4 Weeks at Sandarbh Returns!

Exactly a month after we started at Sandarbh we had another batch of interns join in. It was an interesting experience to get to know more people, recognize their skills and engage them in office. Nayana, Reenu, Akshay, Clarence and Nikhil soon settled  in and have now become an integral part of how we work. So exactly how a month ago I shared the experiences of the first batch of interns, for the next few days I'll be sharing with you their experiences of being at Sandarbh for a month. It'll be nice to see how similar or different their experiences are from the rest of us. Keep reading to see how their journey has been so far!'

-Mannat

Moods and Mood boards

Today after a long time, the office was at full strength. Everyone came back from the weekend, rejuvenated, looking forward to a good start to the week. We sat together this morning discussing what was happening with the various on-goings projects, how to go about new projects that could materiliase in the future and everything in between. The office was cracking with energy today. Everyone was in a mood to catch up with one another and more than that to catch up with the work. The project management team sat together scheduling site activities and work in the office for the coming week. The design team continued working on different projects churning out drawings, sketches and concepts. The social media and marketing team worked on following up with prospective clients and making constant improvements to our website too. In the midst of all this activity I got the chance to contribute towards a mood board for an interesting farmhosue project. We sat and collected material for showcasing different architectural styles that would blend in with the concepts we had developed for the project. While we agreed on some things, there were debates and discussions over others. All in all, it seem like a good start to the week and will lead to a good start for the coming month too!

-Mannat

So What Do Architects Do?

A few weeks back, one of the interns in office came to my cars rescue when I had a flat tire on my way to meet someone. An intern from the last batch was so good at communicating with Tata Docomo (our work connections) that he was entrusted with all dealing with them! This is an amazing feat because none have been successful in getting being able to get the basics sorted so far! Making sure the office jeeps and bikes are in running condition is also an interns job.

Most of our interns deal with the workers on site - everything from assigning jobs daily (think 7am calls) to carting them from site to site and getting materials for them other than explaining the jobs to them and making sure things are done right. Many have become adept at vendor management and office administration. 

We've discovered latent talents like blogging and web design and graphic design. Some interns discover that client management is their forte whilst others love being at site supervising work all day long. All architects and interns are of course photographers and I usually have someone enthusiastically accompanying me on shoots. Night or day, I always have volunteers :-) 

So what do architects and interns do in an architectural office? This thought was put into my head by an intern who was doing 'non-architectural' work and wondering aloud if this was part of his training or not ..... that set me thinking of the unconventional office that we are and the varied things we do as part of work.

Well, I think its awesome that you get to do so many things! So many different things! Facets of yourself that you would not have thought of exploring in college or school. Things very different from what you had expected (I am sure helping change tyres was not part of anyone agenda at all but it is a life skill I tell you!!) But these are all things that teach you. Teach you more about the process, the idea, the methodology, team work and in turn architecture. 

Sai has a habit of assigning certain jobs to people most unlikely to enjoy, much less, like them!! But I've seen them come through shining from work that they never would have thought they would enjoy or want to do. Of course, not everyone is able to succeed but that teaches you as well. A lot of times you need to improve yourself as a person before you are able to improve and hone your design skills and that can come more easily from varied sources. 

I'm not sure what architects should really be doing but I do know that I love the fact that I can explore as many things as I can here. So let loose, enjoy the process, find fun in everything .... from changing tyres and material calculations to detailing and designing beautiful spaces. Open your eyes, grow, enjoy and be ever ready to learn. That works the best ..... always. 

Man's best friend

By now you’re somewhat familiar with all the guys and gals in the office, but the team wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Atom and Coco.

Coco is the lovable Lab – cute and somewhat lazy. Once he settles in a spot, he’ll pretty much stay there for a considerable amount of time. We’ve had instances where clients who weren’t comfortable with dogs have come in for a meeting. Coco will come in take up a spot and refuse to move. The clients generally freak out at first but soon realize that Coco is quite lethargic and completely harmless. He may not be as energetic as he used to be, but his emotions are always evident in his constantly wagging tail.

Atom is taller than most people in office. In his head though, he is still a pup and so it’s quite humorous to see a Great Dane who is unaware of how large he is. He’ll see space between two chairs, thinking he’ll fit through but instead he'll head for the gap, pushing away one or both of the people sitting on the chair. Ask anyone who has been stepped on by Atom and they'll tell you exactly how heavy he is! But he's also adorable. You should see how he lovingly looks at the mattress in the garage that we've taken over, hoping we'd leave soon. And once perched on the mattress, he's the happiest dog ever!

Here's a few more pictures of Atom and Coco to brighten up your day

-Mannat

One for the boys!

I've been talking so much about all the girls that the guys in office are probably starting to feel left out. This one is for them!

-Mannat

GIRL POWER

As I started telling you guys yesterday, we’re now an office with a majority of girls and what an interesting mix it is! We come from different parts of the country, have different interests, possess different strengths, showcase different characteristics and there’s a great difference in height too! (Dhruvi and Harshitha have exactly 1 foot difference in their heights)
Now this blog is in no way a complete reflection of how brilliant each one of them is, but it will certainly give you a fair idea. I could go on and on about each of them but I’ll try my best to restrict this to a line or two about each person for now (and we can always keep talking more in future blogs)

Tanvi is always bubbly and looking on the bright side of things. Give her a job and she’ll go over it again and again till she gets it right. Just ask her how many revisions of drawings she’s made and you’ll know what I mean.

