I am an Architect. Or AM I?

Few months back my boss forwarded an email to me which was a usual competition email with instructions to guide the interns to execute it. I never had an idea that I'll be more than delighted to see that it was rather an individual competition and only an architect with the license to practice can participate in it. I never thought that I would actually participate and submit it and it won't be just another 'to do' on my list until the last day of submission. This was a breath of fresh air, where I had no boundaries- no client to tell what exactly to do, no developer to impose all the monetary limitations and no government by-laws to follow. This was not something where I was supposed to give shape to the ideas of my boss, but rather put all the wisdom and knowledge gained under him and this firm and design something entirely on my own. It was also different from the college competitions, where I can't just paint unicorns in the sky, but look for a tool to crea...

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer." This article is not really about architecture but it is about an architect's love for travel. It's been two years and seven months and Bengaluru has more than changed my life. Living life independently on your own terms and your's alone has it's own perks. Broadly, there are supposed to be three phases in our lives and so we have been told. Phase 1: When you are a kid-you have all the energy and time but no money. Phase 2: When you are an earner- you have money and energy but no time, and Phase 3: When you are retired- you have time, you have money but no energy. So what do we do? We manage the little time, save and use the little money we have and all of our energy, in an age when we have almost no responsibilities, no worries, i.e. only if we allow ourselves to. Life is a celebration. That is what Bengaluru has taught me. It is full of enthusiastic people who earn, eat and travel, experi...

Every builder builds somewhat for unknown purposes, and is in a measure a prophet-Mary Eleanor Wilkins freeman In our career as architects, we come across many type of builders- the experienced builders, the businessmen-turned-builder builders, the first timers, the phoney ones, the agitated builders, the impulsive builders, the  friendly builders, the  arrogant builders, the teacher builders, the rahul gandhi-type builders, the very young builders, the dishonest builders, the looks-like-shopkeeper-but-rich AF-type builders, the bringing-kids-to-office-type builders, the always-farting-and-burping-type builders and then there is the passionate one. In my two and a half year of experience, I have worked with some 15 or so. Some for long term and some for a very brief time (yes, the ones who run away once they get what they want). Some for a single project and some for a few more. But then, they can be broadly classified into two categories. The first category is t...