Inside out

Cities are a part of national wealth and architecture occupies a vital place in that structure, says Charles CorreaArchitect, planner, ac...

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Cities are a part of national wealth and architecture occupies a vital place in that structure, says Charles Correa
Architect, planner, activist and theoretician, Charles Correa has emerged as a larger-than-life figure in contemporary architecture.
This chief architect of New Bombay has to his credit accomplishments like the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at the Sabarmati Ashram, Jawahar Kala Kendra in Jaipur and the State Assembly for Madhya Pradesh. For his achievements, he has received a Honorary Doctorate from the University of Michigan in 1980, a Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Architects in 1990 and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture last year, besides several other honours.

Adding another feather to his creative cap, last week Correa released his book Housing and Urbanisation.
The book, priced at Rs 595, has been published by Urban Design Research Institute, of which he is one of the trustees, with friend Ratan Tata as its chairman. Housing and Urbanisationdocuments over four decades of Correa’s work in the field of housing — he has worked on several public housing projects across the country. Extravagantly illustrated with more than 450 photographs, drawings and inventive drafts, it chronicles the timeless issues which have always been elementary to architecture and the cities we live in.

Speaking of the cities we live in, what does he think of architects packing an already crammed Mumbai with more matchboxes?
No criticism. But ever since 1958, when Correa started practising privately in Bombay, he has firmly believed in open spaces as well as the cities of India.

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A contradiction of sorts because deep down India has always nurtured an anti-urban bias
"I feel cities are a crucial part of national wealth — like the wheat fields of the Punjab and coal fields of Bihar. But even Mahatma Gandhi didn’t like cities. He felt they were traitors who had learnt the skills of suiting the British. Today, we need these skills." Citing theexample of trains. "At one point of time, they were used to bring in soldiers, but have ended up being the best thing on earth."

What does this strong believer of sky spaces have in mind for the city?
Correa feels housing is a machine for living and its principles equally apply to rich and poor. Going by his theorem, everyone can either have a terrace or a courtyard — a connection between earth and sky. "It is not like a museum. One needs to learn from what exists and make variations."

His ideal housing system?
He rates Khushrow Bagh in Colaba as one of the best housing in Mumbai.

He thinks architecture has a ground to serve?
"Though housing gives architecture a cause — a social cause — all that architecture can do is reflect a process, it can’t affect the structure of a city. Architects may end up doing remarkable one-off buildings, but can’t control the city. Like painters who can’t control life, but, for that reason, end up having richer canvases." A city,according to Correa, comes through social, economic and cultural processes. "Like cooking. Hundreds of years pass away to time-test a recipe."