It is not well known that while designing Chandigarh, Le Corbusier tried to impose his christian superstition of number 13 being unlucky on us secular Indians. At the time of dividing sectors, he gave a number to each but left out number 13.
I have written about it earlier also (www.anaap-shnaap.blogspot.in) but Chandigarh is so full of admirers of Le Corbusier and his nephew that no one has the courage to say the very obvious.
With this background I was thrilled to see an article, "Take off the baggage of superstitions' written by Ms. Jayanti Roy. My sincere complements to her for being courageous enough to criticize the over rated Le Corbusier.
I sometimes pull up The Tribune whenever I feel that it is falling short of expectations or for editorial shortcomings. But this time I want to say 'Bravo The Tribune'.
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/chandigarh/take-off-the-baggage-of-superstitions/554631.html
Chandigarh must shake off this superstition. What about adding a new Sector numbered Sector-13?
I have some other problems too with Le Corbusier:
(i) he copied the Fatima's Hand symbol and called it The Open Hand symbol without showing the grace of giving credit to the original:
The welknown Christian & Islamic symbol of Miriam's/Fatima's hand
(ii) The Chandigarh Legislative Assembly's design is nothing else but putting the chimney design of a reactor on top of the building,
Legislative Assembly building (top) and power plant chimney (below)
(iii) Sector 17 market is the dullest and most bland newly designed city centre that I have seen,
(iv) The concept of 'jalis' used by him liberally have turned out to be an ideal place for dust to settle and are very difficult to clean etc.
(v) Both he and his highly over rated cousin/relative Jeanneret were very poor designers of furniture......
No comments:
Post a Comment