SK Das Associated Architects

Bajaj Engineering Skills Training center at CGU, Bhubaneswar is the first such building of university-industry partnership in which our clients provided us with a jointly agreed brief between the two for the design of the building.
We promoted a design language befitting an educational institution coherently inserted into the flavor of the campus while subsuming material richness and sophistication of the interior spaces demanded to accommodate the aspiration of the corporate partner.

MACO: Modi Always Chickens Out

by

Seshadri Kumar

**

Yesterday, the United Nations overwhelmingly adopted a resolution asking for an immediate, unconditional, and *permanent* ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages, as well as the provision of immediate humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza.

Before the vote, Trump has threatened all countries in the world that a vote in favour of the resolution would be viewed as an anti-American move.

There were 149 votes in favour, 12 against, and 19 abstentions.

India abstained.

149 countries told Trump to go take a hike, including most of the important countries in Europe, traditionally American allies.

But not India.

List of countries that voted against:

The US (of course)
Israel (of course)
Argentina
Fiji
Hungary
Micronesia
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Nauru
Paraguay
Tonga
Tuvalu

Essentially, only five significant countries: US, Israel, Paraguay, Hungary, and Argentina

The list of countries that abstained, along with India:

Albania
Cameroon
Czechia
South Korea
Dominica
Ecuador
Ethiopia
Georgia
Kiribati
Malawi
Marshall Islands
North Macedonia
Panama
Romania
Slovakia
South Sudan
Timor-Leste
Togo

Just looking at this list tells you how isolated India is on the world stage. You are judged by the company you keep. We are, today, only as significant as a North Macedonia or a South Sudan; and a lackey of the US, or America's poodle (It was the UK that used to be called America's poodle, but after their display of spine in this resolution, that title must now go to India under Modi.)

Most countries have a spine and know how to call Trump's bluff.

But Trump clearly has Modi by the ba**s.

Of course, there is one more factor at play here. The Palestinians are Muslims, and this Indian government and its governing party hate Muslims around the world. They are also unabashed admirers of Israel. So it didn't take much persuasion to get India to abstain.

India is clearly no Vishwaguru. More like a Vishwa Ghulam. The world will see us as a weak pushover, a country that can be disregarded without consequence, a nation with no moral fiber or conscience.

You can send as many delegations to foreign countries as you want. They will not give you the time of day after this weak and cowardly action.

In international affairs, Modi Always Chickens Out.

www.skdas.org

A project with a focus on building the spirit of community spaces and places rather than mere delivery of luxury laden homes.

In this multifamily collective context of living, it is only appropriate to let architecture articulate common spaces in multiple layers, at multiple levels with strong interconnectedness in a continuum to establish a significant public domain, courtyards, streets, covered or open to sky terraces surrounded by landscape are the essential ingredients in making of a collective space related to living of the inhabitants rather than be dictated by whims and fancies of real estate developers as “Flavors of the season”.

Housing is beyond making gated communities that serially turn their back to the city and shutting those as gated enclaves.

S.K. Das
SK Das Associated Architects

Lanterns are up in the eatery that is “Deepak’s Dhaba”, Chandroti village, Dehradun. Next to come, the vegetable shop next door. A small beginning to well lit village streetscape.

This is after the rear wall was dismantled to accommodate a de facto gallery for a spectacular view of the wildlife corridor.

A Self managed, bottom-up process of local change at measured pace, without external assistance.

For us, it’s about architect as an enabler of change, low key; in the background.

Virtues of designing for a passionate educationist and the team thus assembled:

First visit to Sai International Residential School at Trishulia on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar after covid disruption. Undisputedly among the best schools in India. Was delighted to see the campus mature so well, with trees grown and fish in the waterbody going beyond a thousand, all in a matter of four years. And to match the foresight and ambitions of the visionary founder Chairman Late Dr. Bijay Sahu, right down to details. And to continue my association with the school and other new institutions that will gradually add to the campus cluster.
Looking forward to a lasting and long term association with this premier institution.

ARCHITECTURE OF INDEPENDENCE

Yet another student hostel. A contextual variation within the general typology for all hostels in CV Raman Global University (CGU) campus, Bhubaneshwar.

This external appearance exudes the idea of students constituting a “Social Collective”, emulating ‘Solidarity’.

Internally within the building, the corridor fronting student accommodation across four floors are more like interactive "streets" that replace conventional corridors. The four levels visually interlock sufficiently. Thus, attaining a sense of the student collective.

An outcome of hand drawn initial conception and design, subsequently processed in digital technology and without AI. With an able team of subscribers to the idea; associated architects 25 to 30 years of age; In our studio for “further learning”.

Rohan Rathore, Avinash S Gowda, Oshima Bhatia, Ketan Gupta with S.K. Das