Architect ready with book on series of ink drawings of sites in SoBo

Lobo's first book, Bandra by Hand was published in 2004. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Life has come a full circle for Savio Lobo. As a student of St Xavier's High School in Dhobi Talao, each time he would walk down the corridors of the taxidermy exhibits in its natural history museum, it would trigger something. Decades later, sipping on masala chai at Bandra Gymkhana, the civic architect, researcher and seasoned collector tells us that he's helping his alma mater restore the same museum.

But there's more on Lobo's plate. By next month, his second publication, Mumbai by Hand, a collection of ink sketches that celebrates the diverse architecture of SoBo's private and public structures, will hit stands. A follow-up to his first book, Bandra by Hand (2014), it will be published in the form of several 100-page titles, each dedicated to areas like Oval Maidan, Ballard Estate, Fort, Colaba and Marine Drive. "Your newspaper was the first publication that gave me the space to set me off on this idea (the book) in 1989. I had a column called Far Pavilions, where I would sketch and write about structures across Fort, Ballard Estate, Khotachiwadi and Chowpatty. As a young architect, it was tremendous exposure," recalls Lobo, as we glance through carefully preserved cuttings of this column stored in a giant file.

The first in this series will cover Churchgate, Oval Maidan and Cooperage. It follows the same template from his previous book - clean layouts, ink sketches and minimal text in the form of deep captions about the origins and importance of each site. The series took about a year to complete, and Lobo is keen to feature other parts of the city as well.

Alongside this collection, Lobo is working on an archival project the seeds of which were sown during his days as a master's student of urbanism in Barcelona. The curiosity that fascinated him as a schoolboy in Mumbai was revived during his studies and travels across Europe's culturally rich cities. It opened his eyes to ideas, and the need to safeguard our heritage and legacy. It was also the time when he began to source rare memorabilia that today, ranges from rare guide books and glass photo negatives, to Irani café furniture. Lobo piques our imagination further, "I was a part of the Paranjoti Choir, and am an accomplished multi-instrumentalist. Music collectibles, including three pianos, will be a part of this collection."

It's evident that he is on the cusp of something unique and special. "I wish to share these finds with a wider audience because I feel we need to be more sensitised to our legacy." But, Lobo is guarded when we prod him to reveal more. "It's a work in progress. All I can say is that it will be an online and an offline experience. Corporate sponsorships and contributors are vital to ensure this effort sees the light of day. Sadly, the concept of legacy creation and giving back is missing in our country," he rues. "Philanthropy is dead in the city. We tend to forget that Bombay (Mumbai) was built thanks to the generosity of its many benefactors and residents."

However, Lobo is up for the challenge, "It's a mammoth task but we need to start somewhere as citizens to protect our legacy." Those interested in sharing their collectibles or memorabilia towards this project can write to Savio Lobo: slarchitect@gmail.com

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