Dhruvi may seem quiet at first but once she opens up it’s like she is a different person altogether. Her random one liners can be brutal when directed at you, but will certainly crack up everyone around. Photography and compositions are definitely her strength and she loves doing this. How many people can you come across who’ll say that they can do the job they’ve been given forever!

Purva is sane and sensible, always the one with reason. She’s as consistent as they come and as patient too.

Kruti is always confident and quick on her feet. The very first interaction on our office group and everyone seemed to be pulling her leg but she was quick to join in on the fun, taking it in her stride.

Reenu is super dedicated and always composed. Even under the most stressful of situations I’ve never seen her under duress.

Even before Nayana joined office, her OCD with time was legendary and she’s lived up to it. If I had to do her job of scheduling the sites I would’ve pulled out all my hair already.

Mallika is the sweetest of them all. She’s quiet too but her smile and positive attitude makes up for the words. We all rely on her for all the area and material calculations. Even when you ask her for help on the busiest of days, she makes it a point to find time for you.

Ananya’s energy is incomparable. Just seeing her moving around in office tires me out. To top it off, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her without a smile. I guess it’s her vibrant energy that helps her connect with clients so well.

We often joke around that Harshitha is as lazy as one could possibly be. But the plus point in that is that she’ll always get the work done with the minimum amount of effort required. Another thing I love about her is that she’s always frank and speaks her mind (and even when she doesn’t her expression gives it away!)

Sulu is super chill for the lack of a better word. But she takes her work just as seriously, always figuring out which project should be managed how. I’ve noticed that she’s one of the few people in office who actually writes her time journal during the day and not as a post-mortem effort like the rest of us.

Leena is like an inspiration to all of us. Architect, mother, photographer and so much more- she plays each role effortlessly. Her sense of aesthetics is subpar and her bold and upfront nature beats even that (trust me, I could write several blogs just on the basis of her interesting responses to some of our somewhat stupid questions – in office and outside of it too)

Imagine all of these great women coming together in the workplace (and of course the boys too. Can’t forget them). Quite a team isn’t it. And having a chance to work with all of them is quite something too!

-Mannat

Who runs the world GIRLS

Last month in an office of about 15 people we had an 80% majority of women. Even now in a twenty person office 75% is dominated by us girls.  In a world full of too much testosterone, our office has come to be an estrogen centric zone. In fact Ananya and Sai keep joking around that at one point the only criteria to get an internship here was to be born with XY chromosomes (Don't get you hopes us boys, along with your chromosomes we also make it a point to check out your portfolios!) But I don't think anyone is complaining about the guy- girl ratio in office now. It's empowering to be surrounded by strong independent women. As diverse and different as we all are, it has been quite interesting for me to see us all come together. This post is entirely dedicated to all of these women that I've had a chance to interact with. One blog is certainly not enough to define each of them or what they're capable of. Come back tomorrow to know more!

-Mannat

Playing Detective

Note to the Reader : This blog is a continuation of a previous blog titled 'Work over Words'. It can be read independently but I would recommend reading that first. You can find the blog right here

As an architect we typically have to take on many roles - some of them obvious, others not so. Never had I imagined that this would also involve playing detective. I had mentioned earlier about a client who was in some amount of trouble due to the lack of proper documentation. Now when they have received the bills for the works quoted, it is nothing short of a mystery. The very first challenge was to decipher the bill itself. It was practically like a code that had to be broken into.

However, once we were able to make some sense of this, more mysteries came to the surface. How does one manage to quote for work worth 2500 square feet but order materials worth of 4000 square feet. Where does the rest of material go? If this is a mystery on our end, sure seems like a magical vanishing act on the other! The more we got into the details the more ridiculous the claims kept becoming. With the amount of sand that was claimed to have been ordered, one could turn the entire site into one large sand pit and still have leftovers. More and more missing materials kept popping up whose current whereabouts are yet to be discovered.

Today I felt nothing short of Sherlock Holmes going over the bills with a magnifying glass. A few of us sat and put together our deductive powers, reasoning and a whole lot of deciphering into this process. Finally we feel like we have got somewhere. But like I said earlier, this could all have been avoided simply by maintaining documentation from the very beginning. I won't have had a chance to snoop around like a detective but it sure would've been easier for everyone involved!

-Mannat

Seemingly Insignificant NOT

Does the beading go on the inside of the window or the outside of it?

Seems like a small and insignificant question about a small and seemingly insignificant piece of wood that goes around the frame, right? Do it either way, how does it matter? But the consequences of not getting it right can be quite severe. Put  the beading on the inside instead of outside and water would slowly seep into the house during the rains. Imagine a house with large french windows and laminated wooden flooring, where the beading was put inside. Suddenly, a small thing then turns into a big problem.

I bet you didn't see that coming. Neither did we when we started off with this discussion this morning. As architects every detail, every question becomes of great significance. Most of the time, it's easier to get the big picture right but the small things is what end up becoming big issues.
How does one counteract this?
Well having experience helps for sure ( case in point Sai's experiences on site was the reason this conversation came up to begin with) In that case one is able to anticipate over time.
But what about those of us who don't yet have that experience? Then it's all a matter of doing the research and working out the details. You never know which one of the tiniest details might come back later to haunt you.
And so, no question is ever too small or too insignificant. If you don't know it, just ask!

-Mannat

Lost in Translation

Ever sat through a conversation in a language that you didn't understand? Remember that dumbfounded feeling? Yeah hold on to that for a moment. Now add to this mix another language you're not familiar with and throw in a couple of random English words for good measure. By this time you're really confused right? So was I, as I sat through a multi-lingual client meeting today.

