Positive Pole

Champions of bamboo may pitch it as "green gold" but cultural mindsets in India are not easily changed. Bamboo is used in funeral pyres and the notion that it's cheaper than wood makes it particularly difficult to market for homes. Architect Revathi Kamath, who works extensively in mud and bamboo, says one-fourth of urban cities can be built on bamboo. "There is potential for the material to become relevant to people who live in illegal colonies, or those who wish to go vertical. From sheds, garages, and juggies to upper floor extensions, it could mean a positive aesthetic to the city," she says. Kamath Design Studio has used bamboo in the way it's seldom done in architecture in the country. In their projects, bamboo weaves are used as a roofing material. In a home in Delhi, they used bamboo in a 60ft x 50ft column-less span, as opposed to the average 30 ft span achieved in regular bamboo constructions.

Bamboo has seen many innovations in other parts of the world, from bamboo body wash and soap to bamboo charcoal fibre. Ahmedabad-based Rebecca Reubens, author of Bamboo: From Green Design to Sustainable Design, says, "We can't approach bamboo through definitions of the West. We need to find answers through our history, culture and make sense of it through our way of life." An industrial designer, Reubens' store, Bamboo Canopy in Ahmedabad, retails bamboo products made by designers working with the Kotwalia tribe of Gujarat— from bamboo bookends and lights, to candelabras and cloth stands.

ALSO READ

Telly Me the Future

Hole in One

‘I had to keep the artiste alive’

Mind Your Language