Looking at Ranwar, up down!

It is time i say, yes!

I have started working on the design concepts and proposals with scenarios for Ranwar, It is time!

But while i do that a lot of analysis of the study that i did shall also be on its way on the blog. 

First in the series is the 3D of Ranwar, a Block 3D which essentially helps in understanding the current state of air circulation in the village, mainly after the high rises are taking over its serene scale. It is also important to have this mainly to have an overview of the village while and iterate on the design conservation plans. 

The comparison is mainly in between 1948 and 2010. 1948 mainly because thats when the first survey map of Ranwar was created of course after India gained Independence. It was surveyed by the British officers before they handed over the reigns of India to India. No Ranwar was no special case, they surveyed almost everything and helped India know its own places, before the government took over the Parliament. 1948 map is the one that i got from Mr. Herman Rodrigues, and has been used by me as my base map for all the mapping that i have done after that. 2010 because its NOW!

The difference is visible. Difference mainly in scale but also in depletion of the open grounds that Ranwar, or any other village of this nature could boast about. 

Ranwar in 1948

Ranwar in 2010

Here itself we see stark differences in scale and occupancy of the open spaces.

Ranwar, 1948

Ranwar, 2010

Ranwar, 1948

Ranwar, 2010

Ranwar, 1948

Ranwar, 2010

Ranwar, 1948. The scale is low, the sea was near and the breeze was superb!

Ranwar, 2010. The scale got high, the sea became land and the breeze vanished.

Ranwar, 1948. The view was perfect, one could see through the houses and the doors were open. Almost no one ever took to roads, it was only the neighbors house that was used as a pass through out of the village.

Ranwar, 2010. The view got disrupted, hardly anyone sits by the verandah, the doors are now closed and one has to take the roads/streets jostling between the speeding Cars, Bikes, and Auto rickshaws. There is no place to walk!

BLOWUP!

and the show finally happened, it was a great convergence of photographers and lovers of moments captured. a very interesting format which definitely won a lot of appreciation. more with the photographs down here.
As it started with the idea of bringing in as many photographs (amateurs and professionals alike), together on one ground with a format like a street exhibition. blindboys.org, did an outstanding job looking at the turnout. More than an exhibition it turned out to be a festival, to celebrate something,,well we know that it was photography. some shots from the show.

volunteers putting DST behind the prints and the local kids hanging around. they were great help!

The whole idea of one getting his/her own prints was very interesting and less burdensome on the organizers physically and monetarily. It was a very participative event which made things much easier for all. The images seem to be speaking more on the rustic background.

some images from the show:

 

 

A Collaborative with CRY, showcasing about child rights :

 

a small video of the street exhibition converting into a carnival, festival of sorts. i think this is the character that best defines Bandra.

Some images of my images up on the wall in the old ruins of Zeenat Aman's house. I just felt the location worked perfect for the kind of photographs i was showcasing. Also because all the other walls in that room without the roof were in black and white, so the colors in mine gave quite a break to the viewer. But yes it was a great experience also to understand the effect of such initiatives which bring a lot of like minded people together commenting, giving feedback and just celebrating.

some shots:

‘A Village Story’
-by Vivek Sheth

This set of 24 photographs are from Ranwar, Shirely, Rajan villages in Bandra and Khotachiwadi in Girgaum. I have tried to capture the various architectural nuances which give a character to these places. These villages with its spatial narratives makes it more intriguing to wander around and this is exactly what i am trying to understand as well as capture. In this photo essay called ‘A Village Story’, very little is revealed and this is exactly what i want to pinch on, look at a little and wander around for more.
These villages are a lifestyle which talks very differently of Mumbai, the first city of India. Its a lifestyle, that the ones sprawled by the urban jungle just think of, while there are some who live it. What gives it style is these ancestral homes (more than 100 years of age), with their distinct local flavour of architecture peppered by the Portuguese style.
Vivek Sheth is a final year student of Exhibition (Spatial) Design at The National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He is currently doing his final diploma (thesis) project with The BUSRIDE Design Studio, located in Ranwar.
The scope of his diploma covers exactly what these pictures speak about, while he tries and understands this sub-culture of Mumbai and Bandra in specific these are a few encounters of his to gaze upon.