As a North Indian who is fluent in English, Hindi and Punjabi I've not really had too many issues with language in Bangalore. Broken Hindi, broken English or an even more broken mix of the two generally gets the job done.  But as I sat through the meeting today, words in Kannada and Telugu just went flying over my head. I'd understand phrases like entry from North or window next to dining and that was it. The rest of the meeting seemed like a blur as I sat there nodding. I kept hoping that the dumb feeling in my head won't show up as a dumb look on my face. I got the gist of the whole thing but if you ask me for details I won't be of much help.

Overall, it was an interesting experience, kind of like a weird mix of pictionary and charades except everyone else seemed to be clued in on the words but me!

-Mannat

Deliberate designs, deliberate details

I have reached a point where my bed feels like an extension of my body. I'm lying here in recovery mode, preparing myself for work tomorrow - both physically and mentally. The only view that I have in this process is that of my room door and the loft above it. I'm now noticing how the beading of the loft doesn't align with that of the cupboard creating a weird joint or how the tower bolt on the door seems like so much of an afterthought. I don't know if it's the amount of time I've spent staring at it this afternoon, willing myself to do something, or if it's just that I've become more observant in the past 2 months to notice these things (Personally I'd bet on the latter).
I remember in the first couple of weeks we were having a discussion in office about details. A bunch of us were sitting around Sai's table and he asked us to turn around and look at the door. We turned looking at it, blank looks etched across our faces, not sure what we were looking at. He then emphasized that we look at the architrave and the tower bolt. We looked on, still unsure of what it was that we were to notice. He then asked us to imagine the same door without the tower bolt just stuck onto the the door and the top part of it cut into the architrave. And suddenly it made a lot more sense. Imagine if the same thing  had been thought about before, the placement and the detailing a deliberate effort. How interesting would a concealed tower bolt be, the protruding mechanism treated as a design feature, both aesthetic and functional? He then explained to us how every decision that we take right from the space planning to the detailing needs to be deliberate. Nothing should be left to chance (a philosophy that you guys will notice is also starting to show up in our processes at work) And so I lie in bed hoping that from tomorrow I too can implement this - every action of mine deliberate, nothing left to chance!

-Mannat

Silver linings to cloudy days

Remember the feeling when everyone else was at school and you had to stay home because you were sick? How you waited for it to be evening soon so you could call and find out everything that happened, everything that you missed out on? Today I can tell you that the feeling is no different when you are a grown-up, a working individual. I sat home sick today all thanks to Bangalore weather ( I'm currently defining our relationship as a love-hate one) and when I wasn't under the effect of some drowsy medication, my mind kept drifting off to what must be happening in office. FOMO is a real thing people! Since I couldn't make it to work, my thoughts did. I started thinking about all the projects that we're involved in at the moment - those that we're only designing, those that we're executing, those that are in the finishing stages, those that are just starting off, those that are spread out in large spanses of land, those that make the most of tiny plots and everything in between. Even though I'm unwell, I feel really grateful today. This is exactly the kind of internship I was hoping for - one where I'd look forward to going to work everyday! A lot of my friends spend their days boxed up in cubicles, staring at computer screens, drafting toilets or details only. I on the other hand am thankful that I get to witness architecture in all of it's aspects and dimensions. Maybe it's true... The bright side of things only becomes more visible when you're feeling down and low!

-Mannat

Commitment-phobia?

I have always had issues commiting to things in the long term. There have been many things that I've started off but never really seen to completion (Ask my mom and she will tell you most of these things involve cleaning my room). Or I'd be super dedicated to something and then I'll just discontinue for some odd reason- like classical dance for instance. 8 years of training and then I kind of just stopped. I'll pick up a new interest like candle making, make a few candles, go for a class or two and then again fall back into the whole cycle of not pursuing it further. When it comes to things that spread over a period of time, I certainly have issues commiting.
This is one of the main reasons why I was so keen on the project 365 with blogging. I took up the idea of blogging everyday not as a commitment but rather as a challenge. A challenge to see if I could commit to something. There have been days when it comes pretty easily - an eventful day in office, an interesting conversation or just something that randomly strikes me. But then there are days when you don't know what to write or don't particularly feel like writing. I've had instances where I've made it with a blog at  11:59 p.m., barely just keeping up with the one blog a day agenda. I'm trying my best of keep up with it though.
Some time back we had seen a video in office highlighting the 7 habits of effective artists (those of you who have read the blog on 'Inspirations' would be familiar with this. If not, you can read it right here). One of the habits was making time to practice everyday. Everyday need not be a fully complete drawing, even a single line on paper counts. It's the intent of actually practicing everyday that makes a difference. Once that first line is drawn, it always turns out to be more than just that. This blog is my equivalent of that line on paper. It's the kind of day when I have a few ideas in my head but none seem to be translating into words. In any other case I'd be very tempted to give up- how does one day make any difference right? But it does. And so here I am writing, for a change not to express my views or someone's else's perspectives or to describe an interesting element of architecture or even to share with you guys things that I'm picking up on along my journey. Today I'm writing only to get over my fear of commiting to something!

-Mannat

Let's build... Skills

As we're moving towards becoming a more organized and efficient office, we are putting in effort to plan out our days - in office as well as on site. As a side effect of becoming more efficient, we are also moving through the quantum office work at a faster pace. Several times a day you'll hear these questions in the studio -  "Does anyone have any work I can do?" or "What do I do next?". We're working towards the point where everyone is engaged throughout the day, but I found myself in the very same spot today. Uptil last evening, I felt like I had plenty to do but today my agenda for work seemed to be done in the first half of the morning itself. Wondering what to do next, I decided to read up on one of the many books that Sai has left out for us to read. These books ranging from topics like project management, time management to how to be successful, are part of a skill-building process. Sai had very clearly put it for us to understand - if you're constantly working hard and not improving on your skill, then you're not putting your time or efforts to good use. If you build up on your skills, your work becomes better too! As I settled in with the book, I realised that never in my wildest imagination would I have thought that it would be okay for me to sit in office, not "work" and read. (I know you guys would want to know what book I picked out, but that's a story for another day!) This is the thing that I love most about working at Sandarbh though- we spend most of the day doing the kind of work that we actually enjoy, and only a small part of it goes into the things that aren't exactly enjoyable but need to be done...

-Mannat

Work over words!

Over the past couple of days, some events have occurred that have drastically changed my perceptions . We recently had a situation where as an architect, protecting the client's interest became of utmost importance. The world as I had like to have believed is not always a nice place and people have a tendency to take advantage of other people. This often becomes more of an issue in the industry  when people are taken for their face value and not for the value of their work!

Back in college, any conversation with our Dean had to be put into writing or wasn't considered. I didn't give it much thought then but now I realise how important documentation is. People will often say things but not deliver the same . This can be detrimental for architects and clients - both in terms of time and money. This whole experience has been an eye-opener for me. It only makes me wonder how much easier it would've been for our client if only she had taken a written document over someone's word...

-Mannat

Brain fried, Uber ride - An anecdote

Today was a loooong day. So, I'm going to take the liberty to not talk about processes or perspectives but rather just share with you a small part of my day. Around noon Nayana and I headed out for our respective site visits. Agendas in mind, we embarked on a long Uber journey - updating a task list and site schedule for her, a client meeting for me. Successfully (mostly) meeting our agendas, we both made our way back to office. Both of us were too tired to talk about work and the most part of the journey was spent talking about random things and bonding over Delhi (yes people, I finally have some company... Bye-bye home sickness!) But one can't exactly escape work during work hours and so the conversation came back to site and the workers there. I never thought the day would come when I would casually sit with a friend discussing the characteristics of carpenters, plumbers and tile layers. That's exactly where the conversation had reached. While we marvelled over one person's skill to be able to do multiple jobs, we also joked about how another's signature is to finish off everything but a tiny bit of the task left for the end. The conversation came up so smoothly that by the time we realised what we were upto, we both started laughing. It's good to know the strengths and weaknesses of the people you're working with whether in office or on site. We've certainly got to that point and maybe even a step ahead :P

-Mannat

Processes - Part III

I've spent the past two days telling you guys the wisdom behind the processes, how they were initiated and how we reacted to them. I realised though, that for anyone who is not a part of Sandarbh these process might not be as clear as they are to us. So today I'm going to actually start telling you about these processes. Now I probably won't be able to explain to you all the processes and changes that we are trying to bring about, but I can certainly tell you about the ones that I'm directly involved in or the ones directly impacting me.
One of these processes was that of a time journal. Initially I was able to send in my time journal, properly detailed out and in time. But as work started mounting the time sheet became something that I wasn't doing. I felt like it was more important to work rather than journal how much time I was spending doing what. I have come full circle now - I've started sending my time journal again and this time I understand the purpose behind them. It's not a policing tool but  rather a tool for introspection. For example, while writing today's time journal I realised that I'm not very good at prioritising jobs - something that I won't have caught on to had it not been for this process. And the same applies for everyone else too. Sharing the time journal with each other not only helps us to put together the day's activities and monitor progress, it also helps us be better prepared for tomorrow, eliminating variables in the process. I still won't say I'm enjoying the process but I'm getting there. If nothing else the journalling has certainly made me more aware of my time...

-Mannat

Processes - Part II

"For men may come and men may go, but processes stay forever"

This is the ideology we are trying to implement in office now. By setting up certain processes for the way we work in office, the way the work gets carried out on site and the way we interact with our clients, we are trying to ensure that even if the people change the work doesn't stop. We no longer attempt to plan for regular days- those are becoming part of the process. The planning has to take into account the variables. I feel like this has certainly helped us become more organized. With this process we can anticipate and rectify issues before they become problems.

Now with any sort of change there is some amount of resistance. The initial phase of implementing these processes was easier for some than others. While some found peace in the new found efficiency, others struggled to find their footing.  But slowly we're all getting on board. The hope is that in the next couple of months these processes will stop feeling like something that have to be done... They would become a part of how we function, something as ingrained as breathing!

-Mannat

Processes - Part I

As I mentioned yesterday a lot has changed in office over the past week. We're steadily moving in the direction of become a more organized and more efficient office. But the more I think of it, the more I realise that even though the changes have become more apparent in the last one week, the process for the same had been set in motion even before we joined! In the first couple of mails and messages shared with Sandarbh, the job roles had been clearly defined into categories - client communication, marketing, site, material procurement, design. We were told that we would be working in one of these various branches only, the branch that was best suited for our capability. Initially all of us were a bit hesitant about it, wanting to get the whole experience and not just one part of it. But now I see the wisdom in it. By splitting us up into our respective job roles, we are excelling in the aspect that we are skilled at while still getting exposed to the others (without having to do all the work). Let me explain myself here. Now I've never been one to sketch, I prefer expressing myself through words or digitally created drawings. However, when I see Nikhil or Clarence sketching, it may not directly help with my sketching skills, but my understanding of composition and presentation is certainly getting better. Similarly each one of us picking up on things from the other person. So, contrary to our earlier belief this process of getting to be the best at one thing while still being able to pick up other skills seems to be working for us. 

How is the process of the various branches working together coming along? Come back tomorrow to know more!

-Mannat

Running in the Rain

As much as I've been enjoying the Sandarbh perspective series (and I hope you guys have been too), I feel like in all of this we haven't really been giving you guys an idea of what's going on in office right now. So, I'm going to take a break from that and blog about the on-goings at Sandarbh. But don't worry, we'll get back to that soon!
Today started off like any other work day. 9 a.m. in the office and everybody was already busy with something. Over the past week we have made a few changes in the way we work and everything feels so much more organized (See what I mean by we missed out on a lot... I'll be blogging all about these changes soon too). After a busy busy morning, around noon Atom's stomach wasn't the only one making growling noises. But imagine having to get two-thirds of the office to leave for lunch together- it's quite a task. Everyone always just has one last thing to do before we leave. Ultimately by the time we all got out for lunch today, the weather wasn't on our side. We step out into a sunny day and suddenly it starts pouring. Leena, Tanvi and Tasneem ran straight towards the restaurant while Sai, Arjun and I contemplated doing the same. Between a walk and a run we figured we're going to get wet anyways and I certainly didn't want to risk slipping and falling.  Nayana, Sulu and Ananya were the last of the lot, walking in the rain, enjoying every minute of it. No matter our speed of getting to the place, we were all equally drenched when we sat down at the table.
Sai keeps saying that it's not just about work but also about the memories that we take back home. Moments like these when we're all sitting and laughing, poking fun at each other or just enjoying the weather, really make a productive office day even more memorable!

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Priya

Today I’ll be sharing with you Priya’s experiences. Exactly a year ago she was interning at Sandarbh too. Now back in Pune she has graduated as an architect. Let’s see what Sandarbh was like for her…

Me: Hi Priya! Tell us something about yourself

Priya: Hi! I’m Priya and I’m from Pune. I’m a very passionate person whether it’s about art, dance or cooking. I was a little confused about coming to Sandarbh and Bangalore in general. Madhura was already working here and told me to give Sandarbh a try. I sent in my portfolio and spoke to Sai on the phone. He was a little hesitant initially about having two people from the same college but eventually it all worked out!

Me: It’s not too long back that you were at Sandarbh but I wonder if things were different from now. What was office like for you guys?

Priya: If we talk about the work space alone, we were there for the transition when the office expanded into the garage. I remember when the architects were working in the office and I shifted to the garage. We cleaned out the space and made it our own.

In terms of the work, a lot of responsibility was given to us which I really didn’t expect. I was managing client communication which was interesting but like I said it felt like a lot of responsibility. Sai was always very encouraging though. All the informal conversations we had were a nudge in the right direction.  I had no clue about project planning before I got here but slowly we got into it. In all this, I certainly learned how to manage my time better.

Sai would always tell us not to settle or get too comfortable with what we were doing. When I came back from internship, I felt very inspired. During the first phase of thesis, with nothing much to do, I started visiting my father’s bakery. Initially I would just look around, learn a few things here and there. But with all the experience that I gained at Sandarbh coming into play, I kept wanting to make it better. I didn’t want to settle and kept looking for things to improve. For now, I’m actually considering doing a course in baking even…

Me: So tell us more about your time here. What experiences and memories have you carried back with you?

Priya: The whole experience was very interesting for me, personality wise. When I started here, I didn’t feel very confident but now I realise I can be good at communication too. The workspace was very different from a typical office, formal environment. I also really appreciated the conversations and took away a lot from them. One of the things I really learnt here was the ability to make people comfortable.

While we all learnt and explored in office, we also got the chance to experience sites – something that a lot of interns miss out on. We learnt everything from the processes on site, to managing the workers, to implementing new materials and technologies. When we went back for the jury, this exposure to site was also really appreciated by the jurors.

And of course, if you work hard you must party hard. One time we went out to celebrate a birthday and I have fond memories of a fun night that ended with lots of laughs and hugs. And the little parties we had at office itself were incredibly fun too. I still get jealous when I see pictures of the fun and parties on Instagram!

Me: Any last words before we sign off for today?

Priya: I have to say that a lot of my experience here was enhanced by the people around me. Madhura was the reason I ended up at Sandarbh and the whole experience brought us closer together as friends. We even found our groove working together as a team. From starting to end we got to work with a range of super interesting, amazing people whether it was Jerry and Aditi along with the extemely talented Rambo in the beginning or the batch of architects and interns who joined towards the end of our internship - Ananya, Harshitha, Kavi, Kiri, Shaz and Afreen. For us the first three months was all about learning and the last one was all about handing it all over to the interns who came after us. Overall, it has been one amazing journey!

Talking to Priya, I could relate with a lot of her experiences. As diverse as the perspectives from Sandarbh are, in essence maybe they’re not so different at all…

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Past and Present

Today was quite a productive day in office. Schedules were made, task lists were generated and ticked off, designs were developed and translated into drawings, construction techniques were researched, materials were calculated and in the midst of all this we even managed to put together a presentation for a prospective client in Pune. Sai ended up speaking to one of his old interns Priya, who is from Pune, with respect to that particular project. He shared with us the conversation he had with her and what she was up to these days. This made me wonder, why do the perspectives from Sandarbh have to be just about the here and now. Why not take into account the experiences of the people who worked here, before we got here. I mean, we're constantly hearing stories about the various people, how the office used to be, who worked on what, so why not hear these things from them firsthand.
The whole idea of the blog was about sharing the experiences at Sandarbh - not just mine but rather ours. A collective experience of the past and the present is what I'll be sharing with you guys over the next couple of days. I'm quite excited about all the interesting conversations I'll be having. Can't wait to see what my "seniors" have to say about their experiences at Sandarbh!

