Simple and natural - minimalism in design the Gandhi way

Frugality as Indian Minimalism

In modern times, minimalism is an aesthetic choice, associated with the Japanese concept of decluttering or stripping an object or space to its bare essentials as a reaction to modern consumerism. The Scandinavian school of minimalism embraces function and comfort. What then is Indian minimalism or how is it different from the Japanese or Scandinavian interpretations? Minimalism in India has philosophical underpinnings, with frugality at its core. It harks back to our long-held tradition of simple living, as exemplified by Gandhi, it is self-sufficient, respects natural resources, and abjures attachment to luxury or overindulgence. 

Frugality is a part of our everyday lives. As children we are taught by our grandparents to never throw away anything, from food to clothes, crockery, upholstery, gadgets, and automobiles, everything is recycled or repurposed. We are the country that has patented the concept of frugal innovation.

Frugality is considered a virtue and there hasn’t been a greater icon for frugal living than Gandhi. Now, as we live through a pandemic and increasing climate disruptions, a Gandhian approach to living spaces has become more relevant than ever.

“We need to create spaces where people can be healthy,” he said, in a phone interview. He thinks the pandemic should nudge more people who have returned to their native places to find such solutions. “I wanted to show that with minimal effort, you can bring change and get people to participate in it.”

Hut K, which was built on a modest budget is a space that seems to grow out of its natural surroundings. It is made entirely of earthly material, lime, stone, mud, bamboo, and grasses from the forest. He brought the physician’s approach to design, the space is interspersed with rocks and gentle steps, so that visitors are compelled to use their knees since we are used to flat paths, which are bad for our health, he says. It is a prototype and he wants to influence others to take it up.
 

Daniel, who is influenced by Laurie Baker, is known for his sustainable designs and use of natural and recycled materials.

“Minimalism fails in the Indian scenario,” he says with some despair. And yet, there is a generation of Indians that does not adhere to the old maxim of more is more. One of the projects designed by Daniel last year is a hilltop home in Thiruvananthapuram called Shikara House that replicates the experience of being in the mountains, with walls made of waste material and waste wood for furniture. “Our mindsets need to change,” Daniel says.  

Gandhi had written, “I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed”. He meant it figuratively, to indicate a life open to an exchange of ideas. The spaces he built reflected this ethos. It may be time to bring that back.