Why does it bother me?

Why does it bother me? 

Even though the accusations are false? 

Why does it bother me 

even when I am not at fault.

Maybe, because its a mourning of a sort,

Mourning that will never end 

because the one who is mourned is still alive

I have regrets though ,

that my time spent with you 

was one I missed with my own

But I have to say 

that I never spoke ill of you

that I never thought ill of you 

But I shall tell myself to feel at ease 

because I assume that you are at peace now

that you have emptied your heart out

by saying all those things to me 

I hope it makes you feel better

I hope it makes you feel you have achieved 

something fruitful 

because , then I shall let go 

by telling myself that at least one of us 

have benefitted

New site

Hi all those who occasionally drop by this space.
My site is now moved to
http://vistara-urban.com/

Hope you continue to visit!

-Devina

Trust the Pattern

". .. the 'real world' is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group. No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds not merely the same world with different labels attached."

Edward A. Sapir, Selected Writings in Language,
Culture and Personality (1949: 42}

Continuity

New places
New encounters
Familiar moments

New people
New faces
Known relationships

New job
New school
Old work

New food
New clothes
same rituals

Seeking knowledge
Discovering art
Looking to the future
referring to the past

New paths to
old goals
New methods,
Same intentions

Honor by profession,
by craft,
by art,
by hard work and humility

Respect brought by the honor
Honor that brings status
Status that massages the ego
That fuels greed
The greed for power
The power and its illusion
Fear of the loss of power
The fear that fuels aggression
The fear that breeds hatred
That makes enemies
That brings war
Insecurity

Where is the honor now?
I don't see it anymore

"Architecture does not exist, what exists is the spirit of Architecture"
- Louis Kahn

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

Reminder

Something a friend asked me today reminded me of this space. This space that I once frequented and have now seemed to have abandoned.

I should pay a visit more often.

Living in the Urban Paradox

The broken wooden staircase
leading to a flashy store
The old paint chipping away
but the
the new glass abutting the window
the metal laminated cladding
A mismatch to the
Decorative exposed brick wall
The old street that houses the cozy book shops
and the old house rented out to the new pizza shop
The footpath that houses the beggar
and the
The polythene awnings tied to a tree
qualifies for the shrine in the middle of the chowk
Under the auspicious Peepal tree
the devotees that throng the temple
and the footwear that crowds the entrance
The elite glass building that contrasts
in the same visual frame as
the ad hoc jugaad of the chai tapri

The chaos amidst the order
And order within the chaos
Unpretentious streets which define
Living in the urban paradox

Feeling blessed

Some days are unforgettable
Some people cannot be replaced
For all those who believe in me .....
I am grateful .....
and feeling thoroughly blessed

Dreams

And the story unfolds
before the sun rise
and dreams reach out
and catch you by surprise

and the glory of dreams
that leave you yearning for more
because all it takes
is the call of the wake

To tell you its time
to pursue those dreams
To show you that's how
your supposed to live
To help you with the way
that you were supposed to find

Its the faith in the dreams
That keep you going
Its the truth of the dark night
that the morning reveals

"May happiness,
pursue you,

catch you
often, and,

should it
lose you,

be waiting
ahead, making

a clearing
for you."

A. R. Ammons

trust

Why does life
always present itself
in a manner
that hasn't been seen before?

If only things were
like  a routine theatre act
and well rehearsed and timed
and everything ran smoothly
like clockwork precision
Predetermined and pre-run
practiced over and over
till one got it right
All the characters
who know their roles
all the equipment in place
and the effects added by experts
and the costumes designed to perfection

If only one was the actor
who knew what to expect


If only one had the strength
to trust the journey till the end

Signs

Wild thoughts 

Encounters 

Some unknown

Some familiar

make me wander

make me walk 

endlessly 

searching for clues

looking for signs 

that show the way

that the road leads here 

that the road leads nowhere

that this turn is risky 

that the road is uphill

that valley is deadly 

and this one leads to  

to a river that flows

and flows and flows

Groping in the dark 

looking for the signs

they are right here

hidden somewhere

they told me to look out  for them

that its easy once you get there

they told me that  its so very clear 

that once you see 

then you just know

But

then I must be blind 

to what beckons me

or the signs that reveal

they may be lost

or in a language 

that I never learned

or in words that I 

cannot decipher 

In a mystery that

I havent yet discovered

Aihole-Pattadkal-Badami-Hampi-Bijapur

 "Blessed are the forgetful for they get the better even of their blunders."

Friedrich Nietzsche

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them - Albert Einstein"

Cept .15/4/11

How the environment affects growth and learning-

creating an environment conducive to learning is the first step to achieving excellence in an educational institution.These few days of visiting Cept and then IIM and other institutes have triggered memories of visits to similar buildings and environments Ive visited, studied in and experienced throughout childhood upto architectural education. As a flash it brings forth the similarities of such environments and the undeniable reputaion of excellence significantly attached to such institues. It is very evident that behind such endeavours a very strong vision is present. Behind tht vision, a clear long term objective , defined by a sound philosophy and a determined attitude to "make it happen."

The courtyard is silence... to talk about the courtyard is to break the spell

..............Architecture is beyond numbers

..............Architecture is about designing experiences ....


 amongst other unforgettable things I learnt from Nari Gandhi  and his simplicity ..,Nari Gandhi the master craftsman . With the ability to design the most beautiful things from the simplest of  materials .










Some images are etched  in my mind for good.