Cobblestone Chronicles

Artwork done by Ameya Kulkarni © To touch art is to touch a mind; to touch the mind, is to touch a life. With its pious pilgrims, quiet hill stations, plush wilderness, less-frequented beaches and tribal charm, Odisha is truly an unmissable destination. Hemmed by the Bay of Bengal on the east, flaunting a generous coastline, this east Indian state humours the curiosity of a traveller who is eager to learn about the many strokes that paint its canvas. Home to one of the four sacred Hindu pilgrimages, Odisha is also a well-known destination for art connoisseurs and for anyone who takes delight in understanding culture and traditions. We often hear people debating about fast fading art and handicraft heritages across the world and how that is indeed inevitable. Thankfully, as Indians, we still have some room to gush about how we have somehow managed to preserve quite a bit of our art and handicraft legacy. Raghurajpur, in Odisha can be titled as the kingpin...

Art has augmented human culture. It influences our way of thinking, our way of living. It has gilded our homes, stained our clothes, sometimes, even mended our souls. It influences communities, it helps cultivate opinions, foster values and translate experiences across space and time.   A striking example of the influence of art on a community is the Maqtha Art district in Hyderabad. In 2017, St+art foundation collaborated with more than 30 artists from across the globe and curated the idea of converting a regular village - Maqtha into an eye-catching landmark for the City of Pearls.  Visiting Maqtha was on the top of my 'Must visit places in Hyderabad ' list during my internship. However, it ended up being the last place I actually found myself ticking off of that list and boy was I glad. As architects, we are often used to hearing the term 'community living' in an urban scenario. However unfortunately, never really get to experience it first hand as we are ...