Structure of Success by Tarini Bakshi

The now iconic Hands installation 

During the British era, Indian competency and inventiveness was in a deplorable state as it was looked upon with suspicion and was highly despised. After they relinquished their command, India was left to tumble in the slough of despond characterised by lack of dynamism and self esteem. However today we claim India to be ‘dynamic’ and ‘self confident’. But if we look closely we see India veering blindly without any constraint towards total globalisation and westernisation.

In today s era of open economic borders, there is a sense of ‘dependency’ that we seem to possess. The Indian mentality somehow remains convinced and complacent about the fact that we are incapable of producing anything of real value without foreign dilution. The swanky new terminal 3 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport cited as the 8^th largest in the world, comes loaded with enthralling characteristics. However behind its entire mind –boggling details lies an important fact that Terminal 3 is not wholly an Indian brainchild. The terminal 3 though built in Delhi was designed by American architects and managed by MGF, a Dubai based consortium. It uses tempered glass, a steel frame and aluminium cladding-all shipped from abroad. The Terminal 3 is definitely world class as it is built and conceived by literally the whole world.

The whole country is in awe of the various spectacular venues of the Commonwealth games. However they reveal a similar story. The enrapturing indoor stadium for badminton and squash has been designed by a renowned Australian architecture firm-Peddlethorp. The designs for Thyagraj stadium, the rugby sevens venue at Delhi University and the Yamuna sports complex are conceptualised by Peddlethorp as well. The JNU stadium has been given a facelift by a German engineering firm –Schlaich Bergermann and Partners. India proudly boasts of metro connectivity in its capital city, however, each coach of the metro has been imported from South Korea.

All new projects that aim to adorn Indian image and set new international standards are a manifestation of the aforementioned point of dependency. The Commonwealth games stadiums, the metro, Terminal 3- do depict India’s best architectural foot and are stunning examples of contemporary architectural vocabulary, however they remain diluted as they are results of foreign implants. The only question that remains unanswered is –where is the home-grown talent, Indian wisdom and pride?

A Day In The Life by Tarini Bakshi

Before you start an indignant tirade against child labour, know this- this little man is not employed by a cunning tea stall owner who needs ‘chotus’ for cheap labour. The stall belongs to his father and ‘Makhan’ here is very fond of making tea from time to time, claiming that his tea is ‘sabse zabardast’. The only thing he dislikes even more than his friends calling him ‘Makkhi’ is books and academics. Ironically Makhan, nine years old and studying in a local school in Jodhpur aspires to be a doctor. He also wants to own a ‘lambi waali laal gadi ' (a long red car) one day. This happy smile is an intrinsic part of Makhan, who loves making new friends. So after the short conversation with him, I couldn’t resist but ask for a cup of his tea. And, it was definitely ‘sabse zabardast’.

Palika Bazaar by Tarini Bakshi

While shopping in Connaught Place in the scorching heat of the sun, Palika bazaar is an alluring escape, serving the purpose of shopping as well as averting the sweat that drips down your back. A subterranean market located under the grassy inner circle of Connaught Place and the only air conditioned-underground market in Delhi, Palika bazaar is a labyrinth of shops. It is reputed for the wide range of black-market or illegal products sold since 1970s.

 In Palika you will find little of what you want and a whole lot of what you need. Notorious as the centre of pirated entertainment, this market hosts about 400 shops selling a diverse range of items –pornography, fake designer clothes, pirated CDs, movies, stolen artefacts etc. Palika bazaar witnesses tourists of all age groups, however the youth is particularly enticed as it is a sea of valuable junk like Rock ‘n Roll t-shirts, funky lighters, hip flasks, discounted electronic equipment and a whole lot of other stuff, which probably has never seen the light of the day. It is an amazing experience to wander through the filthy narrow lanes of Palika inundated with hundreds of people of different nationalities. 

Shady much?

The essence of Palika bazaar’s electric environment and shock-value atmosphere is encapsulated in one very vivid memory that left an indelible imprint on my mind- once when I was meandering in the maze like corridors of Palika, I unwittingly descended into an area which had shops with hundreds of CDs lined on their racks. Intrigued by the sight, I moved to have a closer look. As I approached a stack of CDs, a shopkeeper gestured towards the shelves, looked at me unblinkingly and then muttered ‘Double X chahiye ya Triple X?’