Cultural Production and Identity in Colonial and Post-Colonial Madras, India by Apama Datey Graduate Diploma in Architecture School of Architecture CEPT, Ahmedabad, India 1993 SUBMITED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 1996 @ Aparna Datey, 1996. All Rights Reserved The Author hereby grants M.I.T. permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part. Signature of the Author Aparna Datey, Department ofMay Architecture10,1996 C 3 tfe bw S ibV .uL~g y er el Bozdogan Assistant Professor, History, Theory and Criticism Thesis Supervisor Accepted by Roy Strickland Associate Professor of Architetcure Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Students OF TECHNOLOGY JUL 1 9 1996 Room 14-0551 77 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 Ph: 617.253.2800 MITLibraries Email: [email protected] Document Services http://libraries.mit.edu/docs DISCLAIMER OF QUALITY Due to the condition of the original material, there are unavoidable flaws in this reproduction. We have made every effort possible to provide you with the best copy available. If you are dissatisfied with this product and find it unusable, please contact Document Services as soon as possible. Thank you. Please note that except for the Front Matter and Figure pages, all even-numbered pages in this thesis have been submitted as blank EVEN THOUGH they are part of the overall page count. This scanned Archival copy is the best version available. Readers: Akos Moravanzsky Title: Visiting Professor, History Theory and Criticism Hasan-Uddin Khan Title: Visiting Associate Professor, Architectural Design Cultural Production and Identity in Colonial and Post-Colonial Madras, India by Aparna Datey Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 10, 1996 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Architecture Studies. ABSTRACT All cultural production is a consequence of its context and is infused with meaning and identity. A preoccupation with the visual and symbolic aspects of architectural form and its cultural meaning has led to an increased autonomy of the architectural object. This thesis posits that architectural forms do not have fixed, unchanging and singular meanings, but that they acquire meaning in particular contexts- historical, social, cultural and political. Certain forms or stylistic motifs, acquire, embody or are perceived to represent the identity of a nation or cultural groups within a nation. The confluence of a search for 'Indianness' and the post-modem thought in architecture is a paradoxical aspect of the recognition of the autonomy of architecture. In the contemporary India, the search for a 'Tamil' identity, may be perceived as an attempt to create a distinct, regional identity as opposed to the homogenous and universal national identity. This is similar to the creation of a 'British-Indian' identity as opposed to the western one, by the British, in the last quarter of the 19th century. In this attempt to create a regional identity, the same or similar regional architectural forms and stylistic motifs were the source and precedent to represent both 'Tamil' and 'British-Indian' identity. This would imply that the forms do not have a singular meaning but that they are embodied with meaning and symbolism in particular contexts. This is exemplified by a trans-historical comparison between two colonial and contemporary buildings in Madras, South India. The Post and Telegraph Office, 1875-84 (Architect: Robert Chisholm) and the Law Court, 1889-92 (Architect: Henry Irwin) represent the two trends within 'Indo-Saracenic' architecture. The former draws precedents primarily from local, regional and classical Hindu temple architectural traditions while the latter from the 'Indo-Islamic' Mughal architectural tradition. The Valluvar Kottam Cultural Center, 1976-8 (Architect: P. K. Acharya) and the Kalakshetra Cultural Center, 1980-2 (Architects: M/s. C. R. Narayanarao & Sons) represent the search for an indigenous 'Tamil' architecture. The sources for the former are primarily from the Dravidian style classical Hindu temple architecture of the region while the latter is inspired by the local and regional traditions. Paradoxically, the same or similar forms manifest opposing ideals, and represent colonial and post-colonial identities, respectively. Thesis Supervisor: Sibel Bozdogan Title: Assistant Professor, History Theory and Criticism For Aai & Baba Acknowledgments I would like to thank my advisor, Sibel Bozdogan, for her insightful and constructive criticism, and my readers, Akos Moravanzsky and Hasan-Udddin Khan for their enthusiasm and perceptive remarks that helped me to structure my thoughts and argument. A special thanks to Chitra Aunty and Dharam Uncle, Sharada, Uma and Asha whose timely help was crucial to this study. To Minakshi, Alan and John for their support and help. To Pam, Joe and Vasssilios, my co-sufferers for assuring me that this was soon going to be over! To Pratap for his criticisms, resourceful tips, advice and help with presentation. To Avi, Renee and Anu, for being there for me and keeping me in high spirits during this time. To Manu for his criticisms, support and understanding. Finally, a big thank you to Neetu for her long letters that kept me going and, to Aai and Baba, for believing in me and encouraging me to do my best. Table of Contents Abstract Acknowledgments Table of Contents Introduction: Politics of Architecture & Cultural Production Architecture and Identity...................................................................... 7 Between Culture and Form..................................................................... 11 The Culture-Politics Relationship............................................................ 15 Form and Meaning: Madras- A case.......................................................... 21 Section I: Quest for a Hybrid Expression Colonialism & Identity: Symbols and Forms................................................. 31 Madras- From a Temple Town to a Colonial Port City.................................. 39 The Case Studies, 1875-92................................................................... 43 The Post and Telegraph Office, 1889-92........................................... 45 The Law Court, 1889-92............................................................. 53 Eclecticism and Traditional Indian Craftsman............................................... 61 The Debate of 1873: Dilemma of Style....................................................... 73 'British-Indian' Identity and Regional Expression......................................... 91 Section II: Towards a Regional Expression Search for an Indigenous Architecture...................................................... 97 Nations, Nationalisms & Identity............................................................... 101 Origins of Tamil Cultural Nationalism......................................................... 107 The Case Studies, 1976-82...................................................................... 115 The Valluvar Kottam Cultural Center, 1976-8....................................... 117 The Kalakshetra Cultural Center, 1980-2............................................. 129 Regional Architecture as a Critique of International Style................................... 137 Search and Representation of 'Tamil' Identity................................................ 147 Concluding Remarks: Colonial & Post-Colonial Narratives..... 153 Illu stration C red its........................................................................... 175 Selected Bibliography....................................................................... 181 Fig. 1 Map of India. 6 Introduction Politics of Architecture & Cultural Production Architecture and Identity On my very first visit to Madras, South India (Fig. 1), in 1992, I was struck by the similarities in the use of classical Hindu temple architectural and regional imagery in public buildings, designed by British architects under the colonial regime and certain contemporary, modem buildings, especially cultural centers, designed by Indian architects in the 1970s and 80s. My undergraduate dissertation on the three colonial buildings, built between 1874-92 and designed by Robert F. Chisholm and Henry Irwin, hinted at the similarities in the mechanisms used by architects under a colonial government and those in a democratic environment, to generate an architecture of regionalism. This intriguing issue prompted me to explore and understand the constraints under which architects and designers operated and why certain forms and stylistic motifs were perceived as appropriate for the representation of a particular identity. I began to wonder whether architecture was capable of expressing two seemingly opposite ideologies while using the same or similar forms. If the British architecture in Madras, in the last quarter of the 19th century was responding to an agenda of domination and was a product of its political environment, could one perceive the architecture of cultural centers in modem Madras as a kind of neo-colonialism or cultural nationalism? Or are these buildings the result of purely architectural or formal design decisions on part of architects and designers who conceived them? The acts of thinking and making or 'mechanisms' might not change or alter but the