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Rambo - Part IV

Rambo's journey at Sandarbh has come to an end and along with it so has this series. But, this is not a goodbye blog coz we’re all counting on the fact that Rambo hasn’t left for good. Sai is certain he’ll be back. Harshitha bets it’ll happen in the within the next year, Sulu gives it 6 months.

Read on to see Rambo's last message to Sandarbh (at least the last message for the time being)…

Me: I know it might be hard to put it together, but can you share with us what your overall experience at Sandarbh has been like

Rambo: At Sandarbh most days were really exciting, new things would keep happening. But there were also a few days when I felt stuck as though we weren't moving forward. Through all of this though, I have definitely changed as a person. It's been like a 180 degree change for me. I was an introvert when I came here, but now I can actually talk to people. My communication has dramatically improved. I have become more affirmative too. When I would go to site earlier, I would be taken for a ride. I would constantly keep going to get material for different things and different people, rather than getting a consolidated list and doing it in one go. Now, I feel I would be more affirmative on site and in other aspects of my life too. I have also gained wisdom both in work and life. There are still those days when I just go along with what's happening, but now I'm aware of it. I have become more productive and efficient thanks to Sai. Just the other day a friend of mine was struggling with some work and I told him to keep breaking down the job into smaller jobs till there was an achievable task that could be ticked off the list. As he kept ticking things off the list, the sense of achievement became stronger and my friend was able to accomplish more than what he had thought he could. So, I have not only imbibed Sai's wisdom but have been able to pass it on too!

Me: Any last words for Sandarbh?

Rambo: Live long and prosper!

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Rambo - Part III

Before I begin to even talk to you guys about Rambo being a sketchup superstar, I'm just going to share with you an image. Real photo? Nahhh. This is actually one of Rambo's renders!

Me: So Rambo, all of us want to know, how did you get so good at sketchup?
Rambo: I knew of sketchup in college. I had tried it before but the geometry was all sticky. You would try to move one thing and the whole model would deform. When I got here, Sai told me all about components and groups. I actually started learning sketchup at Sandarbh. We would watch the youtube tutorials, picking up on tips and tricks, the shortcuts etc. After that, we started experimenting with sketchup. We would have to make models of nails, screws, hinges, bulbs, switches, doors, windows, all the details. Thereafter I was assigned a site and had to make the full measured drawing of the building in sketchup. That’s when I really found my mojo with sketchup. I made everything from the electrical to the piping in details. Then we also did the furniture measurements at Saravan, which is where I learnt to make all sorts of curves and profiles (Curious about what Saravan is? Check it out here). It was all antique furniture which I thought would be impossible to make on sketchup, but I figured it out. The whole process of sketchup has actually been a lot of trial and error.

Me: And what about your hyper-realistic renders? What software do you use for that?
Rambo: I use Podium for rendering and I feel that it is a very easy and user friendly software. I’ve tried V-ray two or three times but I didn’t really like the result. Podium is also little bit of trial and error but if you know the basics, you can pick it up really quickly and the result is also very fast. The components are ready-made. You can just pick up the components, place them in the model. I like it more because of this reason.


We've gone over the beginning of Rambo's journey as well as what he does best. Come back tomorrow to read with us Rambo's last message to Sandarbh!

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Rambo - Part II

Getting Rambo to talk isn't easy. Luckily, Arjun and I managed to corner him on one occasion when we were all chilling at Harshitha, Sulu and Ananya's place. Let's dive right into it!

Me: So Rambo, how did you end up at Sandarbh?
Rambo: When I was in college, I was definitely a good for nothing guy. In 2011, during my internship semester, I didn’t have a job and was just loitering around in Pondicherry. My sister-in-law called me one day, asking me how my internship was going – only to realize I didn’t have one. Leena, was one of her classmates in college, and so she requested her to take me on as an intern.
When I got to Sandarbh, I found that they were doing a lot of good work and in turn I was getting great exposure! The overall experience was really good. Unlike my friends who were working in other places, I was not getting blasted left, right and center. I definitely looked up to Sai and even today, he’s right up there in my mind! (*Note to the readers: Rambo only referred to Sai by his name because we were all drinking. In office he will either refer to him as Sir or not refer to him at all! I bring this up as most of us simply call Sai by his first name, but the culture in office was really different back when Rambo joined and he still hasn't been able to make a complete transition from that). Through the course of my internship, I saw Leena a total of maybe 4 times. Ally was a baby back then, and so Leena would mostly work from her workspace upstairs, while taking care of Ally. I had to go back to college to pass the backs that I had. After that one of my friends Isaac was working here and so a while later I came back and joined him at Sandarbh. He ended up leaving after some time but I’ve been here since and the rest is history.

Me: Watching you work now, I can't quite believe that you were good nothing. Why do you say that?
Rambo: This is a story that goes back to my graduation in architecture. We generally have 6 months for thesis and we totally ended up wasting 4 of them. We had a director from the UK who didn't allow us to build basic things like airports and malls. He wanted us to derive our ideas from the intangible. The idea had to be such that it touched the heart. The director left after 4 months and after that was when the work actually started. That was when I decided to build an airport. The research alone took a month and a half. On the day of the jury I literally presented the site plan only. The juror asked me if I wanted to pass. I said yes. And that was that.

