Professional Documents
Culture Documents
two years and a half. I have been born and brought up in a middle-class family in a small coastal
town called Alibag near Mumbai in India. Most of the choice of vacation places by my parents
were places of historical importance, monuments, temples, beaches, forts as the overall cost was
not so much. I neither had the privilege of visiting any luxurious hotels or destinations or any
trips outside my country nor was I much interested in such vacations at that time. I was always
fancied by seeing all the buildings and structures around me, even the ordinary ones. I was a kid
with too many questions for my parents, and the question I had the most whenever I went to a
new place was ‘Dad, do u know who built this?’. Initially his answer would be, ‘Why don’t you
grow up and find yourself, and in the process, you might build a good building too’, but
eventually at the end of the day he used to find out and tell me, and I used to write the names of
the buildings followed by the owners’ name or whoever built it. By this time, I had no idea how
When I completed my 10th grade back in 2008, I got the opportunity to join an NGO that my dad
was a part of for 10 years. He would teach free yoga every Sunday to whoever wanted to learn
yoga. Within a month I got to know that there was a person who comes to learn yoga there was
monuments and it also included trekking and hiking activities. I knew by volunteering there I
would get to visit historical monuments, forts and go on trekking and trips for free. There was a
senior member in that NGO who was an Architect. I knew he would be the most relevant person
to get all the answers for the questions I had about built form. Internet was not very accessible at
that time with only dial-up connection with speed in kbps. He used to also take me to site visits
on his projects, and I would tag along asking him questions which he happily answered to me.
Going to new places I would only notice all the built form around me, and I felt each building,
and every structure had a story to tell to me, I just had to observe and ask. I remember getting
emotional and crying whenever I saw a damaged monument. Architecture by this time had
As a performing child in academics, my family expectations were I pursue science, but that was
what I never fantasized. My fantasy was buildings and structures. For these three years, until I
completed my 12th grade, I learnt how to sketch, and I made a sketch of every new place that I
went to. I also learnt sculpting and bamboo carving during this time. I was very active in sports,
and I have more than 75 awards and certificates in various competitions like skating, running,
swimming, karate etc. After completing my 12th grade I chose Architecture, and by this time my
parents knew what my interests were, and they backed me even though for us Architectural
I joined an Architectural College in 2011. However, in 2012 after my 1st year, I had a significant
health issue, and I had to take a break during 2012-2013. I re-joined a different architecture
college under the same University, which was nearer to my home so I could travel from home
daily. For the first 6 months after recovering from my health issue, I travelled daily, two hours to
and two hours from college. When I recovered completely, I shifted in a rented apartment near
vacant time during these five years, I participated in several architectural seminars involving
technical and design and workshops on construction techniques by different materials like wood,
bamboo, CLT, Etc. I also attended workshops for sculpting, building materials, digital
architecture, parametric and organic architecture, and acoustics. Etc. I also got the opportunity to
assist my professor in two of his projects which were load-bearing structures. I was active in
sports at my college. I joined the Kho-Kho team in 2014, got the 4th prize for District Skating
Competition in 2016, and was on the football team from 2016 to 2017. I was the cultural head of
the college from 2015 to 2017, where I helped to manage and organize cultural events and
activities and recruit new members in the association. I was also a part of the Students Council of
Architecture from 2015 to 2017. This exposure allowed me to develop my leadership and social
skills.
My thesis topic for the final year was 'Mixed-Use Development,' and I focused on tackling issues
like urban sprawl, migration, congestion, travelling time to and from work and intended to solve
them by integrating several building typologies. Metro cities and upcoming urban cities in India
are going to contribute a significant chunk to India’s GDP, and urban cities are going to be the
hosts for international collaborations. My thesis was my sincere attempt to provide an example
on how Mixed-Use development can play a vital role in making these cities capable of hosting
such global events and pressure without damaging its economy and quality of living, and how
my thesis could be potentially implemented on a larger scale. I want to further explore this topic
In the university, the coursework focused on theoretical aspects rather than practical regards.
Jan 2016 and continued for 4 months there, after which I got recommended by my employer to
one of the best firms in Mumbai. They hired and allowed to work as a part-time junior architect
as my academics were also going on. I took a break for my final year thesis semester in October
2016 and re-joined the same firm back in May 2017 and worked there full time at the post of an
Architect & Designer for 14 months till June 2018. I am currently working as a Planning
Architect at a construction firm who is a business associate of the previous firm, I worked in. I
have been teaching a few subjects at NATA classes every Sunday since May 2017. I also have
consultant and a contractor since December 2017. I have been fortunate enough to be able to
acquire Bungalow projects through the people I have known through both the NGOs that I am
part of, and also through my friends and relatives. In India people like everything that is for free,
and people don’t like to work for free. I have been taking advantage of this scenario and had the
I have been fortunate enough to gain practical knowledge of various construction techniques
during this time. I have good practical experience and abilities such as the ability to carry out
plans, supervise and oversee the actual construction process. My work has also allowed me to
reflect upon my shortcomings and the areas which I need to receive additions and intensive
training on.
Looking back at my hometown and the places I have been to in India, I know there is so much
that can be done to improve the quality and the experience. These places have so much potential
for improvement since India is a culturally diverse and vibrant nation. Given the ability,
power and responsibility, there is a wide array of things that can be done. I believe that our
fraternity has been accountable for everything we have been seeing around us ever since the first
thought to assemble a structure or a built form was established. As part of the same fraternity we
have the power and responsibility to provide the future generations with a healthy and feasible
habitat, and we could offer them with self-sustainable cities and a favorable climate that can
prevail for ages, which is possible by the current advancement in technology. Everything we
build now will have an impact then. I believe that such self-sustainable cities are likely in the
coming decades and I call my version of it a 'Dream City.’ By doing this, we could stop
borrowing the earth from our future generations. With the current advancement in space
technology and exploration, it is inevitable that we will be building structures in outer space and
on other planets, for example, mars. If someone has to be the first person to step on an extra-
terrestrial planet why not the person be from our fraternity, and undoubtedly why not an
Architect? An Architect is an Artist, imagine building everything from scrap from the
perspective of an artist -one who has thorough knowledge about built form & spaces,
I have a firm understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of Architecture Design
and Technical implementation, and I feel that I am prepared to begin the next step of my
development which is the pursuit of higher education in Architecture. I think that it is crucial
building upon my previous training and education in a stimulating atmosphere full of diverse
viewpoints and ideas. The diverse and international student’s body combined with modern
facilities and esteemed professors at your university will provide me with a cutting-edge
education that will prepare me for any challenges I may face in the future. It will also put me
together for a lifetime of success in the field of Art, Architecture and Design. Your master's
program is integral to my dreams and goals, and I will much appreciate your consideration of my
application.