Why Bharat Mandapam is better than the pyramids

Barring sports stadia, Indians gravitate towards venues naturally or artificially cooled for work and many leisure activities. But architects focussed on international and peer group acclaim routinely forget the preferences of the very people for whom they are supposedly designing buildings—and the climate. The name of their game is “cutting edge” and “iconic” design not functionality, as architecture occupies a twilight zone between art and infrastructure. In the case of the redevelopment of Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, criticism of the demolition of the Hall of Nations and other concrete pyramids designed by Raj Rewal centred on its “world class” and “unique” nature. Now the unveiling of Bharat Mandapam as the centrepiece of the new conference complex is getting flak for being merely functional. That, of course, is elitespeak for being not being “cutting edge”, just purpose-built, putting ergonomics over acclaim. Most of those critics never visited Rewal’s truncated triangles, at least not in the last 20 years of their existence. Probably because the buildings had yawning uncoolable sections that became unbearable during exhibition times when ever-increasing crowds thronged the pavilions. Back in 1972 the focus was on creating structures to showcase India’s design prowess to the “world”, a selective minority of aficionados. The needs of exhibitors and visitors were incidental. While heaping praise on their technological excellence (which overrode minor issues like utility and maintenance, of course), fans of Rewal’s ‘lost’ pyramids conveniently forgot the fact that all concrete structures have a stated lifespan of a mere 100 years, which comes down to just 80 years if repairs are not done on time. They also did not mention that acclaimed modern structures have been and continue to be demolished to make way for the new in many nations. Hailed as “living testimony to India’s contribution to contemporary architecture and engineering excellence” by the International Union of Architects” and as a “Brutalist masterpiece” by The New York Times—the supposedly seminal buildings remained one-off. Their structural engineer Mahendra Raj does deserve praise for devising the in-situ cast concrete large-span space frame for Rewal’s fanciful flat-top pyramids, but he did not exactly spark a trend. And notable buildings have by no means been exempt from demolition to make way for newer buildings according to changed priorities. Even great architects like the revered Frank Lloyd Wright, have had to deal with this tough reality. Besides, as the Delhi High Court observed on Rewal’s case claiming copyright over the pyramids, a building is not the same as an art work; designing one cannot deprive owners of the land of the right to redevelop it when need arises. This ruling obviously will apply to Bharat Mandapam too, and decades from now it may well be replaced by some other structures more suitable for that time and the needs of the owner: the government. When Pragati Maidan was designated as an exhibition space, land in central Delhi was aplenty so giving such a huge chunk of it just to hold an annual trade fair was warranted; but times have changed. Clearly a centrally located convention venue would take precedence now. Another ‘Brutalist’ icon, the Chanakya cinema hall built in 1970 was razed in 2007 and now Chanakya Mall stands in its place as per the altered priorities of the land’s owner, New Delhi Municipal Corporation. In the interests of history, Rewal’s pyramids could have been preserved for whatever time concrete structures last. But such a precedent would bode ill for all later redevelopment projects involving the ‘creations’ of architects, especially famous ones. The most astonishing critique, however, is that Bharat Mandapam symbolises majoritarian assertion! Most of the official promotional handouts disseminated before the convention centre was opened last week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi did indeed carry a line that “the building’s elliptical shape draws inspiration from the shankha or conch shell”, associated with Hinduism. However, only a very imaginative eye will actually discern a conch shell of any kind. Bharat Mandapam, also called the Integrated Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) is part of the Pragati Maidan redevelopment project by the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and is meant “to host large-scale international exhibitions, trade fairs, conventions, conferences, and other prestigious events,” according to a press release. A clearly secular purpose. But yes, the new complex does have a large bronze conch shell sculpture beside a water body! Bharat Mandapam’s conch sculpture pales before the gigantic mimetic shankha structure of the Dhano Dhanye auditorium in Kolkata, though, commissioned by the avowedly “secular” West Bengal government and opened this April. The state’s chief minister herself claimed credit for the building’s conch shape which was then built by the state government. Paradoxically, Bharat Mandapam was designed by a renowned Hong Kong-headquartered architectural firm. As for the supposedly exclusivist Hindu overtones of shankhas, Triton, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite and a Greek god of the sea like his parents, was depicted using a conch shell as a trumpet. And thanks to western monopoly over scientific classifications from the 17th century onwards, a species of conch was even named after him! Conch shells also find a place in Buddhism and the traditions of the ancient Mayans, Polynesians and even pre-Islamic sub-Saharan Africa. Strangely, none of the crusaders against majoritarianism espied a similar spectre of Hindu assertion in the circular shape of the Indian Parliament despite many latter-day experts citing its strong resemblance to the 1,100-year-old Chausath Yogini temple in Mitaoli in Madhya Pradesh. In fact, that uncanny resemblance notwithstanding, all these activists vociferously preferred it to the new triangular Naya Sansad building that bears no similarity to any Hindu structure. Lutyens’ own writings reveal that the inspiration for the circular was a colosseum as he admired Roman and Greek architecture and despised India’s entire built heritage. Lutyens’ resounding no-confidence in Indian architectural idioms was evidently enough reassurance for the activists to put their heart and soul into pitching for his Parliament building, despite evidence of colonial arrogance. But that same benefit of doubt is not extended to Bharat Mandapam. Which gives rise to the possibility that their real problem is with the word Mandapam although the ostensible target is the building itself. The word means a pavilion or pillared hall in Sanskrit but those found in temples are either square or rectangular. Bharat Mandapam is not, which negates arguments using the temple angle. But its shape is certainly reminiscent of another mandapam, the legendary circular one conceptualised by the Lingayat seer Basavanna. The official handouts also mention Basaveswara’s ‘Anubhava Mantapa’ as an inspiration for the building. Interestingly, he did not envision it as a temple but a space where sharanas (who hailed from all castes) gathered for discussions—a 12th century convention centre—though it has been more often described as a parliament. The free-ranging discussions there ranged from religious and spiritual to social, literary and economic matters that concerned the Lingayats. Bharat Mandapam will also witness many discussions and welcome a wide range of participants, starting with the G20 summit in September, making Basavanna’s Anubhava Mantapa connection very clear, as also the secular orientation of this 21st-century one. And visitors to this replacement for the Rewal pyramids will be able to enjoy all modern conveniences as their needs have been kept foremost, not the approval of national and international architectural peer groups. The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._ Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.