For more on the project log on to : www. http://www.bandraforyou.blogspot.com or email: viveksheth87[at]gmail[dot]com

 

 

 

i was more glad because i found one possibility. The fact that Bandra is looked at as the first probable location for such initiatives is due to its strong liking as well as open ness to these formats of gatherings!

the entrance to the street exhibition, BLOWUP from hill road/waroda road

for more on blowup check out : http://blog.puneetrakheja.com/?p=655

check out cnn's review on the show: http://www.cnngo.com/mumbai/none/blowup-bombay-street-photo-exhibition-792523#gal_TB_inline?height=550&width=950&inlineId=cnngoGallery

also an other blogpost by Meena Kadri: http://www.randomspecific.com/blow-up-bombay

Shirely, Rajan (Bandra) and Khotachwadi (Girgaum)

An other visit, to these amazing villages around Bandra and in Girgaum. It was a good visit, as i got to know about Parallels to Ranwar. This was not an exercise to study the differences and alikeness between these hamlets, but to study them as a whole, keeping Ranwar out of my mind.

But as we are humans and we tend to compare, it thus happened.

The first visit happened to Rajan, and the next neighborhood, Shirely in Bandra, Mumbai. It was Raghav Sethi, Neehar Desai and me looking at an other settlement in the same suburb with a similar layout, community and format. While wandering around the streets of Shirely Rajan (will use the names together henceforth, its also worth noticing the fact that the names of these two villages/hamlets were always taken in one breath, i wonder why?) we found we landed in another part of Ranwar, which we might have missed to explore. There was similarity in house layouts, the local style, the zig zag wandering streets, the grills, windows, doors. everything! But there had to be something different and that could have been in the lifestyle. If one looks at the photographs in isolation without attaching the name Shirely Rajan to it, it would just look like an other part of Ranwar. Why i contextualize everything to Ranwar is simply due to the fact that i am studying it in detail.
Lets look at some photographs from Shirely Rajan;

the Greens:

In these two hamlets a lot of importance was was given to the green around the house. almost every house we crossed gave beautiful variations of greens against the nice colors of the house. More interesting were the ways in which these greens were incorporated around their houses and the efforts placed in it. These spots serve as great nodes of communication amongst the residents. Also watering and maintenance of the green seems to a common interest and is nurtured very well.

the old scale ground floor houses, with a standard attic at the rooftop, mainly to store

the paddy harvest

this place is converted to a nice school for creative arts for the kids, moving around this house

we could hear interesting music, once we went on the other side, they had a beautiful front space for the kids to play. A very interesting mix use for the house and nurture young minds around these winding lanes.

one of my favorites and very natural, the photographs speaks for itself and speaks a lot

Open spaces, common nodes of interaction, greens, colors and a happy community is what we got to see at Shirely Rajan, a very interesting hamlet the proximity of these two hamlets for sure have induced a lot of interactions and a lot of stories pertaining to these two places might be enough for a thick publication.

Moving to Khotachiwadi (Girgaum), a lot of similarity was seen again. Went there on a sunny saturday morning and the place was full of vibrant colors and beautiful lanes again. This village/wadi has been in a lot of limelight lately. one of the last few remaining ones in South Mumbai, there is a lot of history to this place. Of the 60 (approx) cottages/bungalows in Khotachiwadi only 26 are remaining, and thanks to the resident awareness they are in a good shape. more about Khotachiwadi from the residents and URBZ  will be found here: http://khotachiwadi.urbz.net/ , this webpage is a very interesting effort and a good start at a resident involvement in preservation of their own culture.

some of my favorite picks from the hamlet:

The analysis and comparison of efforts and conservation in Khotachwadi Preceinct, with Ranwar is something that i would like to do in detail, which shall happen in the next post.