Pondering on a question like this, as a budding architect made me realize the true essence of being one. The responsibilities are incredibly many and one has to truly be up for the task. I believe I am! I have come to a point in life, the earlier the better, where I feel working hard on yourself and carving out yourself seamlessly close to perfection is truly attractive and worthwhile. It leads to happiness and confidence and whatnot. This is something truly essential as a human being regardless of the jobs or roles in the career driven world. But on the other end, doing something for someone else selflessly leads to ecstasy and enamoredness and is eventually the highest form of abundance in the mind and heart one can accomplish. So here I am, with service as an architect for my local community. Building a community center, sound road networks, creating public spaces, which are well interactive, like parks, playgrounds, marketplaces for the ease of access, etc. and the list goes on. As an architect, one can’t always think of bringing something enormous, and out of the box to the plate, designing fancy structures all the time and crave appraisal for the creative genius into it won’t fix the real deep-rooted issues in society. One needs to go to the grass-root level of the social hierarchy, even at a local community or even lower scale of it, and then point out the gaps and try to fill them with the creativity of a designer. For me, it is more like fixing the existing built creations. Since childhood, I have found solace in decluttering, may it be my study table, a closet, or the mighty stores and silos back home. Ever since I heard the name of Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant, I have been even more firm and rigid with the idea of organizing and revamping the spaces.
I come from the city of gates Aurangabad, the historic capital of Maharashtra. To be more precise of the community I would be talking about, I reside in the heart of the city, in a bungalow with police stations, dozens of reputed hospitals, schools, colleges, and public parks all around. One can find all the necessities and amenities at walking distance here. Sure to mention, the community consists of people from varied walks of life with contrasts in the aspects of religion, economy, lifestyle, education, and mindsets too. Amidst all the private and public facilities, a gigantic and unusual structure stands upright. Sure must be inspired by a tensile structure, it resembles one, built out of reinforced cement concrete, is well known as the central government library of Aurangabad. I was introduced to this one long back, around 20 yrs. ago. My grandpa is an avid reader and has been forever, I remember sitting behind him on his scooter on the way to the library, he would walk me through all the sections like the reference books or may it be the kids or the thrillers. I would spot manuscripts in a glass box and tons of colorful books arranged in the rack. Today as I compare the gone days, I remember a huge number of people throughout the year and many more children in the summers and spring. There was less of the dust and empty spaces and more of reading and people around.
Today as I walk back into the reminiscent building I find tons of locked doors, unorganized bookshelves, and dried vegetation all around. The library is full-fledged in force with one or two regular readers, and the officials, quite dim and bored of the mundane. I take this opportunity to voice my opinion in creating this built mass into something thought provoking and instantly interactive and lively. Firstly the garbage trucks need to stop unloading the waste in the gateway, the gorgeous dramatic circular stairway can be converted to performing art space, and the rusty parking along with the landscaping can be done right, more inviting, and cheerful. To bring back the charm of reading the books need a makeover and the spaces need to be less sophisticated. Some dazzle paint to the walls, opening the locks to empty spaces for the perineal conferences, events, and exhibitions. Why does this one have to be a stereotypical library, a sense of inclusiveness can be achieved with the harmony of playfulness for both young and old along with the prerequisite of silence in the library? With a little structural redevelopment and fresh revamping of the interior block accompanied by regularly maintained on top of this thought can truly bring a dead space back to life once again. Provision for the senior citizens along with a snack center as an initiative would surely turn the current scenario of this once known to be “the marvel of Aurangabad”. I look forward to taking up this project and I surely believe my detailed proposal for this site with architectural redevelopment ideas to the civic body would hint at an amazing metamorphosis to this piece of land.
