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

Lobos first book Bandra by Hand was published in 2004 PicPradeep DhivarLife has come a full circle for Savio Lobo As a student of St Xaviers 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 hes helping his alma mater restore the same museumBut theres more on Lobos plate By next month his second publication Mumbai by Hand a collection of ink sketches that celebrates the diverse architecture of SoBos private and public structures will hit stands A followup to his first book Bandra by Hand 2014 it will be published in the form of several 100page 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 fileThe first in this series will cover Churchgate Oval Maidan and Cooperage It follows the same template from his previous book mdash 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 wellAlongside this collection Lobo is working on an archival project the seeds of which were sown during his days as a masters student of urbanism in Barcelona The curiosity that fascinated him as a schoolboy in Mumbai was revived during his studies and travels across Europes 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 cafeacute furniture Lobo piques our imagination further I was a part of the Paranjoti Choir and am an accomplished multiinstrumentalist Music collectibles including three pianos will be a part of this collectionIts 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 Its 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 residentsHowever Lobo is up for the challenge Its 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 slarchitectgmailcomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates