Cobblestone Chronicles

City Palace, Jaipur I read somewhere recently - “Jaipur is the finest jewellery ever created on earth, where king was the jeweller and bricks his gems”, and how true! One always falls short of words while describing the generous charm that the city has to offer to every first timer and sometimes, even the locals. The culture, traditions, art, architecture, jewellery and textiles of Jaipur have always charmed the tourists . It is one city that, even after modernisation, still holds to its roots and values. I have a small ‘online tradition’ before I begin writing a new blog. I type in the destination (in this case) ‘Jaipur…’ on Wikipedia to see how my friend,  Wiki , auto fills my search. What follows is mostly a twinkling giggle and a subsequent state of utter dismay. Sharing a few examples of what I found online below. Relax, it is not a rant. Just a perspective. Now first of all, never go for the whole ‘1-day Itinerary’ tourism, otherwise you will never b...

Tucked away in the East Khasi Hills, is a new-fangled city with a contemporary charisma and vintage charm. Nestled in the heart of the mighty peacemaker of our lovely Seven Sisters - Meghalaya, this bustling hill station is also known as the ‘ Scotland of the East’ . To make an acquaintance (even if not completely) with at least one of our intriguing north eastern sisters had been on my to-explore list for as long as I can remember. I had only seen glimpses of this unexplored paradise in indie music videos or perpetual wall calendars that were hung in my house when I was a kid. Bound by its diverse ethnicity and culture, this done-to-death destination was everything I had imagined it would be, and in fact more. View of the Khasi Valley Shillong was all about the ‘Hygge in the air’ First impressions are important, especially if you are travelling to an unknown destination. Every place has an energy, a vibe. That energy forms my first impression. You must be familiar wi...

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 ...