Architecture is essentially a utopian project. It gives shape to a dream or a vision. Public architecture is a visual representation of the...
Architecture is essentially a utopian project. It gives shape to a dream or a vision. Public architecture is a visual representation of the imagination of the people and their leaders. At a time when India is facing one of its worst humanitarian crises, when people were gasping for oxygen, dying in the thousands for lack of medicines, vaccines and hospital beds, when the dead were being denied of the dignity of a decent burial, to build a utopia by spending thousands of crores of rupees is a gross injustice to the country’s citizens.
The Central Vista project to reconstruct New Delhi’s administrative and parliamentary district might be Narendra Modi’s utopia, but for India’s people, it is a dystopia being constructed to celebrate the dismantling of our Republic in time for two anniversaries – the 75th anniversary of Independence in the next year and that of our republican Constitution in 2025.
Just a year before that, in 2024, we face a crucial parliamentary election, which might determine the fate of this Republic. Such moments in history are not only occasions for remembrance and celebration, but also a time to consider the lessons of our past that will shape our collective futures.
Fundamental ideals
The freedom struggle not...
