child she was good at drawing. She had a way with colors. Though she was good at studies, she was evidently more of an art person.

Mainstream options were ruled out. After meticulous contemplation, it seemed like they could narrow it down to the design field. Her dad was convinced it was architecture. He saw it in her and believed she could be happy with it.

And so architecture it was.

  THE PROPOSAL

And that’s how little old me was introduced to the idea of architecture as a prospective groom. At first I was like, wait, it has to do with buildings right? Ew boring!!

But the more I heard about it, the better it sounded. I hoped we would make a nice pair, and that it would work out between us. Like in all arranged marriages,  all I could do was hope.  Because  there was no way to KNOW for sure. But I was ready to take one step forward and give architecture a chance to show me it was THE ONE.

   THE MARRIAGE

I passed the entrance level test and joined the professional course. And thus our wedding took place. In the beginning I wasn't quite sure. Architecture seemed nice. Everything seemed just fine. Nothing more nothing less. I wasn't quite sure what I was missing out on. I liked it, but I wasn't in love or anything. And that was disappointing.

I realized I should have seen this coming when I agreed to an arranged marriage to architecture. Passion was what we lacked. I wanted to give myself some time to think it over. I dint want to settle for a “just fine” marriage. Maybe I should quit while I was still young. Maybe there is someone out there. A more suitable partner.

Time went on. It had been three long semesters and it was too late to walk out. And that’s when we had our first big fight. Lots of sleep and was sacrificed over work. Efforts were made to make things work, but to no avail. I was convinced that it was my cue to give up. I decided I wasn't meant for this kind of commitment.

Utilizing the only benefit of an arranged marriage, I rushed right back to my parents who had suggested this alliance in the first place. Long hours were spent in speculation of what could be done. My mother,  supportive as always listened to me rant on and on about how it wasn't working out. My father told me about choices and mistakes and what to hold on to and what to let go of.

They convinced me to give it some more time before filing the divorce. I knew some people who had already taken that step and I was scared of how that might turn out.

That’s when I dug up this book my dad bought me in the first year. Form Space and Order. I had always loved books. They smelled heavenly. And this one had all these beautiful illustrations of architectural elements, sketches of buildings by master architects and a lot of renderings. I had flipped through the book many a time but I hadn't seen beyond the lines of the sketches.

For the first time I saw what it really was. Architecture. It wasn't just the book. I saw the essence of architecture. Buildings were no longer built structures for shelter. They had life and they made people happy. I saw what good architecture could give people. It could redefine the life as we know it. I could see how lifestyle could be changed by how I designed the space people live in.

Beyond the bricks and concrete, beyond columns and beams, I saw what architecture had to offer me. A chance to design and create.  And I fell in love

From that point on, there has never been any doubt. I knew I had found the right one. Yes, there have been the occasional fall outs and break ups, but we have always gotten back together.

 As all good marriages go, there was real passion and a sense of comfort and belonging. It got really stressful at times and needed a lot of work, but at the end of the day, I knew with all certainty that I was where I belonged. I saw a future for us. Me and architecture.

Constantly in awe of architecture ,

Divya