Roshini M

This Foundation Project implemented by IFA enables a multi-pronged creative engagement in Rajajinagar. Roshini M will be the Coordinator for this project. 

Roshini M is a conservation architect based in Bangalore. Having completed her Master’s in Conservation Studies, Roshini presently teaches at the School of Architecture in Reva University. She has been the recipient of the INTACH Heritage Academy research scholarship for an investigation into the cultural tourism in historic cities of India, and the Sahapedia-UNESCO Fellowship for research on the Karaga festival in Bangalore. Given her experience, she is best placed to be the Project Coordinator of this Foundation Project of IFA. 

Rajajinagar was established in the western part of Bengaluru by the City Improvement Trust Board in 1949. Named in honour of C Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of British India, the neighbourhood was planned encompassing an ancient village called Kethmaranahalli. It was set up on about 1000 acres of land divided into industrial and housing zones. The industrial area comprised of industries in the textile, machinery, chemical and food sectors. The remaining 500 acres were developed into 4,000 housing plots. Set up on a hilly terrain, the area is at a considerable elevation compared to other low-lying areas in the city. With well laid roads and conservancy lanes, the housing sector follows a grid layout. Like any other historic neighbourhood in Bangalore, Rajajinagar has drastically changed through various public infrastructure projects. Nonetheless, it still forms a significant part of the historic cultural landscape of Bangalore. 

For this project, Roshini imagines a multi-pronged creative engagement with Rajajinagar. She will undertake a cultural mapping exercise to create an interactive map that could possibly lead to a brochure with details of significant locations and anecdotes about Rajajinagar. There will be themed food walks, art walks and heritage walks for residents and students of the neighbourhood; along with sketching and memory mapping exercises organised for the community. A short video capturing the cultural hubs and historic structures of the neighbourhood, as well as anecdotes and memories narrated by residents and business owners will be created. Some of these activities will be organised in collaboration with the Bangalore Creative Circus, a multi-purpose creative arts space located in Yeshwantpur, on the fringes of Rajajinagar. 

The outcomes of this project will be the cultural mapping, sketching and memory-mapping exercises, guided thematic walks and the short video. The Project Coordinator’s deliverables to IFA along with the final reports will be photo and video documentation of mapping exercises and the walks, copies of the sketches and maps, and a copy of the short video. 

This project suitably addresses the broad framework of IFA's Project 560 programme in the manner in which it reflects upon and engages with the various historical, cultural and artistic elements that constitute the neighbourhood of Rajajinagar. 

IFA will ensure that the implementation of this project happens in a timely manner and funds expended are accounted for. IFA will also review the progress of the project at midterm and document it through an Implementation Memorandum. After the project is finished and all deliverables are submitted, IFA will put together a Final Evaluation to share with Trustees.

This project is made possible with support from BNP Paribas India.