In today’s world of our continuous race to find utopia, there has been a sudden realization amongst people that it is their own actions which has now lead them to grave environmental issues like global warming, pollution etc. This sudden realization has made people go back in time, and made them think where had they gone wrong? On thoroughly analyzing their doings people realized that in the hunger to make themselves a part of an utopian society, they forgot the earth, which is the sole reason they are alive. Instead of utilizing it, they exploited it. Instead of being sensitive towards it, they just kept fulfilling their under thought visions of utopia. But what now? The damage has already started. Then some learned person reminded everyone of a proverb we have all learnt about in school, ‘its better late than never.’
Now there were people who reacted in different ways to this situation. There were few who in the greed to reach utopia, continued giving a deaf year to everyone. There were other few who in a try to save the degrading earth decided to go back from where they had started.
But the main question is man, after progressing so much, after years of development how far can he go back? Is it possible? Is it feasible? Is it practical? And the main question, is it the solution?
Architecture is all about designing for the people with the help of the environment and not about overpowering environment. But man doesn’t need to go back from where he started. Our traditions, our culture tell us how to harness the nature to the best in a particular context. Man must understand that, today, the context has changed. It’s no more possible to live in the present by blindly following the past. Our history must be identified as a progressive appropriation of rational foundations of knowledge. Historicity must be defined as the use of the past to help shape the present, but it does depend upon the respect for the past. * Every civilization has its own period of youth, maturity and old age and once it dies its necessary to continue ahead and not begin again from the start. It’s necessary to not blindly criticize the new styles of architecture but to look into the commonsensical approach in architecture on the basis of traditional wisdom to achieve an outcome with relevance to the overall context, architectural sensitivity, availability of resources and technological advancements.
Hence, the idea is not to waste time replicating the past but to chart out the likely available futures on the basis of traditional and modern knowledge systems together, which will try to achieve the infinite existence of man on earth in harmony with the nature.
*The consequences of modernity – Anthony Giddens