Binsar Eco Tourism Map (BEM)

Binsar is a true trekking paradise. The front of the BEM depicts the detail contours of the mountainous terrain of the Binsar WLS including villages, estates, view points, water points, trekking routes, distances, and places to stay including home stays and resorts. It also shows the full range of Himalayan peaks visible from Binsar. and wild animals through sketches. As Binsar is open all year round, the back of the map provides impressions of the four seasons of the WLS through photographs, stories, historical information and practical tips for tourists.

Good quality maps are vital for ecotourism promotion. They provide excellent promotional materials and they spread environmental awareness. This map is the second in the series. The first one was the Chhoti Haldwani Heritage Map (CHHM) on 16^th Dec 2010 at Chhoti Haldwani. The Community-based Ecotourism project here has received a major fillip after the publication of the CHHM. Work is in progress on Ecotourism Map of Uttarakhand, which will be ready before the next tourist season. These innovative maps are funded by the Forest Department at different scales – heritage village level, Protected Area level, State level and landscape level.

Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) situated close to Almora, a fifteenth century town in Uttarakhand, and commanding spectacular views of Greater Himalayas is truly an ecotourist’s paradise. With rich forests containing three species of Himalayan Oaks, Chir Pine and Deodar, an intact under story of herbaceous vegetation and phenomenal bird life and wild animals, Binsar WLS harbours one of the last remaining natural patches of Temperate Broadleaved Forests in Middle Himalayas.

The WLS is the only Protected Area in Uttarakhand that is open round the year for visitors. Binsar WLS annually receives over 27,000 visitors including 800 foreigners. Walking inside the WLS is permitted on the 62 km. of designated trails. Visitors can stay inside WLS in home stays offered as part of Community-based Ecotourism initiatives or at the Forest Rest House run by Forest Department. Or they can explore camps and lodges on private estates. In addition to enjoying Himalayan views, bird watching, trekking and plant study, river rafting can be done in nearby Saryu River and angling at Seraghat or visit the famous Jageshwar temple. Watching Himalayas on moon lit nights during winters is an unforgettable experience!

“Village ways” programme under which villagers have established home stays in five villages has received both national and international awards. ‘Eco Camp Binsar’ is highly regarded as a successful eco-lodge. Close to the peak, ‘The Binsar Retreat’ is one of the finest camps in the region. Binsar Forest Rest House is one of the best FRHs of Uttarakhand. And the WLS has many more other home stays and authentic resorts.

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Chhoti Haldwani Heritage Map

We at arch i, have been working on a map for Chhoti Haldwani, Jim Corbett's village in Uttarakhand which was launched by the governor of Uttrakhand Ms. Margaret Alva in Chhoti Haldwani on 16th December.

The map itself is a tribute to Jim Corbett, his legacy, as well as a tool for education and awareness about the rich biodiversity of the forests of Uttarakhand and the colourful culture of the Kumaoni people.

“Agriculture Heritage Map” of Chhoti Haldwani

Marks the commencement of the 75^th Jubilee year of Corbett National Park.

The first ever Heritage map of Chhoti Haldwani, Jim Corbett’s village in the foothills of Kumaon will be launched on 16 December 2010. The map is an initiative of the eco-tourism wing of the Forest Department of Uttarakhand and conceptualized and designed by Delhi based platform for architecture and research, arch i. It will be unveiled by Margaret Alva, Governor of Uttarakhand in Jim Corbett’s old house in the village and now a museum in his memory.

Chhoti Haldwani, once envisioned as a model agricultural village by Jim Corbett, is today being revived by the forest department of Uttarakhand as a model eco-tourism community. Arthur Dillman of GTZ Bank calls Chhoti Haldwani “the best community based eco-tourism initiative in Uttarakhand”.

About Chhoti Haldwani

Resting in the foothills of the Kumaon region in Uttarakhand is the quiet little village of Chhoti Haldwani. This village was once owned by the famous hunter turned conservationist of British India, Jim Corbett, or ”Carpet Sahib” as he was popularly called by the villagers. He bought this small hamlet of 221 acres for a sum of 1500 rupees from Guman Singh Barua to develop it into a model village and helped about 10-15 tenants to settle here in 1915. He built houses for them, encouraged agriculture, developed irrigation systems and helped build a wall around the village to protect crops and villagers from wild animals. Even today he is much loved and revered by the 142 families, about 750 people, that live here.

