Two Pennsylvania professors offer solutions to citys eco problems,say it needs to be tackled as an estuary The monsoon is late in arriving and,after the cloudburst of 2005,the rains are no longer welcome except as a respite from the pre-shower heat. Besides,predictions of high tide and flooding have sent many into panic. However,it is one thing to panic over the deteriorating ecology and its quite another to present a solution to the various ills that ail our city. Soak,an exhibition of artistic imagination and design,does just that. Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha -pofessors from the University of Pennsylvania-ave initiated the project,a collection of 70 historical maps and illustrations,and 90 photographic works and drawings by them. The two are also landscape architects and planners. Interestingly,the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA),after remaining inactive for almost a year,is hosting the exhibition. Pukar,a renowned city NGO,has supported the project in an unofficial capacity. The compelling factor about Soak is that it puts into visual terms many of the concerns of the city. Its not a map that views things from above; its a section that cuts through the west coast of India,capturing the landscape over a period of time from different viewpoints, says Mathur. The duo has conducted similar studies and projects in Mississippi titled Mississippi Floods: Designing a Shifting Landscape; and Deccan Traverses: the Making of Bangalores Terrain. The Mithi River was our starting point. The government is concerned about it and so are we all,but it needs to be approached from a different angle. We think the Mithi is in Mumbai,but actually its Mumbai that is in the Mithi, says da Cunha. To explain,this is a new visualisation of Mumbais terrain,presenting the city as an estuary,a fluid threshold between land and sea. Water is not an outside element but intrinsic to Mumbais character. This way one can work with these elements rather than fight against them. Kavita Khanna,director of the Soak team,believes the exhibition will create a groundswell. We want people to get engaged,not just dialogue with academics which is why I persuaded Anuradha and Dilip to bring their expertise and vision to Mumbai. Though we wanted to have it in a tent by the Mithi,the NGMA is a better host since its accessible yet grand. NGMA director Rajiv Lochan agrees: Soak extends the language of design,planning and architecture in a conceptual,visual and graphic manner. The exhibition is timely as it addresses pertinent questions relevant to society,geographical issues and anthropological concerns of our time. How does the exhibition provide solutions? We suggest that instead of bemoaning the disappearing mangroves,we plant fingers of mangrove trees in parks and landscaping around corporate buildings. In Sewri,if highrises are mushrooming one need not destroy the surrounding palm groves but work around the natural landscape. In Santacruz,one can utilise the two-mile-long wall to store water and get the locals involved in irrigation projects, says Mathur.