The Rambo back then, is quite different from the one now in many ways and quite similar in some ways too. When I see him work now, I have a hard time believing some of the things he tells us. The renders he creates leave us in awe. Keep reading to know more about his journey on how he turned from the guy without an internship to a sketchup pro...

-Mannat 

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Rambo - Part I

So I know these blogs are supposed to be all about other people's perspectives at Sandarbh, but just for a bit I'm going to divert the attention back to myself. Rambo has left Sandarbh to start a new chapter in his life. I'll be sharing some of his experiences of the years he's spent here but before that I'm going to share a little bit about my interactions with Rambo.

Initially when we came to office Rambo was like the rendering wiz for us. Quiet at first, we would just see him constantly working on sketchup after sketchup, creating super realistic renders. Slowly he started opening up to us. One of his favourite questions to ask the new interns would be "How old do I look?". We would keeping guessing how old he was - some predicted him to be way younger, while others way older ( he would very obviously portray his displeasure for those who'd fall into to the latter category).
On our daily lunches to Gardenia we could always count on the fact that with Rambo around there'd be no leftover food. And then there's his passion for football that's at an all time high during FIFA season. In all of these interactions outside of office, we've seen a whole new side to Rambo. Fun and outgoing. He's still not too keen on talking too much, but a few drinks in and we managed to get him to spill the beans about his time at Sandarbh.

I've only known Rambo for a month and I can tell already that I'm really going to miss him, and so is the rest of the team. In fact Sai is convinced that he's not leaving for good but just taking a break. Either way I'm going to take this opportunity to put his experiences on record. Keep reading to know more!

-Mannat

Perspectives from Sandarbh : Meghna

Today was a small victory for Sandarbh and we're truly celebrating it. Meghna topped her internship jury. She had come to the office a couple of days ago with her portfolio that made everyone's jaws drop. Arjun was in a literal daze for the next fifteen minutes. While he recovered from that, I managed to have a quick chat with Meghna. Read on to find out more...

Me: Hi Meghna! Tell us about yourself
Meghna: Hi I'm from Kerala and I did my final year internship at Sandarbh. I was unsure about coming here first but now I know it was a really good decision to make. I don't usually like giving out of my comfort zone which is exactly what it was like to come here.

Me: What do you mean by being out of your comfort zone?
Meghna: So initially I hadn't found my groove. Sai didn't know where to put me. One day in the office I was getting really bored during an office meeting and I ended up sketching the scene. Kavi shared it with everyone and that's when Sai figured what I was good at. One day he teamed Dhrashti and me together. Within an hour we had made so many sketches. That's when I truly found my groove.

Me: So, what happened after you found your groove? Can you give a gist of what the whole experience was like for you?
Meghna: The whole experience was way better than what I expected it to be. Initially I was pointed out often as I was rather quiet. Slowly as I got more comfortable, I stopped being so quiet and opened up even more. I started off with electrical drawings and I liked that but it was when the sketching happened that I really started loving my work. To me sketching, space-planning, designing stopped feeling like work. I had a great time with the interns in my batch and had a chance to interact with the next batch of interns also. Rambo, Sulu, Harshitha, everyone made my time here enjoyable. Sai and Leena were great fun too. Conversations with Sai and his quotes really inspired me through my journey.

Me: Any particular memories you'll be taking back with you?
Meghna: There are too many memories really. I have seen a major change in myself and have definitely picked up on a few valuable lessons. I have finally learned to say 'No'. At one point my parents were in town and I was on leave but there was some work that I hadn't been able to complete. I prioritised the work over family and made my parents wait. Sai got rather upset with me for this and that was when I realised I had the option to say no to that work considering I was already on leave. Another thing I learnt was that one should never work out of guilt or fear. This is one of those statments that is going to stay with me through life - in theory and hopefully in practice as well.

Me: Any parting thoughts?
Meghna: I always wanted to end up marrying another architect. Being an architect couple was the major idea and it sounded great in my head. But after my time at Sandarbh I have been cured of this little thought. Let's just say my perceptions of an architect couple have been changed ;)

-Mannat 

Perspectives from Sandarbh

Sandarbh has been full of hustle and bustle this week. More people in the studio, more people on site, more people in general. I've introduced all of the interns to you guys but in all this the architects have started to feel left out. Ananya is itching to be able to give an interview - it's not the same as blogging she tells me. She has a fair point too.
So, I've decided that why stop with the interns. Why not give you all a glimpse of Sandarbh from more seasoned eyes. To start off, watch out for two very special interactions with Meghna and  Rambo. Meghna has finished her internship, while Rambo  too is leaving to start the next chapter of his life. Let's share their experiences as well as last thoughts as they leave Sandarbh. Stay tuned!

-Mannat

Full House

Finally the Sandarbh team is at full strength (and the garage at full occupancy ). Nayana and Reenu joined in on Monday, and with Clarence, Nikhil and Akshay coming in today we definitely have a full house.
As soon as she got here Reenu has involved herself with project management, to the extent that she's sitting across me with an open excel sheet and a book on the subject. Nayana on the other hand has made the processes of writing easier. The back and forth with her has led to some good ideas with the narratives. She is also insanely particular about time. If you commit to something she will certainly keep nagging you till it gets done. Even Sai hasn't been able escape this!
Clarence, Akshay and Nikhil seemed very quiet in the beginning but as they started sketching we saw another side to them altogether. On their very first day they were able to put together a conceptual presentation for a prospective client.
Aamir has also joined our team as a civil engineer. He makes site management look like a piece of cake! Ask him about this and he'll tell you that he'd love to be on site from 8 to 8 but put him in front a computer and he'd probably be as unproductive as one could be.
Yesterday was an incredibly productive day in office which we capped off with a chilling scene. Work hard, party hard was the motto. All in all, within the last month the office strength has almost doubled and we're all feeling really good about it!