About the Initiative

In April 2010, Rajiv Bhartari from the eco-tourism wing of Forest Department of Uttarakhand approached Arch I Platform with the idea of mapping the heritage of Chhoti Haldwani. In September 2010, work on a map of Chhoti Haldwani began. This village with its rich past is not short of stories to share, which have been narrated through this map. Most importantly, this map takes Chhoti Haldwani beyond its glorious past, and looks towards the future. Jim Corbett and his role in the history and development of Chhoti Haldwani cannot be ignored, and has been paid due homage in this map. A timeline highlights the history of the village and Corbett’s role in it. Concurrently the timeline looks upward to the present and the future. It talks of the rich biodiversity, the flora and fauna, the agriculture, local crafts and traditions etc. This map is not only an aid for tourists and an identity for the village, but also a tool for education and further awareness about forests, wildlife and nature, which are moving further and further away from civilization.

Hope this mapping of Jim Corbett's legacy is intriguing and someday you experience & explore Chhoti Haldwani.

We at arch i have been working on "Kargyak Learning Centre" in the Zanskar valley in Kashmir, for the last one year. Here we are sharing a few snapshots of the projects and a few words about it.

Event For August

Topic : Contemporary Architectural Practice in India

Speaker : Ragupathy Sambasivam

Time : 4:00 PM, Saturday, 28 August

Venue : arch i platform, 150, second floor Kailash Hills

RSVP:

arch i: 011-41060083

Apoorv: 9999321976

Event for July

Topic : Some water bodies of Delhi

Speaker : Sohail Hashmi

Time : 5:00 PM, Saturday, 10 July

Venue : arch i platform, 150, second floor Kailash Hills

Please RSVP

Arch i camp : +91 11 41060083

Himanshu Lal : +91 9999411077

Event for June - Heritage cities and their Suburbs

We thank conservation architect Gaurav Mathur for the highly enriching and stimulating discussion recently held at arch i platform as a part of our monthly discussion series.

The issue of harmonizing heritage passed down over generations with contemporary or new construction, has perplexed architects, conservationists and urban planners for a long time. Several debates have been spurred and many questions left unanswered.

While the discussion reinforced the fact that there is no one solution, what is for certain is that a bottom up approach could aid a better solution.

The audience and the speaker, shared ideas and personal experiences, their own unique solutions. While there is no prototypical design which will fit all situations, sharing these unique ideas and approaches can definitely inspire designs.

arch i would like to document these experiences and create a common archive for public use. All are welcome to contribute and help it grow.

CINEMA URBANISM - Architectural Discourses on Cinema - Apr-May 2010

arch i platform recently concluded "Cinema Urbanism" a series of screening, lecture and discussion, at Goethe Institut, New Delhi. The event received an overwhelming response and much appreciation from all quarters.

Following are glimpses of the event.

Event for June

19th June 2010, 1100 Hrs

About the Speaker

Gaurav Mathur

He is an architect currently practicing in Jaipur. He is graduate in conservation studies from CEPT university in Ahmedabad. He is currently teaching in Aayjan School of Architecture in Jaipur and is an advisor IIFA (department for architecture and interior design).

Topic of the Discussion

Heritage Cities and their relation to Suburbs

At the arch i camp at: 150,2nd Floor, Kailash HIlls. New Delhi-110065

Date: 19 June 2010 (Saturday)

Time: 1100 Hrs

Event for May

8th May 2010, 1700 Hrs

About the Discussion

" In people's minds, education is synonymous with schooling. This equating is sad, for it has robbed it of its core meaning and deeper importance in human society, as my experience exploring multiple facets of 'Learning' for the last 13 years at Manzil brings out.

I'd like to share my learnings about 'Learning', and lead up to Design as a common connecting link between my work and architecture. Institutional learning spaces like school or those of higher education are really designed 'structures' addressing the human need for systematic learning, just as buildings are designed structures addressing the human need for systematic management of space.

I'd like to explore how both are burdened by past legacies that obstruct bringing new learnings into our practice, and jointly explore how we can go past. I'd like to especially focus on the particularly harsh effects of this 'business-as-usual' continuation on our planet's operating system (ecology) that we are only beginning to understand. "

About the Speaker

Ravi Gulati

He is an Indian social activist who runs the Delhi based NGO, "Manzil" which gives school tuitions to the underprivileged. He graduated with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad. Ravi Gulati began his corporate career in Canada only to give up eight months later. He returned to pursue a hands-on course in Environment Education from CEE, Ahmedabad. He was then involved with Trees for Life (later HIMCON), an NGO working with rural Himalayan communities. He is a board member of Jansamarth, an NGO working in remote Himalayan villages for generating electricity through micro-hydro power plants for lighting and livelihoods.

