Potential Youth Ambassador

Meet the student who got the whole university swelling up with pride, Pinakin Rathod (Bachelor of Planning).

The 22nd National Youth Festival was organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India in collaboration with State Govt. of Uttar Pradesh at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. The objective of the event was to provide a platform to bring the youth of our country together and give them opportunity to showcase their knowledge and talent. The entire programme was designed to enhance their awareness about government initiatives and exhorting the youth to express their perceptions and thoughts on how to make these initiatives more effective. Around 5000 volunteers of National Service Scheme and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan from all parts of the country along with local accredited youth participated in the 5-days Festival. The inauguration was followed by cultural musical performance by local and renowned artists.

Pinakin Rathod, fourth year student of School of Planning, Anant National University was selected as the Potential Youth Ambassador, Youth Action Group, Gujarat.

On the day of National Youth Parliament, he marked his presence with scholarly oration on innovative ideas about sustainable development, green technology, self-development and empowerment, water crisis, global warming, and cashless transaction.

NOSPlan Convention

Who left a mark at the largest planning fiesta, NOSPlan convention? We did, we did.

Third and fourth year students of School of Planning participated in NOSPlan Convention 2017, a national level event for Planning students and professionals, organized by Amity University, Gurgaon. In one of the formal events, Current Practices, students were asked to present on the theme of 'Evangelistic ideas on managing the Revenue Generation and Fund Mobilization process for an ongoing Planning project'. They came back from the event better equipped to manage urban finances and more updated on present-day planning practices.

Students also participated in City Framework, a competition meant to test the creativity and time management of students while making a city scaled model. As true torch bearers of AnantU, all students focussed on sustainability and environment friendliness in their projects.

Fun events such as cricket match, dance and drama competitions, and fashion show made the convention more memorable.

Field trips to further learning

There's only so much one can learn from within the boundaries of four walls, or even of a particular city. Novelty is the source of inspiration and innovation, and in order to become a successful designer, one must traverse beyond his/her familiar spaces. The freshness of another soil, sights of new landscapes, feel of different structures and everything that a new location offers, expands one's creative horizons. It, thus, becomes imperative for design and architecture students to travel for their personal and professional growth.

This need for exposure is well acknowledged at Anant National University whose students were taken to different corners of our country at the brink of 2017. While some got a glimpse of Paris in streets of Patan, others explored centuries' old culture trapped in ancient structures of southern India. Some more visited the modern experimental city, Auroville in Puducherry, and a greater chunk stayed close to their roots and travelled west to the gateway of Thar desert, Jodhpur. Their learnings were as diverse as their outstation locations.

First year undergraduate students from School of Design visited Sidhpur district in Patan, Gujarat to study the European styled carvings of Paris street, spaces based on the culture of Bohrawads and the lifestyle of Brahmin community living around Rudra Mahalaya. What made this town an interesting pick was its historical context - Bohra traders of 20th century had brought back the appeal of Europe and inculcated its colours and style in the streets of their hometown. During this related study programme, students learnt to measure and draw interior spaces backed by an understanding of planning concepts used by Bohra community and Hindus in that region.

The richness of our culture can't be understood better than by visiting World Heritage Sites of Hampi and Anegondi. The beautiful vernacular architecture and resilient community based set up at these scenic villages of north Karnataka make them perfect choices for educating students about conservation of heritage sites. During this visit, second year students of School of Architecture measured drawings of building plots, open and semi open spaces, and major street elevations. They conducted water level surveys for roads and building elevations, and documented their work through photographs. First year students made detailed sketches of structures and studied construction masonry, joinery and materials. A wonderful insight that everyone gained from this trip came from Mrs. Shama Pawar, Director, founding member of Kiskinda trust and Hampi Foundation who explained how development is not against heritage and vice versa.

On the other end of spectrum was the epitome of developing modern city of India, Auroville. Located on the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, this experimental city is being built on the principles of sustainable living since 1968. Students explored ways to make products for a cause with natural materials and discovered how to creatively reduce waste from our society. They were exposed to sustainable materials and technologies during this trip.

Students who visited Jodhpur focussed on principles of adaptive reuse of existing structures. They learnt about local material and design solutions with respect to the climatic and social conditions of the location. Students documented Umaid Bhavan, hotel Jhankar, Raas Haveli and hotel Blue House, all fine examples of adaptive reuse.

Through these related study programmes and environmental exposure programmes, students gained cultural as well as academic knowledge. They were exposed to new settings and novel challenges. Strengthening of peer bonds followed and their comfort zones expanded span India.

