UNAPOLOGETICALLY SAMIRA

UNCONVENTIONAL, STATEMENT, STRIKING. SAMIRA RATHOD CARRIES HERSELF WITH A MINIMALISM THAT BELIES THE FORCE OF NATURE SHE IS, AND HER ARCHITECTURE OF POETRY IS A TESTAMENT TO EXACTLY THAT. BUT WHAT LIES BEYOND THE VEIL?

- Sumisha Gilotra

Bold and beautiful, Samira Rathod is definitely a force to reckon with. What a beautiful lady! Inside out. Her design style is not merely a style, it's a movement. And she, the power that drives this movement. This, she admits is not always in the upward direction, but the fact that she gets to be on her drawing board, creating designs that make a difference to the world, keeps her going. A lot of people think she is arrogant. But she thinks she is honest. And honesty, combined with a truckload of talent, is a powerhouse, and that is exactly what Samira Rathod is!

Samira believes that every building endeavour must be a responsible solution in structure, services infrastructure, cost and function. It must have a purpose, and above all, dare its own consequences in the environment; but in all of the above, if there is poetry, then perhaps it becomes architecture.

Her firm SRDA was established as an architectural and interior practice in 2000. Having begun with a small farmhouse, and an avant-garde portfolio of furniture, SRDA is today commissioned with large-scale architectural and interior design projects across the country and is also the winner of several national awards and has a presence in both international and national publications. Apart from design, it also undertakes and promotes research and documentation work.

Sumisha Gilotra, Editor, Architect and Interiors India, gets into a candid conversation with this enterprising go-getter who has redefined the way architects are perceived. "When you go to a doctor or a lawyer, do you tell him what to do? Then, why do that with your architect?" she questions. Now, that for you is the unapologetically yours, Samira Rathod!

Sumisha Gilotra: Samira, I can't imagine you being anything but an architect. But I would love to know if not one what else would you be? And what really drew you towards this endlessly creative and satisfying field of design?