Jai Mahishmati, nay, Amaravati!

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die.

The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.” -- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Norman Foster may be one of the world’s most sought-after architects. Yes, his company, Norman Foster, has produced some of the world’s finest post-modern buildings to date and are most unforgettable constructions.

Of what use his intellect is, if he cannot come up with a design that AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu seeks to build upon? Norman Foster may have built much-talked about buildings and could have created astonishing designs, yet, he is useless if he cannot satisfy his client.

Maki designers of Japan too did the same mistake in the past and got branded as worthless designers by the AP CRDA authorities. In fact, the then head of CRDA, Cherukuri Sreedhar went ahead and called Maki Consultants copycats.

It is not that Chandrababu Naidu has not explained to them what he wants. He has been advising the designers that Amaravati should be the best in the world. It has to be not just a world class capital, but a world apart capital. Amaravati is the capital city of ‘Suras’. This celestial grandeur, according to mythology, has been built by Lord Vishwakarma, the pioneering architect of the Gods. He is supposed to be the son of Lord Brahma.

Standing at the gates of the city of Indra, is the elephant, 'Airavata', Lord Indra's favourite. None of us have seen this animal, but be sure that it would be a look-alike of the elephant that we all saw in 'Bahubali-II' perhaps.

So, if Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh wishes that the designers consult Rajamouli, what is wrong with it? It has to be ancient, yet modern, world class, yet out of the world. Naidu is a deeply-rooted man in culture and cherishes the past a lot. That past makes him restless when he looks at the future to build Amaravati, his dream capital.

When one plans to build an independent house, one looks at hundreds of designs and consults scores of people. Every house, every building and every design draws your eye and you keep thinking about it while asleep too. Such is the compulsion when one wants to build something for himself.

Chandrababu Naidu is not building anything for himself. He is dreaming on behalf of the people. He is planning to deliver a magnum opus that leaves the viewers stupefied and spellbound. It is not any ordinary Rs 50 crore to Rs 200 crore venture but will be worth a few billions of dollars.

This demands an exactness. Best of the directors like Satyajit Ray, Bapu, Rajamouli... name any ... all have gone about their work scientifically. They all had drawn each frame with perfection, of their movies, and had proceeded with their shoot. Only then, the effort yielded the required results and the movies became hit. They have stood the test of time and taste and have remained etched in the minds of people forever.

Such is Chandrababu Naidu's penchant for excellence, that he is just seeking such a perfection in the creation of this la la land, i.e., his own la la land. Anyone who does not understand this and attempts to convince him that the designs are really out of the world, only irritates him into a state of apoplexy.

No doubt, people from Maki and +Foster must have had the same feeling after their disappointing encounters with Chandrababu Naidu. If they felt similarly like Alice did in Wonderland, it is not their fault.

Just remember Alice is the protagonist and must find her way through the strange place. 'Follow the White Rabbit' is the Mantra and the key to success. Forget this and you only have cobwebs in the mind. Never mind the fact that the Rabbit does not even know what time it is. It is not important whether it is yesterday, today or tomorrow.

Also, film editing in its most fundamental level, is the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence. The job of an editor is not simply to mechanically put pieces of a film together, cut off film slates, or edit dialogue scenes.

He should work closely with the Director, crafting the daily rushes into a coherent whole. To ensure that the story flows effortlessly from beginning to end, each shot is carefully chosen and edited into a series of scenes, which are, in turn, assembled to create the finished film as the wiki says. Maki & Associates failed in this test.

Rather they did not read the story of Alice correctly. Otherwise, they would have taken the advise of Caterpillar and eaten the mushrooms to cope with the difficult situations one encounters in the yet to be La La Land. Adapting oneself to the environment is the solution here.

Norman + Foster also forgot that there is a Cheshire Cat out there, Sometimes visible, with the huge grin always there for all to see and representing the time between adulthood and childhood.

What is the lesson that the Cheshire Cat teaches Alice? That there are rules you have to follow and that the rules can change after you have become comfortable with them.

Like Maki & Associates, Norman + Foster must not blame Chandrababu Naidu tomorrow for their failures. Don't criticize Naidu who is not at fault. Naidu is not looking at the ordinary nor dreaming about the ordinary. It is something that no one has every done so far, nor would anyone attempt at doing in the future.

This Amaravati will not be just like the filmy 'Mahishmati' but more (and if I am right this film too has an Airavata standing majestically). So, these designers must place a similar looking elephant, caparisoned at that, in the forefront, for a good measure before rounding their designs off.

They should first watch Baahubali and freeze the frames to copy the design. The city's waterways must reach the steps of the city (not just during floods, but always) to make way for a world class transport system.

Remember 'Maya Bazaar'? That iconic film directed by K Venkat Reddy and produced by Nagireddy and Chakrapani under the Vijaya Vauhini banner? It took more than a year to envisage the same and for one tiny set of Dwaraka city alone, 300 miniature houses were created by the technicians (400 in all).

Perhaps, this film also is a must see for the Amaravati designers. Watch Baahubali and Maya Bazaar and read Chandamama and have a close look at all the fabled cities that were published in its serials in an almost stunning 3-D effect.

When you get right down to it, you understand Chandrababu better and everything will be 'Alamalame' (a la Maya Bazaar) then. I am eagerly waiting for the release.

Till then, Jai Mahishmati, nay, Amaravati!