‘Charkha’ A tribute to Gandhi’s spinning wheel unveiled near at Mumbai’s Churchgate on 11th June,’2022.
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Mumbai-based architect Nuru Karim installs an 11-meter high white sculpture at the Cross Maidan near Mumbai’s Churchgate railway station. The sculpture illustrates contemporary India’s social and cultural dimensions.
Sculpture is known as ‘Charkha’ meaning Spinning wheel inspired by the spinning wheel Mahatma Gandhi used during the Indian Revolution.
The unveiling of the installation was held in Oct 2011, as a part of the Cross Maidan renovation plan, which had previously been overrun by street hawkers.
The strategy was submitted by the NGO Oval Depend and accepted by the Mumbai Urban Heritage Conservation Committee in 2005.
But the project was delayed and pushed by a decade before it was completed and the ground opened.
Ar. Nuru Karim believes that “architecture is an ongoing experiment, where problems and solutions go hand in hand with designing a better future.”
The selection process
To select the perfect installation a competition was hosted, for which more than 100 entries were received. From those 100 entries, Architect Nuru Karim, Charkha installation was selected.
The sculpture has also won the ‘Notions of India’ competition by Tata Structura and IA&B magazine for its architectural representation of Contemporary India.
The architect also adds that the sculpture is a representation of modern India that is self-sufficient, sustainable and hard working.
According to organizer Sarita Vijayan, the competition intended to give India a contemporary icon, and Karim added the perfect identity. He further added, “His design was a wonderful idea because the charkha is an enduring symbol of our country” .
After the competition was closed the organizers wanted a permanent exhibit site for the meter-high sculpture, for which locations like Gandhinagar in Gujarat and at Pune but was later dedicated that it would be a part of the Cross Maiden renovation plan and was offered to the Organisation for Verdent Ambience and Land (OVAL) Trust.
About the Masterpiece
The masterpiece is made up of a series of triangular structures that are supported by three curving columns that serve as the framework’s backbone and also allow the installation to cantilever in one direction before returning to the 9m x 9m base.
The type of installation varies depending on the customer’s viewpoint. Each segment of the Charkha installation is individually unique, expressing the concept of ‘unity in diversity as well as the country’s multi-culture.
The exploration process of the structure included the use of a digital applet, and study of the spinning gestures of a spinning wheel which was later experimented with the inclusion of geometry, diameter, density and speed. The structure was prefabricated and later assembled on the site.
Member of the O.V.A.L. Trust, Nayana Kathpalia said, “It literally fell into our laps. For a public work of art, it works well; it is appropriate in terms of material and concept.”
Tata Structura’s website entry on the installation mentions: “Each of the triangular units is individually unique and represents the notion of ‘unity in diversity’ as well as the nation’s richness of multiple cultures.” Below the installation, a plaque reads:
“Dedicated to the Nation by Tata Steel Limited. Submitted by Mr. RK Krishna Kumar, Director of Tata Sons Ltd on October 2, 2011”.
