My neural network, at the merest mention of
“Shivaji Nagar” conjures, for the benefit of my sensory organs, a plethora of
smells and noise, visuals of enough people to drown in and pavements
overflowing with trash. Practical only insofar as catching buses go, it’s not a
place I willingly frequented.
Over the course of the course, my
perception of Shivaji Nagar has been altered greatly in some ways, and not at
all in others. While it still perpetuates a persona that is strictly in the
“larger-than-life” category, Shivaji Nagar also has a depth I did not
previously see, or indeed, care to see.
During my walks around Shivaji Nagar, I
acquired (apart from delayed onset muscle soreness) much fascination for the
lifestyle I witnessed – a purposeful sort of atmosphere, although everyone is
more than willing to stop to aid the clueless tourist. Shivaji Nagar is also a
melting pot of religion and culture with myriad personalities and an agreeable
concoction of mosques, churches and temples. The architecture oscillates
between colonial and traditionally Indian, covering all the stops in between.
An equal assortment of street names can be found, from Noha to Ebrahim Sahib to
Thoppa Mudaliar. However, for all its chaos, Shivaji Nagar is admirably organized;
shops are located in accordance with their wares and each category has its own
niche. Through my interaction with the people of
Shivaji Nagar, I gleaned new insight into their lifestyles. A lot of people I
met harbor pride for Shivaji Nagar, and are only too happy to point out places
of interest and the best routes to take.
In light of the vivacity and the scenery, I
tend to be partial to Shivaji Nagar on film. Photographs, stoic as they are,
seem to satisfyingly capture the mutable nature of the region. The concept my group is intent on working on is a juxtaposition of Shivaji Nagar through the ages. Correspondingly, the route we've drafted contains both aspects of the locality, tradition and contemporary.
Shivaji Nagar also boasts a hybrid
classification, being a semi-urban area, still catching up to the evolution its
surroundings have already undergone, in a fully urban setting.
Its contradictory nature, full of antitheses
as it is, is what intrigues me, and my experiences in Shivaji Nagar have been something akin to experiencing the Fremantle Doctor - sometimes it's pleasurable, and at other times it's a violent sort of exasperating.
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