Anagha Speaks

In a recent article by Michael Bloomberg in Foreign Affairs (www.foreignaffairs.com), he has placed a very compelling argument for cities. Cities, he says, have always been more instrumental in shaping the world than empires. From Athens and Rome to Paris and Venice, to Baghdad and Beijing, cities have been the ones that have shaped civilisations. Drawing a parallel, in India too, the cities of Agra, Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai have, since pre modern times and even today, shaped narratives in the nation. The urban populations have grown from a mere 10% to about 50% today and estimated to increase to 70% in the near future. A city concentrates brain power of humanity in relatively small geographic areas, that promotes the kind of interactions and creativity that lead to scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. Cities have been the drivers of economy and today, with the knowledge economy, cities will play a leading role in addressing challenges faced by h...

This Post is for the Marathi literate only. I just could not find the right words in English to express my sentiments and opinions about an age old ritual of Vat Pournima, observed by Indian women for the long life of their husbands. This was written on the day of the Vat Pournima, but uploading it today for all the blog readers... आज वटपौर्णिमे  च्या दिवशी रस्त्यावर असणार्‍या वटवृक्षांभोवती फेरे घालताना महिला दिसल्या आणि आपण मानव जात एखाद्या केवळ रूढी मध्ये कसे अडकून पडतो हा विचार मनात आला. काही वर्षांपूर्वी सौ. मंगला सावंत ह्यांचा 'गणपती बाप्पा मोरया' हा लोकसत्ता मधील लेख वाचला होता. त्या मध्ये मंगलाताईं नी प्राचीन भारतातील मातृसत्ताक पद्धती बद्दल लिहिले होते. इतिहास सांगतो की भारतात पूर्वी ज्या टोळ्या होत्या, त्याचे नेतृत्व बायका करायच्या. ह्या टोळ्यातील बायका जंगलात राहून आपल्या टोळीतील सदस्यांसाठी फळे, कंदमुळे गोळा करून आपला उदारनिर्वाह करायच्या. हे करित असताना काही हुषार महिलांना आयुर्वेदाचे शास्त्र समजू लागले होते व त्या जंगलातील सामग्री वापरुन रोगांवर उपचार करायच्या अस...

. . .  And the stand of Pune DP activists against the Pune DP is vindicated. The GMMR DP shows that good, thoughtful DP of such a vast and complex area is possible through sometime simple strategies and solutions. Also, the MMR DP seems to have diligently followed the due process, published the ELU for comments and also did the entire work in a time bound manner. You can read more about the Greater MMR DP on  http://accommodationtimes.com/all-that-you-would-like-to-know-about-the-proposed-mumbai-draft-development-plan-2034/ The above article provides an excellent summary on the DP. However, here I would like to highlight a few high points of this DP that are in my opinion, truly insightful and path breaking for an Indian city. 1. The additional 6.0 and above FSI has been granted to properties in the immediate vicinity of railway and/or Metro stations. This is something that I have been promoting for Pune, to allow high FSI in the immediate vicinity rather than along...

For the past many years, suicides of farmers has been an issue that has reigned over political discourse - it has become so potent that it has pulled down governments. While farming has become economically unattractive, cities are growing left, right and centre. This is clearly showing an aspiration and an inclination of young Indians to embrace the urban lifestyle, perhaps a fallout of policies at national and global levels. Further, as India grows, every Indian needs infrastructure - roads, rail, water supply, energy, and a severe shortfall in this sector is seen as a primary cause of slow and sluggish growth. A study mentions that there is a wide gap between India's infrastructure condition and its average income levels. Every conclave, seminar and coffee table conversation is about the need for infrastructure in India. Reflecting the situation above, the focus given to the Development Agenda by the BJP in the poll campaign, has seemingly brought about a massive victory an...

It's true that The Metro has become an indicator of a city's urbanity and potential of growth, while also reflecting its "coolness". Till a few months back, newspapers were still contemplating the need for a Metro, but as Punekars saw Metro proposals move ahead for smaller cities like Nagpur, we all felt that we are missing the bandwagon. And hence, there seems to be really a sigh of relief as media reports that "Pune's Metro is on track".  While I agree that there is certainly excitement when a city promises something as shiny and new as a Metro, I feel there still needs some ground work to be done before such an expensive piece of moving machinery is installed in the city. There are two primary things while proposing any large infrastructure project anywhere. One, is its purpose and second, is the detail of its design. The purpose, except for making a cool political move, is still hazy when the Metro is proposed for relatively smaller and compact ci...

A very significant paradigm shift is required in India if Citizen Participation is going to be a meaningful exercise in urban planning!  And why not? After all, the city is for the people and they are the major stakeholders in expressing and planning for what they want from their neighborhoods. This movement of involving citizens in key and traditionally governed areas like Urban Planning saw a basic shift in western countries in the 1980s and gained strength in the 1990s. Starting from sharing of information to seeking opinion, then stakeholder participation to citizen empowerment has been a journey that has shifted the way city planning happens. Here the mayor and the elected representatives actually play a very key role in giving voice to the citizens, their concerns and opinions. However, for Indian cities to see this shift, we will need a major overhaul of the Development Planning process. In Maharashtra, the urban planning is governed by the Maharashtra Regional and To...

Faith of the Indians in democracy is seen at its highest when India votes in the General Elections of 2014. In the past month, as the election campaign has reached its zenith, in terms of their pitch, the 'Yes! I will vote' movement has also gained considerable popularity. And through both, the individual election campaigns of the candidates and the voter awareness campaigns, India wants to - no, was looking forward to, casting its vote in the 5 phases of voting spanning across its boundaries. And it was truly a Dance of Democracy! In the first phases, encouraging voter turnouts to as high as 85% in the North East propelled peoples' imaginations and everyone eagerly awaited the day when they could cast their vote, elect their leader and be a part of the system that forms our government. But the reality of the system that allows citizens to cast their votes was rudely inept, inefficient and grossly mismanaged when 121 constituencies of India went for vote on ...