Tuesday, July 8, 2014

HEAR YE RAIN GODS!

Seriously, what is happening with the monsoons in Kerala? The first week of July is coming to an end and we are still waiting for the first real signs of rain! Sure, there has been intermittent rain, sporadic and in fits and bursts. But what of the consistently heavy downpours that one associates with the monsoon in Kerala?...what of the cozy days spent indoors with a cup of hot coffee and a good read, listening to the incessant chatter of the raindrops on your roof?...what of those school re-opening days when like an accurate clockwork it would start pouring for the first school assembly?...what of those puddles of water on the roads?...alas, they all seem like distant utopian memories. Memories that look destined to be just that – beautiful vignettes stored away in the recess of our minds.

Is all of this related to the innumerable changes in the ecosystems that we human beings are bringing about? Has it got anything to do with that dreaded word – ‘climate change’? If so, how are we as architects contributing to this either directly through our actions or indirectly through our inactions? How is the built environment contributing to these?


All of these are questions that we need to ponder over as yet another day drags to an end without any sign of the rain gods making an entry anytime soon..