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231 I am glad that i listened to Dell Upton, my doctoral advisor, when he suggested that I lay my dissertation aside for a year and then ask someone who had written a book to read it. After that year, I turned to my friend Lisa Pollard. She agreed without hesitation and then offered a startling insight: it could result in two books. I thank Lisa not only for reading my dissertation but for this advice, which is directly responsible for the shape of this book, now quite far from where it began. If it were not for Charles Hallisey, my mentor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a wonderful friend and true guide, this book would never have been realized. For several years, he has patiently listened to my ideas, pushed me to think harder and deeper, suggested alternative and imaginative ways to look at a subject, and generously shared his time and insights. He read and commented on my dissertation and on almost everything I have written since then, including the first draft of this book. Much of what is good in this book is a reflection of his faith in me. I was fortunate to meet and befriend Jill H. Casid almost as soon as I arrived in Madison. She generously volunteered to take on the unenviable and formidable task of editing my manuscript—a surgical operation I was incapable of doing myself. Jill’s skillful editing was grounded in her own clarity of thought, and she made this an infinitely better book. Aware as I am of my original draft, I appreciate the artistry in Jill’s endeavor : a delicate balancing of necessary edits and intuitive knowledge of what to keep and what could not be taken away, an understanding that only a friend who knows one well can have. Thinking of Charlie and Jill, I am reminded of Acknowledgments 232 Acknowledgments the angels in Wim Wenders’s Wings of Desire, a favorite film for both of them. I am grateful more than words can say. I thank Dell Upton, Kathleen James-Chakraborty, Thomas R. Metcalf, and Barbara Daly Metcalf, the members of my dissertation committee at the University of California, Berkeley: their efforts with my dissertation became part of this book.There is no doubt that Dell has been a major intellectual force in my life, and I continue to learn from him. I enjoy working through ideas with Dell over long hours of conversation, and I have benefited from his ability to listen, his broad imagination, and his intellectual curiosity. I always come away from these talks with greater clarity and a gentle nudge in the direction of new ways of conceptualizing my ideas. I thank Kathleen for extensive comments on my work and for continued support of my endeavors. I have enjoyed being challenged by Tom over the years, and I hope that I have had the last word in at least some of our discussions. Barbara has been an encouraging and sure guide during my dissertation, and her insights influenced the shape of this book. I also acknowledge the lasting impact of earlier teachers: I thank Neelkanth Chhaya, who supervised my thesis at the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, India, and made me realize all those years ago my love of research; and at the University of California, Berkeley, I am grateful to Nezar AlSayyad, Paul Groth, Randolph T. Hester Jr., Allan B. Jacobs, Michael Johns, Michael Southworth, Jim Stockinger, and Richard Walker. Many of my friends in the Bay Area, some of whom were fellow travelers in doctoral programs and many of whom have now moved to other places, sustained me through the years with friendship and intellectual sustenance.I thank Anil Ananthaswamy,Shilajeet (Banny) Banerjee,Ashok Bardhan,Sharad Chari, Swati Chattopadhyay,Nasreen Chopra,Vandana Date,Kavita Datla,William J. Glover, Alka Hingorani, Mrs. Usha Jain (Usha Mausi), Boreth Ly, Monika Mehta, Emily Meredith, Alan Mikhail, Stella E. Nair, Lisa Pollard, Haripriya Rangan,Simona Sawhney,Arijit Sen,Sriram Srinivasan,and Ved Vatuk (Vedji). It would not have been possible to satisfactorily complete my research in Bombay (now Mumbai) without the help of Ashok Sohrab Captain. In extremely primitive conditions, Ashok helped me to photograph architectural drawings and maps at the Maharashtra State Archives, and he walked the streets of Bombay with me, exploring places and photographing buildings. I thank him and Leila Captain for giving me a home in Pune and for making so much of this...

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