Art I cles

Its August 26, 1927, a boy is born in a Hindu family working in the furniture industry for 2 generations in the second largest city of Maharashtra, Pune. Fast forward to March 7,2018, the same boy, now known as Dr. Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi is awarded with Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, known internationally as architecture's highest award and honor. The Pritzker prize includes US $100,000 and a bronze medallion.

I am sure you want to know about what happened in those 90 long years that we just skipped.

A LOT!!!

world war II, 12 humans have walked on moon, the device(s) on which you are reading this article, and you know, a lot more.

Back to Dr B V Doshi, one of 40 architects to receive Pritzker prize till 2018.

As he grew old, he started to show flair for arts and architecture and later in 1947, started his studies in J J School of Architecture, Mumbai, which also happens to be the first architecture school in India, as well as Asia. He then moved to London where he aspired to become a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and then he started working with Le Corbusier in Paris, from 1951 to 1954. Dr. Doshi came back home to India in 1954 and supervised Le Corbusier's existing projects in India.

It is 1955, the year when the first McDonald's chain is setup and Dr. Doshi have started Vastu-Shilpa, his own studio. In todays date it is called Vastu Shilpa Consultants and the name of the studio building is Sangath.

Dr. B V Doshi is a fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects, fellow at Graham Foundation for the advanced studies in the fine arts, and fellow of Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

Dr. Doshi is a famed architect equally known as an educator and institutional builder. He started the School of architecture in 1962, in Ahmedabad, and became the first founding director from 1962 to 1972, he then became first founder director of School of planning from 1972 to 1979. Dr. B V Doshi also happens to be the founder dean of Centre for Environmental planning and technology.

Not to mention that he is the founder director of the Kanoria Centre of Arts, Ahmedabad, and one of the founding member of the Visual Arts Centre, also in Ahmedabad.

Below is the unordered list of most famous buildings and designs from more than 100 projects that emanated from Dr. Doshi's perception.

* IIM Bangalore, 1962-1974:- Dr. Doshi, worked with Louis Kahn and  Anant Raje on the designing of campus for one of the premiere institutes, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India.

  

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (photo courtesy of VSF)

* Amdavad ni Gufa, Ahmedabad, 1990:- This underground art gallery features underground structures that resemble caves with interconnected domes as the ceiling. Amdavad ni Gufa was formerly known as Husain-Doshi ni Gufa since M.F. Hussain was its artist and B.V. Doshi was the architect.

Amdavad Ni Gufa (photo courtesy of VSF)

* Aranya low cost housing development, Indore:- The Indore Development Authority approached Doshi for him to design a project to improve and upgrade the existing slum area for 6500 residential plots.

Aranya Low Cost Housing (photo courtesy of VSF)

* Sangath, BV Doshi's Office, located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, is one of his most recognized and influential designed building.

Sangath Architect's Studio (photo courtesy of VSF)

* Centre for Environment and planning technology, Ahmedabad, 1972.

Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (photo courtesy of VSF)

* ECIL Township, Hyderabad:- Electronics Corporation of India Limited is a Government of India Enterprise (Department of Atomic Energy). Dr. Doshi designed the residential township for ECIL in Hyderabad.

* Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow:- This is the fourth IIM in India, and designed by Dr. B V Doshi. IIM-Lucknow was established in 1984.

* Vidyadhar Nagar, Jaipur

* Udayan the Condoville, 2500 homes

* National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, 1989

* Institute of Indology, Ahmedabad

* Tagore Memorial Hall, Ahmedabad

* Premabhai Hall, Ahmedabad

* IFFCO township, Kalol

Apart from being a leading architect, educator, institution builder, having fellowship of major architecture institutions, and recipient of multiple honourable awards, Dr. B V Doshi was also on the selection committee for the pritzker prize from 2005-2007 and on the selection committee for Aga Khan Award for Architecture and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts.

Other awards received by Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi include Padma Shri  in 1976, Officer of the order of Arts Letter' (Ordre des arts et des lettres) in 2011, Aga Khan Award for architecture, Honorary doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and several others.

Oh, and did i tell you that Dr. Doshi have also appeared in two bollywood movies. Doshi played himself in O Kadhal Kanmani by Mani Ratnam, and Ok Jaanu by Shaad Ali. And he was interviewed by director Premjit Ramachandran in a documentary released in 2008, presented by Hundredhands.

Here's what the pritzker jury said when they announced Dr. Doshi as the winner for 2018 Pritzker prize, that Doshi "has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends", and noted his "deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture".