Every year the students of the architectural institution that I headed, produced an annual journal. A forum for the students’ contributions on architecture — the magazine also had an art and literary section. One issue, which I released after much fanfare, to my utter embarrassment, also carried caricatures of all faculty members, including one of me!
As I leafed through the cartoons nervously-all along sporting a sheepish grin — I realised that the students had indeed been rather, insightful and creative in highlighting our respective strengths and eccentricities. Alluding to my deep interest in landscape design and being rather obsessive about trees, my ‘portrait’ showed a sapling growing out of my bald head!
However, some of my colleagues didn’t find their respective caricatures very amusing, and protested at such audacity! Though the students subsequently apologised, I’m sure everyone had a good laugh — especially our spouses! And more importantly, I realised that the faculty needed to break out of old academic moulds and develop new shoots of knowledge.
Similarly I remember that some odd student, every few year, producing extraordinary, creative designs — at times bordering on the bizarre. One student nicknamed ‘Pilot’ as he had taken flying lessons before joining architecture, was always flying on thin air regarding his grandiose design concepts. For the final year thesis project, much against faculty advice he insisted on designing the tallest building in the world, located in the sea. Though he remained at sea about the structural design problems of the project and barely scraped through; he pursued his passion for tall buildings by studying abroad — and today, works with an international firm that is building the first bionic tower of the world!
Once a group of students performed a play called ‘North Point’ in the college festival — written, directed and acted by them. A big hit, it spoofed the obsessively pet concern of architectural teachers about orientation of the buildings in relation to the cardinal points. But more importantly, it made a subtle point about having a larger view of design evaluation, than just looking at myopic fundamentals.
The Howard Roarks of the world are not merely a figment of Ayn Rand’s fiction, but often it’s the naughty, irreverent; but sparkling ‘idiots’ who rattle the hallowed portals of learning. I only hope in hindsight that I was not a Viru Sahastrabudhe who trampled down a Rancho.
Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India.
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