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Neelakshi Joshi First Report

The idea for the design competition “Translating Traditions" came from the comment made on my essay proposal by one of the jury members. He wanted me to explore 'HOW" and "WHY" traditional practices should be revived. Understanding traditions is not enough. Their translation into the current vocabulary is necessary. The answer to this ‘HOW’ from the design studio became the premise of the competition.

The idea was to have a two step approach to traditional wisdom- a) document the various vernacular practices students see around them, understand their simple yet effective ways and (b) come up with their own schemes on implementing the knowledge in today’s world of tight floor area ratios, steel, glass and concrete.

The idea often comes up in conversations among students but the thought was to bring it out to debate in the zonal annual students' meet and see how different people feel about their heritage. Whether is encourages something more than mere nostalgia?

The jurors selected for the competition were:

1. Ar. Chitra Vishwanath- Her buildings speak for themselves.  Application of simple, low cost and low energy methods in modern day Bangalore buildings sets her apart.
2. Ar. Gita Balakrishnan - She has been actively involved in student competitions and quizzes through Ethos.  Her suggestions have been invaluable throughout the span of the contest.
3. Dr. Ajay Khare, Head of Department of Architecture, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi has been working as a passionate conservationist for many years and exhorts his students to feel deeply about their roots.
4. Dr. Satyaki Sarkar (PhD (Jadavpur Univ.), M.C.P.[I.I.T. Kharagpur],M.Sc.-Disaster Mitigation[S.M.U.],B.Arch.[Utkal University], B.Sc.[Calcutta University]– Senior Lecturer,Department of Architecture, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi has special interest in urban conservation and has done a lot of work in Calcutta along the same lines.

The student fraternity greeted the competition with enthusiasm. There were 90 registrations and 42 groups from all over India submitted sheets for the first round. Their choices of subject were diverse- from Bohra dwellings in Gujarat to obscure mud forts in Himanchal Pradesh. 16 entries have been selected for the second round and will suggest ways and means of translating lessons learnt from ages past.