ARCHITECTURE IN FOCUS….!!!!!!

HIIIII…… I AM AASHKA BADRAKIA AND STUDENT OF ARCHITECTURE, COMPLETED 2ND YEAR, FROM IPSA ( INDUBHAI PAREKH SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE), RAJKOT, GUJARAT, INDIA.

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WHY I CHOSE TO BE IN ARCHITECTURE???

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I AM BASICALLY OF A CREATIVE NATURE. I LIKED MY CREATIONS. TO GET ADMISSION IN ENGINEERING I NEEDED TO PASS HSC [HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE] IN SCIENCE STREAM. AFTER PASSING HSC I LOOKED FOR THE OPTIONS FOR PROFESSIONS IN WHICH I WOULD HAVE DIGNITY IN SOCIETY AS WELL AS WORK SATISFACTION WITH MY CREATIONS. SO OUT OF TWO OPTIONS – INTERIOR DESIGNING AND ARCHITECTURE – I HAVE CHOSE ARCHITECTURE TO BE MY DREAM CAREER. FROM THEN ON I STARTED DREAMING HOW WOULD I FEEL WHEN MY DESIGNS WOULD BECOME HUGE PARTS OF DAILY LIVES OF PEOPLE… I AM VERY HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE. WHY? I’LL EXPLAIN FURTHER.
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HOW DID I GET INTO ARCHITECTURE???

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AS MOST OTHER COURSES EVEN B.ARCH REQUIRED AN ENTRANCE EXAM TO BE CLEARED WHICH IS AN APTITUDE TEST. IT TESTS YOUR LIKING, LOGIC AND KNOWLEDGE IN THIS FIELD. IT CONSISTS OF DRAWINGS AND ALSO AN ONLINE EXAM WHERE YOU HAVE TO ANSWER SOME ARCHITECTURE RELATED QUESTIONS. I HAD A FAIRLY GOOD HAND IN DRAWING AND A GOOD LOGIC TO CLEAR THE INTERNET TEST SO I JUST WENT FOR SKETCHING CLASSES TO PRACTICE IT IN A BETTER MANNER AND ALSO WENT TO A PROFESSOR IN MY COLLEGE WHO HELPED ME OUT WITH FURTHER DETAILED AND FOCUSED PREPARATION. WITH ALL THIS I FINALLY CLIMBED THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS MY CAREER. THE MERITS WERE OUT AND I CLEARED WITH A REAL GOOD SCORE WITH WHICH I WAS ABLE TO GET THE ADMISSION EASILY. THERE ARE BOOKS AVAILABLE IN THE MARKET FOR PREPARATION BUT FOR AN ASPIRING ARCHITECT I SUGGEST THAT GOOD DRAWING AND SKETCHING CLASSES, SHARPENING UP OF 3D IMAGINATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE OF SOME TYPES OF COLOURING EXPLORATIONS CAN HELP YOU IN A VERY GOOD MANNER IN THE TESTS AND ALSO FURTHER IN THE COURSE
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WHAT DID I STUDY TILL NOW???

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THE BIG DAY WAS HERE… THE FIRST DAY OF MY FIRST YEAR OF MY COLLEGE!! (IT CAN REALLY BE SCARY) BUT TO MY SURPRISE IT ALL WENT BEAUTIFULLY WITH INTRODUCTIONS WITH MY CLASSMATES, PROFESSORS AND SENIORS…. MY FIRST YEAR COMPLETELY COMPRISED OF OPENING UP OF MINDS TO NEW IDEAS BY LEAVING BEHIND ALL THE PRE-NOTIONS PREVAILING IN MINDS BY THE HELP OF ENJOYABLE EXERCISES. IT WAS TOUGH DURING THE EARLY SEMESTER AS I REALIZED WE REALLY ASSUMED MANY THINGS IN LIFE WHICH COULD AFFECT OUR CREATIONS IN SO MANY ASPECTS. DOING ALL THIS MY FIRST YEAR FLEW BY SO FAST MAKING ME ALTOGETHER A DIFFERENT PERSON.WELL…ONLY CREATIVE MINDS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO BE AN ARCHITECT AND HENCE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE IS REALLY ESSENTIAL.

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SECOND YEAR FOCUSED ON SHARPENING THE TOOLS OF DRAWINGS, LEARNING BASICS OF CONSTRUCTIONAL TECHNIQUES ALONG WITH APPLYING CREATIVE IDEAS IN PROJECTS LIKE SCHOOL DESIGN AND HOUSING. THAT WAS REAL FUN AS IT GAVE ME A CHANCE TO PRODUCE SOMETHING OF MY OWN FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MY LIFE… IT WAS A REAL THRILLING EXPERIENCE…
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OUR STUDIES WERE FULLY SUPPORTED BY WORKSHOPS, SITE VISITS AND RSPs (RELATED STUDY PROGRAM) WHERE A PART OF HOUSING WAS SELECTED AND BY LIVING THERE A FULL DETAILED STUDY WAS DONE TO UNDERSTAND ITS MAKING. WE VISITED “KIDI” (A VILLAGE NEAR MORBI) TO STUDY ITS TYPICAL HOUSE FORMS KNOWN AS “BHUNGAS” AND WE ALSO WENT TO JUNAGADH TO STUDY THE TYPICAL HOUSES OF A COMMUNITY CALLED “NAGARS” LIVING IN “NAGARWAD”. HERE WE LEARNT HUMAN NATURE AND HIS REQUIREMENTS IN HIS LIVING STYLE ACCORDING TO HIS NATURE. THOSE RSPs MADE ME REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO UNDERSTAND A PERSON TO CONSTRUCT FOR HIM SOMETHING THAT WOULD BECOME CLOSE TO HIS HEART. FROM THESE DAYS ON I GOT REALLY CLOSE TO MY STUDYING AS CAME TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ARCHITECTS IN MAKING OF TODAYS WORLD....

