A Place in the Shade by Charles Correa - Introduction

As I sat down with a copy of the Place in the Shade and read the introduction text by Correa, it prepared for the journey through the thoughts of the Greatest Architect of India. Correa's words stand as strong as time itself as I would realise while reading this book. Knowing full well that I'll have to read this at different points of my life; and that with every read, Correa would tell me something new every time through those same string of words.

Correa starts off the book with a superhero origin like story of the phenomena that unknowingly shaped him into the designer at the world knows him now as.

Correa talks about the skill of imagination as a child customizing train tracks into complex layouts for his amusement and softly transitions to the topic of architectural design while traversing the topics of film, drama, Chinese gardens and interior design here we see Charles Correa, someone who has practiced and mastered the use of the Ritualistic Pathway talk about how he really became aware of it. How to design movement? How to create a pause? Where to turn?

Although he doesn't really give an answer to these questions, I think it's generates a thought in the mind of the reader after reading the book to think of other experiences they had of such movements and how they had seemingly experienced them.

Another remarkable thing Charles says is that he gives the people the license to stop printing or repeating his words when they are no longer relevant or do not stand the test of time. Even though that hasn't happened yet, and someday if they do, they function as markers for words and thoughts that were simply heard and yet forgotten by the masses.

Credits: Image of Charles Correa, courtesy of Charles Correa Associates & Charles Correa Foundation. Sourced from, architexturez.net