Topic : Mukhyadhara, Mainstreaming the Marginalised via. A case of the Transgender Community

Mentors : Prof. Saurabh Barde

Having observed the sense of discomfort and awkwardness among the people coming across a ‘Hijra' in a public place while growing up and the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgement declaring Transgender as the ‘Third Gender’ intrigued me to take up the case of the Transgender Community for my Design Dissertation.

The dissertation focused on three key aspects viz. Marginalisation of the transgender community, the community in the urban realm and the opportunities available for their social acceptance and sustenance.

As I dived deeper into the research I understood their current position in our existing societal fabric, the plethora of problems and sacrifices they do in order to survive in such a stringent ecosystem.

Moving ahead I did an on-ground survey to understand them and their life first-hand to formulate the intervention in the architectural domain.

The site selected for the intervention is located in Dharamveer Nagar, Thane, in proximity to the place of residence of the individual’s I interviewed for the survey.

The practice of architecture has inherently been social intertwining the user, it’s needs and the greater community creating an ecosystem. The project aims to employ architecture to advance justice for the marginalised by bridging the gap between asking for and receiving their due.

The heart of the project lies in establishing a generative socio-economic society focusing on congenial and healthy social environment providing impetus to the inclusion of the marginalised in the mainstream within the architectural domain.

Topic : Redefining secularism through death

Mentors :Ar. Fatema Master

Death is secular for all the living creatures. Burial grounds, human being’s last stop and final dwelling does not reflect the same concept of secularism. Neither do the humans of living world reflect that.

So, the concept of Secularism which got blurred in a recent year because of the Political Agendas and a lack of understandings among different religious groups will be highlighted by using Death which is a part of Life of all human beings.

To bring Harmony And peace and to create a secular environment for the society, the idea of death was studied.

This thesis examines the role of death under the religious background of the people living in a metropolitan city to build a larger community by employing intersection of religious programs, place-making, and it will also help us to achieve the lost identity of a burial grounds in an urban context. The spaces will not only be restricted to a particular religion or certain sects or sub-sect but rather it will also accommodate a non-religious individual.

Topic : Reimagining Urbanscapes: Breaking gender boundaries

Mentors :Ar. Fatema Master

"Cities are planned, designed by men and for men, such as a 6' tall good-looking policemen" - Le Corbusier. Men, women, gender minorities, and people with different abilities all use public space in different ways: we all have different needs and routines when it comes to getting around the city. A man may not consider a dark, shady location ten times, but a woman might. However, this modernist worldview failed to account for women and children, the elderly and the disabled – in fact, anyone who fell outside of this “statuesque” ideal. I aimed to establish a natural and safe atmosphere for women. To re-imagine cities from a women’s perspective - The Urban Vision/The Urban Safety.

Topic : Rewild to change to grow

Mentors :Ar. Ajjay Sharma

Every ecosystem works on the basis of many symbiotic relationships, while one can argue on many relationships that exist around us. I questioned how the current relationship between a human being and its surroundings can be more intimate and conscious.

As a try to answer the question above, this thesis presents an experiment which if successful can mend the imbalance in this relationship by using architecture as a tool.

Starting with something as small and intimate as a home, the aim is to go as big as changing the architecture of the world to something that encourages the users, especially the new generation to adopt a new lifestyle close to nature and allows us once again to develop a strong connection with our surroundings.