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OUR WORKING STYLE???
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A BALANCE OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORKS WERE GIVEN TO US SO AS TO HELP US GET ACCUSTOMED TO BOTH KINDS OF WORK HAPPENING IN THE PROFESSION IN FUTURE. THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO US.INDIVIDUAL WORK CONSISTED OF SUBMISSIONS AT SHORT INTERVALS RELATING TO THE TOPICS BEING TAUGHT. THESE SUBMISSIONS ARE IN THE FORM OF TECHNICAL DRAWINGS, CREATIVE DRAWINGS AND ALSO MODELS SUPPORTING THESE DRAWINGS WHICH ALL COLLECTIVELY FORM THE BASIS OF INTERNAL GRADING AT THE END OF EVERY TERM. AND LET ME TELL YOU THESE ARE REALLY NOT EASY TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHEN YOU MANAGE TO COMPLETE THEM IN THE BEST POSSIBLE MANNER YOU REALLY FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE WON A WAR… BUT WHEN YOU SEE YOUR GRADES YOU FEEL ITS REALLY WORTH ALL THE PAIN….
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ALONG WITH THIS WHEN LARGE TOPICS HAD TO BE RESEARCHED STUDENTS WERE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS AND DETAILED STUDIES WERE DONE WHICH ALSO FORMED AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COURSE. AND THESE WERE THE TIMES WE HAD LOADS OF FUN SHARING IDEAS.
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AT THE END OF EVERY TERM AN EXTERNAL EXAMINATION WAS CONDUCTED WHICH HELD EQUAL IMPORTANCE TO INTERNAL MARKING.
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FESTIVALS….!!!!
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YOU MUST BE THINKING WHERE’S THE REAL FUN??????? YEARLY WE HAD TWO MAJOR FUNCTIONS WHERE THE STUDENTS OF ALL YEARS CAME TOGETHER TO SHARE THEIR IDEAS AND ALSO GET FRESH FROM ALL THE HARD WORK HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. ONE OF THEM WAS THE “FOUNDATION DAY” WHICH WAS THE FOUNDING DAY OF OUR COLLEGE IN WHICH WE HAD AN EVENING DEDICATED TO OUR COLLEGE, AND OTHER WAS THE FESTIVAL WHICH WAS USUALLY AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND LASTS FOR AROUND A WEEK. HERE WE CONDUCTED EXHIBITIONS OF THE WORKS OF STUDENTS, HAD SMALL FUN-FILLED COMPETITIONS, DID A GOOD AMOUNT OF CAMPUS DECORATIONS AND ALSO INVITED ARCHITECTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WITH US…
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WE HAD CULTURAL EVENINGS WHERE WE PARTICIPATED WITH ALL ENTHUSIASM AND WAS A REAL ATTRACTION OF THE FESTIVAL AS THE TALENTS OTHER THAN CREATIVITY COULD COME OUT ONLY ON THIS DAY.
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THIS JOURNEY OF BRINGING THE FESTIVAL OUT IN THE BEST POSSIBLE MANNER HAD ITS BEST PART IN THE TRAVELLING TOWARDS IT – THAT IS THE ALL THE PREPARATIONS BEING DONE. WE HAD JOLLY GOOD TIMES STAYING AT COLLEGE TILL LATE NIGHTS DECORATING IT, PRACTICING DANCING, SINGING, AND DRAMAS, SOME ONE PLAYING SOME INSTRUMENTS HERE AND THERE ALL THE TIME AND A BIG LIVELY COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER TO REACH TO THE DESTINY.
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COMPETITIONS!!!!
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NASA!!! A SPECIAL COMPETITION HELD FOR ONLY ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS OF INDIA IS HELD EVERY YEAR AT DIFFERENT PLACES IN INDIA TWICE A YEAR ONE OF WHICH IS A ZONAL NASA AND THE OTHER BEING THE ANNUAL NASA. THIS IS A BIG SHOW BUSINESS WHERE IN WE HAD TO SHOW THE BEST WORKS OF OUR STUDENTS AND THE BEST TALENTS IN OUR COLLEGE IN ON THE SPOT COMPETITIONS AND ALSO PRE GIVEN TASKS AND THE BEST ONES WOULD WIN. THIS WAS A BIG TIME ATTRACTION FOR THE STUDENTS AS THIS BROUGHT IN A CHANCE FOR A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND ALSO HUGE AMOUNTS OF EXPLORATIONS, AND ALSO CHANCES TO HAVE FUN IN DIFFERENT PLACES…..
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THIS HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE TILL NOW AND TODAY I FEEL REALLY HAPPY TO BE A PART OF A COURSE WHICH IN FUTURE IS GOING TO BRING REALITY TO MY DREAMS AND ALSO GIVE ME A CHANCE TO BECOME A PART OF THE WORLD CLOSELY IN MY OWN SMALL WAY.
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YET I HAVE NOT DECIDED WHETHER TO GO FOR THE MASTERS OF STRAIGHT AWAY START MY CAREER BUT IM DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO MY COMING YEARS OF STUDIES AND TO KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE IN STORE FOR ME….
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WELL ARCHITECTURE IS REALLY FUN FOR THOSE SEEKING A CREATIVE WORLD BUT AS YOU ALL KNOW IT IS VERY RIGHTLY SAID NO GAINS WITHOUT PAINS…
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AASHKA BADRAKIA,
STUDENT OF B.ARCH
DATE:18/6/2008