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Playing with shapes and words

— Photo: R.V. Moorthy

Sangeet Sharma in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Becoming an architect was a natural corollary for him, feels Sangeet Sharma , who calls himself a modern-day architect caught in the daily grind of the profession. Madhur Tankha meets the versatile professional who was in the Capital recently to talk about his “Architecture, Life and Me.”

Flair for drawing, painting, sculpture and filmmaking helps an architect design buildings in an artistic way, says Chandigarh-based architect-cum-writer Sangeet Sharma.

Sangeet was in the Capital this past week to familiarise bibliophiles as well as budding architects with his new book “Architecture, Life and Me.”

“Stories of how Chandigarh was constructed inspired me to take a close look at the city’s architecture. In fact, during my growing-up years I was a witness to stimulating discussions between my father’s contemporaries. The environment brimmed with energy and innovative ideas.”

Stating that Chandigarh and he grew up together, the 46-year-old says the city was showered with a lot of affection by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. “Nehruji wanted Chandigarh to become a beautiful city as he wanted to assuage the feelings of displaced Punjabis, who had lost their homes and ancestral property in Pakistan. Actually, Chandigarh’s architecture left an indelible mark on my mind. Buildings and spaces influenced me psychologically and physiologically.”

Sangeet says becoming an architect was a natural corollary for him. “As an 11-year-old, I was curious about the intricacies of architecture. My father S.D. Sharma, an architect, had the privilege of assisting Le Corbusier who was the pioneer behind the wonderful architecture of Chandigarh. This rare association obviously sparked my interest in this highly specialised field.”

Shedding light on the work of legendary French architect, Sangeet says Le Corbusier was a workaholic. “He had so many things on his hands that he didn’t have a minute to spare. He studied the Indian climate and tried to understand the pattern of living of our countrymen. Windows played an important role in his scheme of things. He believed that light played an important role in highlighting the beauty of architecture.”

Describing himself as a modern-day architect caught in the daily grind of the profession, he says architecture is a combination of all arts such as sculpture, poetry, painting and music. “If an architect has a flair for all the forms of art then it would reflect in his buildings. I studied painting at school in Chandigarh. The cubism of Picasso fascinated me and I enjoyed playing with bricks and stones. Drawing is the tool of architecture. When I got admission to the College of Architecture, my father insisted that I do one sketch a day. Many architects are adept at sketching. Artists as well as architects are creatures of temperament and individual preferences.”

Speaking about his latest book, Sangeet says it talks about his explorations, misadventures and encounters with the science of architecture. “Writing a book is like a catharsis-like experience for me. Not an autobiography per se but it is definitely a trip down the memory lane. I have explored tangible and intangible relationships with shape and forms. It is a man’s journey to discover the many facets of life through the practice of architecture.”

As a visiting teacher of architecture in various cities, Sangeet asked his students to tell him about the thin line that differentiates a mere building from architecture. “As the answers given were never satisfactory, I took it upon myself to find an explanation and provide an apt platform to discuss and reveal the same. The book is an inspiration for the students and practitioners of architecture to follow their instincts and their heart to create their best designs.”

He penned the book in the midst of a busy practice: “Writing de-stresses me. It is an outcome of drawing lines and capturing spaces that catapult a melange of words. Writing was a hobby that became a passion and is now an addiction,” says Sangeet, who designed the National Centre for Plant Genome Research in Delhi.

To give readers a feel-good factor, the author has also garnished the text with elegant sketches and interesting snippets of information about architecture.

Sangeet will soon release a documentary on architectural heritage of Mysore in which he will explain the need to preserve remnants of the past. He is also penning a biography on Le Corbusier. His other books are “Architectural Aesthetics,” “Step by Step Hospital Designing and Planning” and a collection of English poems titled “The Touch of Moon.”

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