Kartik Sharma - Steering

Letters

Those who are on steering are writing letters to their loved ones.

Kartik Sharma writes a thoughtful letter to his father on why he has decided to study architecture.

Hi Dad

You might find it surprising to see my second letter this week.

In my last letter, I told you that I want to study architecture after school.

I know this has been a topic of disagreement between us, let me share a story.

I don’t want to design buildings or streets or parks—I want to design life. Life that is larger than our biological self. I want to design the connections, and the strength in our connections.

I was not sure about it so far but last month, I got a chance for self-discovery—I found my steering. More on this later.

I remember when we were living in a one-room apartment when I was a kid. I often think of the days—you would take out your bike from those narrow lanes because the streets were designed for cars. You discouraged us for using bicycles unless really required because the streets and roads were meant primarily for cars.

When Ritu and Soni visited us during summer vacations, we struggled to play because there was no space in the house and because the neighborhood was not designed to kids’ outdoor games.

—When the only solution to the rising traffic was to plan another flyover in the city.
—When the street vendors often had to run saving their carts or temporary vans because the houses and the streets were not designed for their movement.
—When mom had to walk six hundred meters with bags full of grocery because our housing was not designed for access to the public transport.
—When the public parks were meant for a specific category of people only.

I remember it when we were designing our house, the grandpa fired the architect because their vocabulary to talk about the layout and structure was different.

—I do not like the smell in Chemistry labs.
—I have seen you struggling with taxes all your life.

—I saw how much you dislike Ronit uncle because he is a lawyer.

—I know how you hated having food in restaurants.

As a family, we never travelled outside our home state. We never had a camera at home. Nobody is a doctor in our family.

I can count and list many other possible career options that do not fit into our family system—our aspirations, limitations, culture, and our own beliefs. Because this is how spaces influence people and their lives.

I want to design spaces where people are more comfortable to break their own boundaries unlike us. Where they can count on themselves to be the first doctor or the first published author in their family.

Modern housing is designing for facilities and lifestyle—I want to design buildings for navigation and complexity in their bonding whether it is housing, or for education, sports, workspace, or the libraries.

I will find ways to find the voice to design neighborhood and communities where kids can play outside, elders can enjoy the collective laugher, and where it will safe to be vulnerable.

I want to design the right windows and the right corners where high school students can write their first letters to their parents with more confidence, rather than sharing important stories of their life in the second letters within the week.

Architecture is like life-sciences—designing spaces where families, communities, groups, and network find the joy and a purpose even when they sense complexities and constraints.

And although I had these voices inside me, I never had this clarity.

Last month, I found steering. In my self-discovery while on steering, I found many stories such as this by Frame Publishers.