At the arch i camp at: 150,2nd Floor, Kailash HIlls. New Delhi-110065

Date: 08 May 2010 (Saturday)

Time: 1700 Hrs

arch i and Goethe Institut invite you to the three-part film screening and discussion series,

CU : CINEMA URBANISM

Architectural Discourses on Cinema

About the event

CITIES, real or imaginary, have always been integral to cinema, as the stage where its stories play out. The urban spaces are not just a backdrop to the narrative, but form an integral part of cinematic storytelling. Films understand and capture these spaces in a manner more intense and perceptible than architects and urban planners.

Through three evenings of feature film screenings, we will journey across diverse urban spaces and a progression of time periods. In this process we will be guided by film experts, who will engage with the audience, by raising critical questions and presenting new perspectives. CU is not just a film festival but an attempt to put architecture and cinema in dialogue.

THE FORMAT of the session will be a discussion or an open dialogue between the expert and the audience. Through various film clips, the experts will discuss a particular aspect of cities and architecture in cinema.

All three experts for the three evening have varying fields of study and interest. They include a film maker, a cinema studies scholar and an architect. Consequently, the audience will also be eclectic, ranging from architects to photographers, film makers, or simply film enthusiasts.

Program

Three sessions on Friday evenings (30 Apr, 7 May and 14 May) 7pm at Sidhartha Hall in Max Mueller Bhawan

Session ONE

Date: 30 April

Time: 7 p.m.

Speaker : Ms. Ranjani Mazumdar

Title : Cinematic City - An introduction to understanding cities in cinema

About the speaker

Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at the School of Arts & Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is also an independent film maker and author of the book "Bombay Cinema, An Archive of the City.

About the session

The session will focus on the particular ways in which cinema emerges as an archive of 20th century urban life. Journeying through iconic film clips of world cinema, the session will foreground the architectural, psychological and kinetic imagination of the cinematic city.

Session TWO

Date: 7 May

Time: 7 p.m.

Speaker : Mr. Aftab Jalia

Title : Nothing comes out of Nothing – Fantasy, Utopia and Dystopia

About the speaker

An alumnus of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Beyond his interests in contemporary architecture, he is an ardent observer of parallel graphic expression – including comics, movies and architecture.

About the session

Film and architecture are similar in many ways. Both promise us the discovery of the unknown; both are products of intense design; both can be read and presented through multiple interpretations; they are both stories that visually unfold. The session will look at the camaraderie of these two formidable companions as they work together to create enchanting visual poetry.

Session THREE

Date: 14 May

Time: 7 p.m.

Speaker : Ms. Ein Lall

Title : Rural Virgin, Urban Whore - The Great Indian Divide

About the speaker

A film maker who uses video documentary to celebrate the unique strength and creativity of women. She has directed several films which have participated in various international film festivals.

About the session

The session will look at the dichotomy between the urban and the rural in the Indian context. Excerpts from various films will illustrate this great Indian divide, and its cinematic interpretation through time and places.

For more information contact :

Goethe-Institut : 011-23471292/112

arch i : 011-41060083, 9999321976

On Friday the 2^nd of April 2010 “Friends of Garli” successfully launched the first ever map of Garli, the first heritage village of India.

Mapping Garli is an idea the arch i team has been working on for about 3 months now. It all started from a drawing room conversation with the Lal’s (one of the prominent families of Garli) about their native village, and a few snapshots of their ancestral home in their family album.

The sheer beauty of the place impressed at first glance. In the early 19th century, the hill Soods, an enterprising merchant community started settling in Garli. Along with their grand mansions, they built hospitals, schools, sarais and various infrastructures that still bear testimony to their vision over 100 years ago. It’s no wonder then that Garli continued to be the educational and medical hub of Kangra valley in the first half of the 20th century. The waterworks of the village were laid down in the early 1920’s by the timber merchant and lawyer Rai Bahadur Mohan Lal (patriarch of the above-mentioned Lal Family) for which copper pipes were brought from England, many of which still survive to this day.

It was because its beauty and wealth that up until the 1930’s Garli was called the “Switzerland of India”.

By the 1950’s, most of the Soods moved out into the cities for better prospects, leaving behind their grand mansions and havelis in disrepair. On the other hand this continued move also ensured that the village itself remained unspoilt, authentic and well preserved.

