Quite often we hear senior citizens recollecting “in those days, we had only courtyard houses”; or “during our times, Mangalore-tile roof houses were popular”. They serve as gentle reminders of the past and of newer choices and changing preferences. Many people, including the not so aged, have already witnessed hundreds of lifestyle ideas slowly disappearing in front of their eyes, within a time span of less than a generation.
The pace of change accelerates the rate of replacement, and red oxide floor has been among the victims of this modern trend.
Reviving a losing tradition is both painstaking and frustrating, be it with floors or roofs. With the changed times, many skill levels have gone down, quality raw materials are in short supply and design misfit increases with modern materials around.
Arduous task
Also, many traditional ideas demand regular maintenance, which is difficult today. Interestingly, while the odds against the past idea mount, uncomforting experiences with the new ideas also have mounted, be it the building as a hot box, the electricity bill as a upward curve, run down looks due to costs of repainting or roof leakage as an annual feature.
As such, there is a justification in relooking at the past, to see if we have thrown away some grains with the chaff, by oversight. If ideas from abroad, totally alien to us, could be implemented in our cities, implementing what has been done for generations cannot be argued as impossible.
Ideas like red oxide are still being practised, and with materials being made available, we only have to support the few experts to ensure that technology continues. It may not be the best choice for flooring in all contexts, but in the right context, nothing else could be better.
The argument that we need to change for the better goes unopposed, hence the advocacy for revival is not for everything of the past. Also, there are approaches which are no more in vogue like surface decorations, already replaced by plain surfaces, which need not be revived.
Yet the past can be a solution to the future, especially sustainable future. It is this thought that supports red oxide flooring.
(The writer is an architect working for eco-friendly designs and can be contacted at varanashi@gmail.com)
