Muzakkir Ghulam Mohiuddin Bijli

Wrap up session – IIA NATCON 2016 at Bengaluru Where do we go from here? By Prem Chandavarkar (conference curator) (NOTE: this was recorded by me at the conference and has been reproduced here (almost verbatim). Some words in italics are the ones which I could not hear clearly from the recording. This is put up here so that the people who did not attend the conference may listen and possibly get inspired) We architects are held up with in the cocoon of our own individual practices. What we do affects the city and as architects we also been unknowingly complacent in structures of segregation and exclusion that has happened in our cities. We must think in terms of right to the city, for much of our population receives inadequate attention from the process of urban planning and management. We must ask, is the city a given image of plan into which its population must adjust, or is it a given population that will inclusively negotiate its own form. As David Harvey point...

The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) conducted its national convention (Natcon 2016) at Bengaluru, hosted by the Karnataka chapter. This was the centenary year of IIA and hence much as expected of the event. I attended the event and share my experience of this through this blog. This was the second National Convention I attended, the first one being the Chennai one in 2013. This Natcon was held at the convention centre (kalinga hall) of The Lalit Ashok Hotel. Three of my colleagues Ar. Khalid, Ar. Thingom and Ar. Suresh from MEASI Academy of architecture accompanied me to this conference. Had a chance to meet my B.Arch classmates Ar. Prasad and Ar. Karl Marks an advantage of attending these conferences. Many more from IIA TN were also present. Writing a blog, is something I consider as a responsibility because I see things don’t get documented or taken forward. Many people speak great ideas in these conferences and lectures, but people just listen and move forward. I think it...

On 18th December 2016, after about a week of the devastating cyclone affected Chennai, I saw a watsupp message around 11.30 am. The message called for volunteers to help people clear out public spaces of different localities in Chennai. I though it was about to happen sometime next week. It was not so. The call for volunteers was for the same day, that is 18th December. Different locations required many volunteers to help out with different types of work to be done. At first thought i thought i should go. Later i felt i don't know anybody, wont it be odd. Still i made up my mind to go and see and help in what ever way i can. It proved fruitful and gave highest level of satisfaction at the end of the day. Last year after the floods also i had ventured out into flood waters to drop some relief materials etc., but that was with people i know, but this time i did not know anyone. Team of volunteers and me with a quick selfie There were different things happening in different...