Mihir Vaidya

SPA Delhi, Urban Design Department

Kathmandu 2023

Before this excursion, I had visited Kathmandu a year back. Back then, I came as a tourist, and viewed only a part of the city. This excursion presented me with the multi-dimensional aspects of Kathmandu, its cities within and their historicities.

Kathmandu is an urban experience that seems frozen in time, with signs of melting. Its an amalgamation of the historic past, a teeming present and developing future. While, many Indian historic cities have succumbed to the pressures of development, with most heritage lost, Kathmandu is a unique case, with not just the elements kept intact, yet, but also the cultures’ associated with them. I began the excursion, on the morning of 24th November, with a solo walk, to explore Patan, and along the way spoted countless frames, some traditional, some modern. The image below, showcases a Falcha, a ubiquitous element meant for resting, deeply interwoven into the habitus of the valley’s residents.

Patan Durbar square, was my next spot of pause. To see a public square so active during the morning, with many simultaneous activities going on, was a pleasant sight. The architecture of the palaces, and their connection with Indian architecture styles, did transport me back to somewhere in North India. Public place and its importance for people can be understood by looking at the way these squares are used by the people of Patan. Not only do they become spots for leisure, recreation, commerce, but also for grand celebrations. As witnessed by us during the course of the excursion, ‘Kartik Naach’ was such an extraordinary event. It was as if all of Patan, had come at once to watch the ritualistic performance, that too at 1 o’ clock in the night. The atmosphere generated was electric and a collective spirit was evident, that connected the place back to its roots.

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During the excursion, as we were taken to places like Sunakothi and Khokana, it was evident that today Kathmandu is facing similar crises as seen back in Indian cities. The pressures of development and globalization have hampered many layers. Be it the cutting of the Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project across Sunakothi’s traditional setlement or the Military’s intervention with point zero and a fast tract around the farmlands of Khokana. But it is the collective spirit to safeguard and fight back against these pressures, that was striking and something to learn from. People dearly value their heritage assets, are taking steps to develop, yet sustainably. The image below is from Khokana, a typical morning sight across old valley towns, the urbanscape is very beautiful, humanely and under transformation all at the same time.

Our excursion was filled with a myriad of urban experiences, once of which was in Thamel. The party hotspot, as told to us by our KU friends. The atmosphere here was quite different, and the mood the place set, was indeed of a vibrant, active commercial street, with teeming lights, signages and tonnes of pubs. Urban fabrics indeed have such a transformative power.

NOSTALGIA vs NEED IN RE/SHAPING THE CITY, was the theme for the excursion and yes, it did succeed in inculcating queries in our minds, as to what could be done about these important questions. The image below showcases such a query, where the government’s idea and the community’s idea of development is at a clash, with both parties having a strong resolute. Here, iswhen the idea of weighing in the pros and cons, of both approaches, and forming of a 3rd alternative, a more sustainable one comes in.

Overall, the excursion was very enlightening and taught us important lessons about cities, their systems, values inculcated through them and about the heritage. Often, as architects we look at heritage as static, but Kathmandu is looked at as living heritage, a concept I feel should be propagated further. A concept that speaks about building upon what you have and also of resilience, something that is fading away amongst contemporary cities.