Architectural Conundrums the Aristotelian point of view. SB: What I want to know is, what is the Indian' point of view? KM: It's more holistic. Our approach to Chanderi has also been like that, to avoid breaking up processes, to find linkages. SB: It's clear to me that certain improvizations are made in different regions, that various regions would use materials that are most accessible to them, but that in itself is hardly unique to India. If certain systems of working were, in the past, more systematized, it still doesn't mean that they had arrived at a concept of industrial efficiency. But what I want to concentrate on is this claim that there is something called 'Indian' science, and in your case 'Indian' architecture, with principles of looking at reality. I personally have been brought up with the tradition that the law of gravity is universal. KM: It is still tentative, but I find it quite rewarding to follow the PPST's line of thought. It may still not have answered the question of whether Indian science can build a nuclear bomb, but do we want nuclear bombs? I think these questions are often biased. You can ask me, can you do this? But we may not want to do this. Madan Gopal Singh: What do you feel your role as an architect to be, in the context of the constraints you must have encountered in your conservation efforts? I am sure there are so many constraints — caste, communal — which you would have to deal with, which would make you redefine your role. KM: I'd see it as the problem of different areas — you have several areas to contend with, and while some of us might see it necessary to come up with solutions for this whole country, I'm only taking up a smaller area, with fewer large-scale dimensions and a more particular configuration. One thing is that we were able to define an area at Chanderi quite easily, and the Madhya Pradesh government's Special Area Development Authority, which is an interesting delineation of authority, defined the parameters of the area. That approach could be the salvation of the country. If there were hundreds of such areas that were addressed to by hundreds of people instead of finding one solution. Journal of Arts 6' Ideas