One would be tempted to don a conservationist’s hat, and start restoring the beautiful mansions that are falling apart. But one visit to the place turned our minds around. We discovered that a newly painted and repaired haveli may not actually make a difference to Garli and its people. We got down to designing a whole new development model for Garli, the key element of which was “slow but steady!” Take it step by step, and maintain continuity.

Garli was literally NOT on the map, with so many people just driving through without giving a second glance to some of its gems. The map launch was the first step in the effort to give the village its long overdue recognition, and stimulate some interest in an undiscovered gem of India.

Garli with its grand and colonial past has many myths and legends, facts and hearsay. There are stories of viceroys and Rai Bahadurs, of the bloody partition days, and of ghosts of the past. The society “Friends of Garli” and arch i will bring out some of these stories, through periodic story telling sessions later this year.

For those interested in visiting this place almost suspended in time, and unlocking its mysteries, more information can be found on Garli website www.garli.in.

Article in the newspaper "The Asian Age" about Garli.

We thank Prof. Jefferey Chusid for taking out time from his busy schedule to talk to our little circle, and share with us the fascinating stories and slides spanning continents.

The never ending debate on heritage tourism = commodification of culture? was raised, with interesting arguments on both sides. Here are some pictures from the event.

Event for March

COMING UP THIS MONTH! - Sneak Peak

This is an advance notification for this month's event.

The second Saturday of this month, that is the 13th of March, at 2:00 PM, there will be a presentation followed by discussion at our camp (address mentioned below) by the famous Photographer and Designer Mr. Ram Rahman.

Mr. Rahman will be discussing about how he uses his photography to look at the city.

Have a look at his recent works at following links:

http://ramrahmanarchitecture.blogspot.com/
http://rabindrabhavandelhi.blogspot.com/
http://ramrahmanstreetphotos.blogspot.com/
http://bioscoperamrahman.blogspot.com/

Hope to see you on Saturday at 2!

RSVP:

Apoorv Goyal

+91-9999321976

Discussion will be held at:

arch i

150,Second Floor,

Kailash Hills,

New Delhi-65

Ph: 011-41060083

Event for February

A talk On:

Heritage Tourism and the Commodification of Culture

BY Prof. Jeffrey Chusid

The process of selecting and then attributing significance to heritage sites is integrally tied to struggles for power and identity within communities and cultures. Designations are even more politically fraught when sites become commodified, serving as representations of history and culture to visitors from outside the community and as mediums of economic development requiring the imposition of external (even global) value systems. In turn, taking advantage of heritage's development potential can not only destroy the 'authentic' character of a site, but also corrupt the culture and the community that produced or maintains the site. This rich and complicated set of meanings and implications provides the context for seemingly neutral activities such as documentation and conservation that are in fact as political and consequential as any act of design.

The Speaker :
Jeffrey Chusid is a preservation architect who has worked in the US, China, Bosnia, Ukraine and Fiji on projects ranging from small-town museums to archaeological sites and historic towns. He also teaches in the historic preservation planning program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Chusid is currently in India completing research for a book on Joseph Allen Stein as well as a chapter on Delhi's planning process and its transformations for the Commonwealth Games. His book on the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Freeman House is currently in production at WW Norton.

On 13 February, 4:00 PM, at arch I camp (150,2nd floor, Kailash Hills. N-Delhi-65)

RSVP: Apoorv: 9999321976, 011-41060083

Keep visiting this space for more details!

Event for January

Saturday, 16 Jan 2010,

Our last speaker was Ms. Ein Lall, a documentary film maker. She talked about "Cinema and the City- the Urban Uncanny" referring to extracts from two German classic films, Berlin: Symphony of a City by Walter Ruttman and "M" by Fritz Lang.

This is an advance notification for January's event.

On 16th of January, 2:00 PM there will be an interactive session on D.E.S.I.G.N with Ms. Manjari Sharma (artist) who has explored creativity through journeys in architecture, sculpture, product design, painting, mixed media and clay.

"I happen to have floated along in life and arrived some place where the boundaries between various professions or various ideologies are melted. What seems to remain is the inter connectedness of everything……A room with a view…. Seems no different from the room, within the view……….."

-Ms. Manjari Sharma

The discussion will be held in the open lawns behind the "Lotus Temple". Everyone is requested to assemble at the arch I camp at 2.00PM sharp. We will have a short presentation and proceed to the lawns from there.

RSVP

arch I camp

+91 11 41060083

+91 9999321976