To understand India, one has to understand in to its history. India has been through a suffering time with many struggles before it becomes an independent democratic country. It was a centurial fight before Indian people won their liberty and freedom. It all began when European traders came to India for its domestic goods and ingredients. They had set up their company and started to export Indian goods to the Western Countries. And, at the time of Britain ‘s imperial period, from 1815 -1914, when the British empire invaded Asia. India is one of the colonized countries under the British empire.The rebellions against the English rulers was slowly formed and gained more violently later on. A lot of strategies had been used for this battle of freedom. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a major leader in this independence movement in India. He urged for a non-violent movement for Indian independence. Personally, the result of the India becoming a free country was not depend on only one reason. There were both internal and external factors which influence the movement, the rebellion, and even the decisions of both British Government and India national congress. The internal factors are those anti-colonialism, nationalism movement. Also the chaotic problem between Muslims and Hindus within the region itself had gained more violent and became out of control, the problem was hard to solve because it involves with religious matter. The external influences for India and its independent movement are World War I and World War II. The effect of war propaganda from the German and Japanese are the major external influences on the India people. Their objectives are to rise the nationalism movement in India, against British Government. Thus, on 15th August 1947 India had claimed its rights and become a free country.
It has been 64 years since India got its freedom and being independence from British Empire. It was undoubtedly the suffering period of Indian people. But after India got its independence, it is another story. From my point of view, after India got its independence the city had choices of how the city going to move on. One choice is to create a new city in which of course anti every system in which related to the British system or to follow the footstep that the English had prepared for them. After I visited Old Delhi, New Delhi and Chandigarch, I found a lot contradiction and contrary between those cities. In term of how the city was planned and how people react to those individual existing built-in environment. For instance, as in Old Delhi, Chandi Chowk, the city where the British was constructed. It was totally chaotic city. All roads are full of mass traffic and people.Initially, the city was planned with such a small amount population, but as the population has increasing, the landscape could not control the people behavior anymore. On the other hand, the New Delhi also constructed and planned by the British. The style of the building is Neo classical; which rich in decoration and ornamentation on the facades, it shows the power in imperial period of the British. empire. It is the idea of following what is already good and uses it to benefit the country. The landscape in New Delhi is better than the Old Delhi, with the entire wall surrounding the buildings and houses. It is clearly show the different of class of people. The road is organized and more private. Moreover, the other attempt of trying to create a new city, which perhaps the attempts of anti British imperial system and show to the world that India has come to the new era with the new power of Indian people and no longer under the Crown rule. Chandigrach, the modern city planned by Le Corbusier by using the international style. The characteristic of the modernism which is the honest of architecture, the reveal of structure and the raw of the materials: concrete, glass, steel. The city has changed the way people behaviors, no more chaotic trafficking, less horn blowing, and jaywalking on the road unlike in Old Delhi.
To sum up, I personally think that both New Delhi and Chandigrach had achieved their goal of trying to create a new system of order and organization to the Indian, if you compared with Chandi Chowk. But of course, Ones would want their city that represent their own culture, art, architecture. But it is also undeniable that the British system in governing the city and also culture, art and architecture have been implanted and still influencing India, after its independent day. Since British Empire had colonized India for almost over a hundred year. No matter how hard one want to earse and to forget, the history remains no change. As James Hutton said "present is the key to the past" if you want to understand India today, you need to experience and refers back to the history.
Chandigarch Plan
New Delhi Map
It has been 64 years since India got its freedom and being independence from British Empire. It was undoubtedly the suffering period of Indian people. But after India got its independence, it is another story. From my point of view, after India got its independence the city had choices of how the city going to move on. One choice is to create a new city in which of course anti every system in which related to the British system or to follow the footstep that the English had prepared for them. After I visited Old Delhi, New Delhi and Chandigarch, I found a lot contradiction and contrary between those cities. In term of how the city was planned and how people react to those individual existing built-in environment. For instance, as in Old Delhi, Chandi Chowk, the city where the British was constructed. It was totally chaotic city. All roads are full of mass traffic and people.Initially, the city was planned with such a small amount population, but as the population has increasing, the landscape could not control the people behavior anymore. On the other hand, the New Delhi also constructed and planned by the British. The style of the building is Neo classical; which rich in decoration and ornamentation on the facades, it shows the power in imperial period of the British. empire. It is the idea of following what is already good and uses it to benefit the country. The landscape in New Delhi is better than the Old Delhi, with the entire wall surrounding the buildings and houses. It is clearly show the different of class of people. The road is organized and more private. Moreover, the other attempt of trying to create a new city, which perhaps the attempts of anti British imperial system and show to the world that India has come to the new era with the new power of Indian people and no longer under the Crown rule. Chandigrach, the modern city planned by Le Corbusier by using the international style. The characteristic of the modernism which is the honest of architecture, the reveal of structure and the raw of the materials: concrete, glass, steel. The city has changed the way people behaviors, no more chaotic trafficking, less horn blowing, and jaywalking on the road unlike in Old Delhi.
To sum up, I personally think that both New Delhi and Chandigrach had achieved their goal of trying to create a new system of order and organization to the Indian, if you compared with Chandi Chowk. But of course, Ones would want their city that represent their own culture, art, architecture. But it is also undeniable that the British system in governing the city and also culture, art and architecture have been implanted and still influencing India, after its independent day. Since British Empire had colonized India for almost over a hundred year. No matter how hard one want to earse and to forget, the history remains no change. As James Hutton said "present is the key to the past" if you want to understand India today, you need to experience and refers back to the history.
Chandigarch Plan
New Delhi Map
No comments:
Post a Comment