MAGNOLIA (Marathi)

“ARCHITECTURE IS THE MOTHER OF ARTS.” THAT WAS MERELY A ‘LETTERING’ EXERCISE IN THE INITIAL WEEKS OF ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL. MY MIND OFTEN DRAWS UPON THE PARAPHRASE. MY THREE-DECADE LIFE IN ARCHITECTURE BROUGHT UNMATCHED GRATIFICATION AND JOY ALONG WITH LIVELIHOOD; BUT ARCHITECTURE ALSO UNFOLDED SOMETHING MORE. ARTS WERE ALWAYS SOUL TO ME BUT IT WAS DURING MY ARCHITECTURAL EXPLORATIONS THAT THE LINES BETWEEN ARTS TRULY DIFFUSED AND I SAW THEIR OVERLAPS LENDING NEW BEAUTIFUL SHADES TO A NEW ARTISTIC AMALGAM. MUSIC, DANCE, PAINTING, LITERATURE ... HOW GREATLY THEY HAVE ENRICHED MY JOURNEY! I HAVE OFTEN LOST MYSELF IN A MEDITATION-LIKE TRANCE SEEING HOW THEIR AURAS MERGE INTO EACH OTHER. THE PURSUIT OF CAREERS TOOK US BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN INDIA AND AMERICA IN A UNIQUELY INSPIRING PATTERN, EXPOSING US TO WORLD’S FINE BITS OF HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, NATURE AND HUMANITY. I HAVE MET MOST WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND SEEN SOME BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL PLACES ON THE WAY THAT EVOKED A COMPELLING EMOTION INSIDE ME. ‘MAGNOLIA’ IS A WORD PORTRAIT OF MY JOURNEY. A MEMOIR OF AN ARCHITECT-ARTIST THAT TOUCHES UPON THE PROCESSES, PASSIONS AND PLIGHTS OF A CREATIVE LIFE, EXPRESSED AS FREE-FORM RUMINATIONS, AND REFLECTIONS.