The Reversal of Architecture (& its meaning!!)

If this sounds complicated- please do visit the Jaipur House located National Museum of Modern Art- Main Building!! It became the main building , from being the building, when a Extension was deemed to be added to it to take up the complicated museum activities that this building was found restrained in doing. While, I do state, that I am not aware of the brief for the extension- I am sure that the colonial architecture, with its urban location & references, must surely have needed to be respected!!

Ah, But does it not!! The Architecture of the building has been reversed!! The new extension exists. & in deference to the new, the main & historic & important main building is now to be entered from the , wait for it, back side!!

Uff!! & since you know the succession of spaces in a formal colonial space meanings in architecture of such buildings, you know the meaning of such negation!! So the central hall, with its peculiar & grand circular two way spaces , entered from the patio & the foyer, in the time since it was first made & till at least I last visited, is now entered through a timid back gate!! Voila, to make it of meaning, a sculpture sits in the middle facing this wrong side, only able to point out the wrong in the building!!

The Experience of entering grand spaces the opposite way is to be seen to be believed!! The two sides, delicately detailed staircase with the royal motif at the end looks seriously violated!!

& then the circulation goes all wary!! & in this is the current exhibition on modern masters – itihas- ( history) going on!! Amongst those on show is the legendary artist “Baba” Sanyal!! I dare say they will not agree being reached there in the wrong way!!

That the original space in the forecourt has been closed, & now over littered with sculpture, is just the continuing bane of the problem. The quarantined forecourt does give away the sadness of the mood that the “main” building now is engulfed with!!

& I am not to comment on the Architecture of the “new” building!!

This is why, probably, the architectural community is rather wary of interjecting in historic precincts!! Because we can go so wrong!!