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<\/a>One of the projects Arun worked on in Jaipur, named \u2018Dhun\u2019 (meaning \u2018in tune with\u2019 in Hindi), was to regenerate a 500-acre land bank on the outskirts of the city. The plan for this project was to build a city \u2018in tune\u2019 with people, in contrast to the many modern-day cities that are becoming, as Arun says, \u201cunliveable, unsustainable and unaffordable\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A key part of regenerating the land back to its ecological balance was to \u2018rewild\u2019 the space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRewilding means that you’re not doing calculated, designed, landscape intervention. You’re letting nature take over the land and then you’re falling in the course of nature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project implemented rewilding to create a set of lakes, which meant following the water to see where it naturally collected. But Rajasthan being such a dry place, it took Arun three years \u2013 and three monsoon seasons \u2013 of following the water, and working with local knowledge, to learn where best to build the lakes.<\/p>\n\n\n
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<\/a>\u201cIn India we have this very philosophical context that \u2018the land knows the best and people know better\u2019. So it’s all about the indigenous people and the rural communities around the land who have lived there generations before us. They know exactly where the water would go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Human beings have \u201ca lot of these bioindicators\u201d, says Arun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut somewhere down the line we have disconnected from ourselves. Living in cities where we are seeing resources as commodities, because water comes in a tap.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As well as reconnecting with nature, Arun\u2019s architectural interests also lie in reconnecting with indigenous cultural heritage, in place of colonial practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIndia, like most countries, has been heavily colonised. We still have a very colonised mindset and that has trickled down to the way we build.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A perfect example of indigenous architecture, Arun explains, are the havelis<\/em> typical in Rajasthan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese houses are decked with the finest decor and artisan craftsmanship. That to me, is where the indigenous knowledge of everything is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From things as simple as the ventilation system and the lattice pattern on the buildings, which, Arun explains, means that \u201cwhenever there’s a dusty storm, all the dust falls outside the building and only the cool air goes inside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are the little details that have been lost through colonisation, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd now we aspire glass buildings and skyscrapers like a lot of these Western countries, which are in a very different climatic zone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The indigenous practices are rooted deep and intertwined with India\u2019s cultural heritage. A good example of this is the city Jaisalmer. Although one of the most inhabited deserts in the world, it is so dry that people will remove their footwear within one kilometre of the water, as a sign of respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat’s the kind of culture where we come from, where we respect trees, we respect animals, we respect birds, and we respect water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo we just wanted to bring all of the sensitivity back into an Urban Development, and really connect us to the nature and the land that we live in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connecting with nature and culture, and using architecture to implement greener initiatives is more important than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThe world is crumbling around us. Powerful nations are pulling out on agreements and promises. To me, climate change is no longer an elite thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur livelihoods are very, very connected to our environment, and it should be in our interest to save our environment, so that our livelihoods are not affected also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although far from alone in the climate crisis, along with China and the US, India is home to many of the world\u2019s most polluted cities, Arun says. In Delhi, the air that a child breathes before the age of five is equal to 10,000 cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you really want to give a better space to our generation, we need to buckle up. If we really want our livelihoods not to be affected, we need to buckle up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we don\u2019t all need to be designing new cities to contribute to climate resilience. Arun suggests small, simple actions \u2013 like segregating waste, using public transport and being mindful of how much water we consume \u2013 can go a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2025\/01\/474176487_2861216647389191_4807389899819563793_n-1024x594.jpg\")
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