Offsite at Zainabad

Decades ago Freud claimed that experiences of our childhood left a lifelong impact, and after the Fellows' visit to Zainabad they couldn't agree more.

At the brink of 2017, our Fellows were taken to an open resort in Zainabad for almost a week to help them reflect on their past and how it has been affecting their actions in the present. Guided by Prof. Sushanta Banerjee, Prof. Indira Parikh and Prof. Arun Nabar, Anant Fellows participated in day-long intense exercises on self-awareness and self-growth. The serene surroundings and introspective discussions aided their journey towards enhanced acceptance of self and others.

To give them a leisure break from intense sessions, they were taken to Rann of Kutchh for a day. By the end of this enlightening expedition, Fellows were better equipped to see the invisible, own the disowned and discover their true identity.

Field trip to Lothal and LD Museum

An academic course can be hailed as admirable when it can give its students the best of both worlds - theory and practical evidence.

Anant Fellows took a field trip to Lothal and LD Museum for their course on 'Perspectives on Indian Civilization' with Prof. Michel Danino on 21st January, 2018. They got practical exposure to the archaeological context they had been studying in their classrooms. Bricks, ceramics, pottery and beadwork from Harappan civilization were discovered at the site. Historical paintings at LD Museum further strengthened their understanding of our country's past.

Soon, Fellows will also start working on their individual research papers in this subject.

Painted Interiors

The workshop on painted interiors was conducted with the intention of exposing students to another aspect of interior design - how paint is used in interiors barring painting of wall ceilings, etc. During the course of this workshop, students learnt through practical exposure the ways to change the look of an existing space using various paint techniques and styles, like marbling, sponging, ragging and trompe l'oeil to name a few. Students worked on a project where they took an old furniture item, renovated it and gave it a new avatar using only paint and its techniques that they learnt during the workshop.

Papermaking

Hand papermaking is a skill that predates most modern day techniques of papermaking. As a tool, papermaking offers various avenues to design students to explore and implement their ideas. During the course of this workshop, students will learn how to recycle paper, make paper from plant fibres, techniques of pulp painting and ways to use hand papermaking for design exploration. They will also learn to make paper cretes to make large solid structures and furniture pieces.

Unlearning

Unlearning is important to break down pre-conceived notion the student has because of her context and conditioning. Therefore, the learning objectives of this workshop are directly aimed at altering generally conceived presumptions. Students will learn that there is no absolute right or wrong, no place or person with all answers, information is not learning, we are all a part of something bigger, it is okay to fail and that one should always know who they are, not what others expect them to be. The workshop intends to inspire students to dream and make them believe anything is possible.

It is all about the LINE

"The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled."

A well informed idea is often reduced to an unruly scribble because we fail to understand that every visual is an amalgamation of a dot, a dash, a curve and a line. What happens when these lines and curves are juxtaposed, the fine nuances of light, the intricacies of darkness; the answers to these form the basis of this workshop. This elective aims to help students in developing better perception skills and ways of seeing.

Gaze

How much is too much and how long is too long?

Am I completely unaware between what is right and wrong?

Who am I and who are you?

Are we divided based on the growth of our organs or how far we stay?

Staying away from the equator, thus the fairer and darker

Or letting you know that you're too weak

Because you don't have an extension between your legs but could surely push a human out until you're weak?

I've spent too much of my time looking upto you and looking down at you

At awe by your perfection or in disgust at your failures

Would it ever be, possible for me to see?



- Joseph Rajini Asir

Tips for Thesis - Jasmine Gohil

The Thesis is a mandatory research paper that every architecture student must undergo. However, it is wrong to see the Thesis as merely a means to an end. The Thesis is to be viewed as your first contribution to the vast tomes of Architectural literature.

While selecting a Thesis topic, you should keep the following in mind:

• Don't be afraid to choose an existing topic, the more existing literature is available on the topic you choose, the more you will be able to connect with the topic. Choosing a simple unoriginal topic but executing it in a way that can exhibit your talent and learnings can suffice the purpose.
• Choose a topic that interests you or are passionate about
• Recognise what you are good at - utility based project or abstract

While writing a Thesis, keep in mind that you will require the following:

• Dedicate every waking hour to your project
• Make a proper, comprehensive Thesis statement; this is the summary of your entire project
• Have an outlook for the future, your Thesis can later become part of a book or personal archive, it is not just a step in the way to get a degree!
• Keep the Yin/Yang of Architecture in mind; a wonderful Thesis is one that presents an equilibrium between Art and Science