Every time I hear or see India’s governing party’s (BJP’s) revered slogan ‘India Shining’,
I want to take the phrase in its literal translation. The rising graph of the ‘feel good
factor’ also seems just to be a ‘financial’ feel limited to the software engineers, business
owners or the twenty-something urban ‘zippies’ working the phones at the ever increasing back offices across the Indian landscape. As an architect by profession and a keen eye for the urban environment, I want to see the Indian metropolis and its suburbs literally and physically beautified and ‘shining’! I want to physically ‘feel good’ in the urban Indian landscape.

The economic growth momentum currently taking shape in India will automatically facilitate many of the urban infrastructure improvements. Take for example Mr. Azim Premji, founder of one of the largest Indian technology firms, Wipro. In a news article I read, Mr. Premji demanded the authorities to provide better roads and a world-class airport in Bangalore as current conditions caused embarrassment when international clients visited Wipro’s headquarters based there. His words will carry weight. The central and local government authorities are under pressure from the business community to improve infrastructure so as to maintain the economic growth momentum. The mutual dependence of economic development and better infrastructure will almost certainly improve the basic infrastructure in urban India in its due course of time. Our dilemma lies in issues not directly related to business development such as housing, public spaces and better mass transit systems. In general will the quality of life of an ordinary citizen improve? At a point when some kind of transition is clearly evident in this nation of a billion people, there are many questions that come to mind. What will India look like half a century from now when it might be labeled a “developed nation”? As more and more people migrate to the cities and its suburbs, and the megapolis spreads, will our cities be friendly and humane to its inhabitants or will the prevalent car culture create highways and fly-overs cris-crossing the urban landscape. Will the urban experience be a refreshing walk on pleasant sidewalks and dining in sidewalk cafes without getting fumed by a zillion cars? Will there be plazas and parks and waterfronts or will the highways eat up into public spaces. Will historic buildings be restored and preserved or just left to decay till a developer runs it down? Will we learn from the experiences of successful and unsuccessful cities of the “developed world”?

Every successful city in the world has had to make conscious efforts and decisions. In
the eighteenth century when Paris was a cluttered city rampant with diseases and plague caused by unhygienic living conditions equivalent to the slums of Dharavi (Mumbai)
today, Baron Hausmann tore thru the city to build boulevards and improve the sanitary
conditions. With laws in place and their proper implications, Paris today has an urban feel unrivaled in the modern world. In the 20 th century, although controversies abound, Robert Moses did a similar act in New York and provided the city with numerous parks and highways. In 1964 when the Pennsylvania Station, a 19 th century steel and glass
masterpiece was demolished, New York City and its residents realized the dire need for laws to prevent such tragedies. Today, the city has restored many of its historical gems including the magnificent Grand Central Terminal station. The residents of these cities today, and their future generations to come will benefit from such efforts.

Just as a good clean dwelling can create a healthy and clear mind, an improved urban
environment will have positive repercussions in the mindset of its citizens. In Delhi, when the world class ‘Delhi Metro’ system started operating, there were reports of overwhelming crowds and the rough handling of the transit system. A couple of months later there was another article I came across which reported a change in people’s behavior using the ‘Delhi Metro’. It was the pride in a new, modern and sophisticated system of their city that brought about the change. The true measure to the success of a society is based on the quality of life it provides for its members. Improving our physical environment will set the ball rolling for ‘development’ in all aspects of a community,
society and nation.

Where do we begin? What can you and I do? The first and foremost step to this whole process is bringing about awareness and educating the masses on the significance and necessity to have a healthy urban environment. An educated and aware electorate will add pressure on governing authorities to put more emphasis on the quality of urban life.

Just as we have learnt in the past decade that there is abundance of technologically
advanced professionals in India, there is also no lack of talented and intellectual design
professionals. These Architects, Urban Planners and Designers have a higher degree of
responsibility and must play a leading role. We must get more socially and politically
involved to lobby for the need to provide better living standards for all. Charles Correa, a world-renowned architect from Mumbai had presented innovative design solutions to
tackle some of the urban problems faced by the Mumbai metropolis. Some of these ideas
have been implemented to provide affordable housing. Another such architect I met was
Brinda Somaya based in Mumbai. In the summer of 2002 I spent two weeks working in her office to get a closer look. Ms. Somaya, with the support of philanthropists and a drive to improve the living conditions in the city has developed many community improvement projects such as public parks and community centers. These projects help every resident of the city and improves the cumulative quality of life, one-way or another. Other professionals must follow suit.

Every other individual connected to this country in any way must also play in bringing
about these changes. Indians living abroad, who might constitute a good percentage reading this essay, must carry their good habits back to India and educate their counterparts there. Just as you don’t throw your candy wrapper on the streets of Chicago or San Francisco, don’t do the same in Mumbai or Bangalore. You have economically, socially or politically powerful friends and relatives back home? Spread the message. A beautiful city to live in is as important as having a beautiful house. In the end, every effort will count.

My effort begins with this essay.