House of an Architect

 We have a few architects in the family. I was recently at the home of one. Some nice things I noticed.. 

Open to the sky. Including rain that collects in the drawing room like a pond.

Decoration on the wall, and below, a large garden.

Some of the bounty.

A Graduation in the Family

 My second daughter Pooja just graduated from University of York, U.K.. A Master's in Cultural Heritage Mgt., after a Bachelor of Architecture earlier from India. The first works for Tata Classedge, an edtech company after her M.A. in English.

That completes the cycle of responsibility that Indian parents have towards their kids. Marriage is optional, and their business to decide on, when they feel like it. I will attend it, for sure. 

Some pics-

Prestige University as it Evolves

 The building is a work of art. The architect, Sanjay Puri, has conceived a unique -looking structure, and won awards for the design. Coming to the final stages now, here's a view from the top-it reminded me of how we climbed to the top of the Water Tank at IIM Bangalore when we moved in as students, and similar views greeted us.

Architecture

 It can impress. The first Ayn Rand book I read had an architect hero. But it is still rare that you find buildings in your life which are brilliant in conception and execution. I was fortunate to live in one such campus- the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and recently got hold of a few more pics from our times (1980s), out of a couple of Yearbooks of seniors/juniors. Here are some of those pics.. with masala added in the form of quotes.

The Yearbook of the 1986 batch (above), and a hostel in Jayanagar that our seniors lived in (below)

Smart Cities- A Seminar at Reva

I was part of an interesting seminar at Reva University last week. Smart Cities was the theme. Some pics from the event and the venue. The university is a private university in Bangalore. It has some unique architecture, a staircase that is floating, or rather supported from the top rather than the base.

 Some nice exteriors too. Below, with my ex-colleague Shinu Abhi, who works there and is a Corporate Trainer for New Age programs in AI, Analytics, Cybersecurity, Deep Learning etc.

Thailand Memories

We went to Thailand a few years ago. Some memories.

 Noong Nooch garden-very well maintained.

 Bells and whistles

 and temples

Some lovely architecture and seafood!

Angkor Wat Temples

Angkor Wat has been on the (bucket) list for a while, and a conference in Phnom Penh provided the opportunity. You can go there straight (and not via Phnom Penh), as the nearby airport is an international one- Siem Reap. The temples are a great place to wander around for a couple of days (with a tuk-tuk to drive you from one temple to another)...a bit like the Hampi-Vijaynagar complex in size. The temples are in worse shape than Hampi, but some are being restored with help from Germany, India and France. Anyway, here are some pics-

 Shot on the go, from tuk-tuk.

The moat around the main temple.

 Three on the rock, and two in front.

 These are Apsaras (celestial nymphs). There is a German project to restore all the Apsaras (!)

 Our tuk-tuk, a contraption with a bike pulling a cart.

 A long shot!

 Walls full of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

 Bayon temple..against a blue, blue, sky.

 Interesting point of entry.

 This one has entangled roots of large trees. Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider was shot around here.

Closer look at the faces.