Development and Research on Nature, Arts and Heritage

Built Heritage, Ecology and Environment, Community Participation, Arts & Crafts and Education


	"we share a vision for a better quality of life without foregoing the links from past................"


	Dronah Publication

	Context : Built, Living and Natural”, a bi-annual journal records and evaluates documentation and conservation methods for built and natural heritage and also relates people’s role in the process. It encompasses the complete milieu of people, place and architecture and provides a common platform for professionals, NGO’s, donors/funding agencies, government officials and academicians to express their views.
	Vol 2 Issue II	Editorial>>> The focus of this issue is the documentation of built heritage. Most often ignored in the Indian context, documentation is in fact the most essential initial step for interpretation and conservation of heritage structures. The ‘Compiling Records’ section in the issue presents excellent measured drawings of two complementary sacred Indian archetypes- the Baoli and the Temple. The firsthand documentation of the baolis in Madhya Pradesh is an exemplary work on these dilapidated heritage structures. Rotzer’s interesting interpretation of the baoli as an inverse temple form introduces a fresh perspective for further research on these water structures. The documentation of temples undertaken by the American Institute of Indian Studies further emphasizes the need for such methodical records of our built heritage. The second section shifts the emphasis from physical documentation to the recording of the intangible aspects of such sites. Anuradha Nambiar emphasizes the role of memory as a significant historical record through a case study of the lived experiences of the last royal inhabitants of the Shakthan Thaimpuran Palace at Thrissur, Kerala. Ajaykumar interrogates the role of spectatorship in art-architecture and design practice through a trans-cultural, trans-historical comparison of the Ellora caves with Ando’s architecture. The following two articles on the City Centre of Kolkata showcase the role of individuals and NGO’s in documenting and bringing forth Indian heritage to an international front for conservation support. The articles on environment present relevant issues in rural watershed development; the need for environmental byelaws in urban development, and feature the Environmental Sanitation Institute by Vastu Shilpa Foundation as an example of sustainable design. The debate on the Conservation Charter that started from our previous issue carries on! We look forward to your feedback. Contents>>> Editorial Compiling Records Baolis on Basaltic Ground Klaus Rotzer Documenting Temples American Institute of Indian Studies Methods and Approaches Silent Histories: The Recent Past of the Shakthan Thampuran Palace, Thrissur Anuradha Nambiar Dynamics of Psycho-spheres: Ellora Caves and Tadao Ando Ajaykumar Reviving the Historic City Centre, Dalhousie Square, Kolkata Manish Chakraborty The Historic Urban Core of Kolkata; Another Approach Satyaki Sarkar Watershed Development Programme: Who Gains? Divya Sharma Sustainable Solutions Environmental Santitation Institute, Ahmedabad Yatin Pandya, Vastu Shilpa Foundation Futuristic Byelawa for Urban Environment Suchandra Bardhan Heritage Album Gurgaon Vs Aravali Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj Bastakkiyah- A Heritage Village in Dubai Shikha Jain Reviews Charter for the Conservation of Unprotected Architectural Heritage and Sites in India: The International Perspective Navin Piplani Book Review Kishore Kumar Events <<<Back