This book describes the architectural and planning scene in India from the time of Independence in 1947 to date. In this period of almost half a century many momentous events have been taken place, beginning with the resurgence of architecture and planning initiated by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He personally guided the building of the city of Chandigarh, fired the imagination of young catalyst for an Indian renaissance in architecture. Chandigarh fired the imagination of young architects who transmitted its concepts to suit conditions in other parts of India as well much as Le Corbusier had done in his own fearless acrobatic manner. Bereft of corbuiser in 1965, the architects who had seen him at work steered his ideas into the professional world and also into schools oof architecture all over India.
For a period of over decades Indian architects coped with the dichotomy of a universal and a local language of architecture. Lewis Munford’s comment on Nowicki best sums up the desired goal towards which they directed their efforts to resolve the challenge: “His intuitions of form in India are visible in only a handful of sketches… The result would have been no one sided universalism in which the warm the intimate the personal attributes of a local culture would have mingled with the ideas and forms that are common to all men in our time”.
The book traces the contribution of various actors: the traditionalist, the elevationists, architecture is as complex as the history of India. Therefore it is presented in a format comprehensible to both the layman and the professional. The odd-numbered pages represent continuous reading for the lay person and the even-numbered pages represent statistical and graphic information for the professional.
Born at Delhi in 1940, Satish Grover earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the school of planning and Architecture, Delhi in 1966, after obtaining a Bsc Degree in Mathematics from the University of Delhi. He started his own practice immediately thereafter, simultaneously taking up a brief teaching assignment at the Women’s Polytechnic, Delhi. In the designed projects both in India and abroad. Practice in partnership and independently; he has for the swimming pool for the Asian Games 1982, hotels, group housings, educational campuses in India the Indian High commission in Kuala Lumpur and a Buddhist temple in Thailand. In 1982, hotels, group housings, educational campuses in India, the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and a Buddhist temple in Thailand. In 1982, he was appointed professor of Architecture at his Alma mater where he had earlier been a visiting lecturer. in the early 1980s he published two books on the history of Indian architecture of India, Buddhist and Hindu (Vol 1), and architecture of India, Islamic (vol 2).
My greatest debt to Jagan Shah, a former students of mine at the School of planning and Architecture. It was after many wordy duels with him and on the basis of his indefatigable research tat the form of the book slowly give it legible shape. The manuscript was structured and passed the test for readability by Ravi Dayal. Final editing and proofing was done by Razia Grover. Finally, the complex assembly of the editorial and the visual was achieved by Rabi Shanker Dey, with the assistance of a very helpful staff of the National Book Trust.
I must also record here my most grateful thanks to all colleagues in the profession who responded so wonderfully to my request for the visual material for the book.
For privacy concerns, please view our Privacy Policy
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist