HemantShinde

                              It was a windy January evening this year and we were on our bicycles taking a “Heritage” tour of old buildings in “Fort” area of southern Mumbai. Mumbai is my home town and “The Fort” my favourite hangout place.          “And here we are in front of one more example of Indo-Saracenic Architeture!”,announced our knowledgeable guide in his stylised diction. And this introduction he had to repeat quite a number of times till late that evening.           When we broke for late dinner, all wanted to know from me what this Indo-Saracenic style is.            Here are a few glimpses into this style of architecture and a few tips to identify the buildings when you take a guest or your family or friends to sight-seeing tour of this conserved district of Mumbai. HISTORY          “Saracen” was a term used in Europe until the 19th century referring to Muslim and Arabic-speaking people and regions of the Middle East and North Africa.           Indo-Saracenic is also kn

                                    The other day, I was in a virtual meeting with some friends. This group of mine has entreprenuers from various walks of life. Soon subje ct of discussion turned to “business life after Covid19”. When it was my turn, I said,” Architects like me will continue to incorporate sustainability in our designs of buildings as well as interiors and landscapes.” “And what does that mean?”, someone asked immediately. “ Are you talking about the materials you use for the construction?”, another friend. “How will buildings look like?”,somebody was curious to know. I realised that Sustainability is still a vague idea for many of us. Even though our future is closely related to this concept. Dictionaries like Merriam-Webster define Sustainability as “relating to or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged”. Broadly speaking we may say,” Sustainability is ability to last.” It speaks abou