-Mannat

Almost 5 weeks

The past few blogs have been dedicated to documenting the experiences of the other 5 interns as 4 weeks at Sandarbh came to an end. Meanwhile 5 weeks are almost over and soon we'll have another 6 interns joining us. We're looking forward to a full house and soon I'll be sharing with you their experiences as well .
For now, I can say for sure that the 6 of us have really found our place and I hope we can help the others do so too. I can't wait to see what that would be like. Keep reading to know more about all of our experiences at Sandarbh!

-Mannat

4 weeks at Sandarbh : Tanvi

Here’s the last of the interns who joined with me. Let’s read more about Tanvi’s experiences at Sandarbh…

Me:Hey Tanvi! Tell us something about yourself

Tanvi: Hi guys! I’m Tanvi from Nashik in Maharashtra. I consider myself to be a pretty spontaneous person. I’m inclined towards artistic fields and I really enjoy music. I also really like taking long walks and observing everything around me.

Me: So, what was going on in your mind before you got to Sandarbh? How were those impressions different from your experiences here?

Tanvi: With all the conversations on the office group and the mails we all exchanged I felt like I had an idea of what work at Sandarbh is like. It was actually better in person. Work is definitely fun. Time passes really fast as I enjoy what I’m doing. I haven’t come across a boring day yet. I really like working here.

Me: Would you like to walk us through your journey uptil now…

Tanvi: I had a very interesting beginning. On the second day of work itself I got to tag along for a client meeting. Post that I was working on mood boards for that project and eventually got to work on the space planning and designing also. Sketchup, approval drawings, working drawings, I’ve had an opportunity to work on all of these in my one month here. The continuous conversation we have with Sai have also helped a lot. It helps us be aware of everything happening in office whether it is the work on site, the project management, the marketing or the design decisions. It has also helped me understand how each of these processes is interdependent and interconnected. All of these interactions have also helped me to open up to people, more than I did before.

Me: I’ve seen some of your watercolour work and it’s pretty good. How was your experience of trying out watercolour as a medium for expression in architecture?

Tanvi: It was actually really interesting. I enjoy watercolour but it’s mostly abstract or things I’ve copied off the net. When Sai asked me to apply the same technique to convey architectural intent it took me a while to actually get that. Rambo really helped me in the process. He would just walk into the garage and tell me what I was doing wrong, he would help me out and show me his own techniques for painting. I really do feel like I have gotten better with the whole process now.

Me: Seems to me you’ve had a pretty good experience till now. Any expectations for the remaining internship period?

Tanvi: I just hope everything continues to be as good as it is. In fact, I hope it just keeps getting better. I just hope to keep learning more through the process of work.

Me: I hope so too! Any last words before we wrap up for the day?

Tanvi: I just wish that I keep enjoying the work that I get and that I keep encountering new things everyday on the job!

-Mannat

4 weeks at Sandarbh : Purva

You know the drill. This one is all about Purva...

Me: Hi Purva! We would like to begin by introducing you to our readers
Purva: Hi everyone. Purva this side from Vadodara, Gujarat. I come from a place with a very distinct culture, heritage and cuisine. I love painting, reading books. I'm an outdoor person and I enjoy any and all kinds of sports. I'm a calm person who enjoys good company but sometimes I also like to be on my own.

Me: I kind of get that from you. Even in office there are days when you are constantly working on resolving designs and interacting only with Sai, and then there are days when you're working back and forth with the rest of us interns. Tell us more about how all of these experiences have been for you
Purva: In the starting I was very confused about the kind of work I would get in office. The first assignment I got was to design a residence from scratch. It seemed very similar to the kind of work we do in college. I started designing with that thought in mind. But as I kept having discussions with Sai, I realised how wrong my thinking was. The more we thought about the design practically, the better it kept getting. I definitely feel like I understand the process of design better now. In our office discussions I also feel like I've learnt more about life, small things have also made a big impact on me. Even workwise I've learnt a lot, like for example when we learnt about sketchup. A simple concept of groups and components when applied made the software speed so much better. These one on one design discussions with Sai and the overall discussions in office went on for about two weeks. Then I also moved into working in other aspects of the job like site co-ordintation, verndor interactions etc. Going out to site has been one of my most favourite days uptil now. This gave me more exposure to overall how things are done in this field.

Me: So, tell us more about your day on site. Why is it your favourite?
Purva: This is my first office experience and also my first exposure to sites. I had a good time observing each and every minute detail of construction and analysing it. I personally found it easy to work with the people on site but then again this has been my own and only site experience till now. I hope I get more opportunities to visit sites, handle them and learn from them.

Me: Seems like you're quite comfortable with being on site. Is designing an equally comfortable experience for you? Was there ever any time when you felt stuck while resolving a design? What did you do then?
Purva: Yeah. Many times to be honest. I feel like the solutions to these times lies in making multiple options and looking at the issue from various perspectives. Sometimes the few options I would create would be similar, just tweaking around a few things, other times it would be a design that would be completely different. But from this process of trial and error a final solution definitely comes out.

Me: Any last word for our readers?
Purva: To sum up, I feel like design and architecture are all about going with the flow and following your instincts. That's how my first month of internship has been and that's how I hope the rest of it goes too!

-Mannat