Sejal Modak

LA4011

Shashwat means timeless or endless. Gandhi Ashram, Ahmadabad represents a battle between space and time. Located on the banks of river Sabarmati, Ashram holds a strong past of Gandhiji with its subtle and grounded expression. It has witnessed changing times and human-scale buildings developed over time. Respecting the fact that Gandhi Ashram teaches us to be grounded, an in-depth study of the site highlights the existing focus on the newly built Gandhi Museum rather than the existing buildings. The project Shashwat aims to protect the space's timeless nature, diverting attention to the historically important buildings apart from the Gandhi Museum. The explorations start by keeping the site on the pedestal of a teacher and the visitor as a learner. Meaning, the site has something to teach and the learner full of doubts and confusion needs to trust the teacher. This is followed by a music exploration “Tod Diya” based on Kabir’s Dohe. Further, the explorations are based on the keywords based on the site's and the song's expressions. Site study helped with understanding the existing pause points and certain potential zones. With the minimum possible intervention on the site, so as to not disturb the essence of the site, Shashwat lets the ground speak for itself with an added layer of timelessness to the space.