BV DOSHI THE ARCHITECT, THE ARTIST

With the passing of Dr BV Doshi on Tuesday, India has lost a visionary in the world of art and architecture. Artist Jitha Karthikeyan remembers him through his works

"If you want freedom, break away from the normal conventions. Break away from all the rules - Forget history books." - BV Doshi

There are a few who have walked this Earth and stood as embodiments of an era, whose existence was a source of daily inspiration and whose absence creates a void that none can ever fill. Dr Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi, India's most celebrated architect, who passed away at 95, on Tuesday, January 24, has left an irreplaceable emptiness in the cultural soul of our country along with a rich legacy that generations to come in our country can take pride in.

Making housing affordable

Born in 1927 in Pune, BV Doshi studied architecture at the JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai and went on to design some of the most iconic buildings in India in his long and illustrious career. His journey in architecture began in 1950 when he worked for the renowned architect, Le Corbusier in Paris. On his return to India, he continued to handle Le Corbusier's projects in the country and ultimately, founded his own architectural practice. The core of his practice was to provide affordable housing to the Indian population as he had often been deeply shocked in his growing up years by the lack of adequate shelter space in Indian cities. His best known projects that symbolised his commitment to addressing this issue were The Life Insurance Corporation Housing in Ahmedabad in 1973 and the Aranya Low Cost Housing in Indore in 1989. Besides this, he had to his credit more than 100 projects like the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Udaipur, and the NIFT Delhi, and many more public institutions in India.