Calcutta-based 53-year-old architect Gita Balakrishnan on a 1700km walk from Calcutta to New Delhi reached Jamshedpur on Wednesday evening with a message for designers from Jharkhand as part of her “walk for Arcause’

A graduate from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi who completed her practical training at the Centre for Building Performance and Diagnostics at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, Gita wants architects and interior designers from Jharkhand to design solutions that are in tune with local needs.

“During my interaction with architects and designers in Jamshedpur and Ranchi I will talk about design as a career in schools and colleges, and how architects, just like doctors, can go back to their hometown/villages, understand their grievances and align solutions as per their needs, instead of an architect aping solutions and replicating what they learnt from the urban cities,” said Gita founder of Ethos (an initiative to bridge the gap between students and professionals from the ACED fraternity (Architecture, Construction, Engineering, and Design),” said Gita who interacted with architects at a program organised by Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), Jharkhand chapter in Jamshedpur.

On Thursday she had a physio session at the high-performance centre in JRD Tata Sports Complex.

Gita who will be touching base at Ranchi too during her walk crossing Jharkhand said, “While I am in Jharkhand I will be doing relays with architects and participate in a meet organized by IIA (Indian Institute of Architects) Jharkhand. Through the meet, the conversation will be for the larger audience, including students, common people, architects and construction workers.”

"Arcause is a platform for acknowledging, enlisting, and actualizing social responsibilities of architects, designers, engineers, and others associated with the ACED Fraternity. The walk will commemorate the milestone of Ethos completing 20 remarkable years in June 2022, and celebrate the spirit and architectural magnificence of India after 75 years of independence,” said Gita.

Gita began her awareness walk from February 13 from Victoria Memorial to spread awareness on how good design can play a substantial role in changing lives and the role of the architecture and design fraternity, their contributions to society, and issues that they aim to address through design.

The walk has been conceptualised by Ethos Foundation in collaboration with The Council of Architecture (COA) and IIA. As part of the walk, she will be touching the geographical boundaries of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and reach Delhi on April 16 walking on an average 30-35 km per day.

Gita Balakrishnan further said, “Architecture and design are central to lifestyles, to well-being, to healing, to connecting, to growth, to living and to life itself. However, the power of design can impact a lot more than it does today. This walk is a humble attempt to learn, to receive, imbibe and generate ideas from what I see, hear and experience through the stories of others. I walk in the hope that this will spur a lot more social and responsible action from all stakeholders.”