Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/NEW DEHLI: Top Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi passed away on Tuesday at 95, according to the Pritzker Prize spokesperson.
Doshi was the first and only winner of the prestigious Pritzker Prize, equivalent to the Nobel prize. During his seven-decade career, Doshi frequently went by the initials B V, promoting public architecture and affordable housing for India’s underprivileged.
“Since the 1950s, Doshi was instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture internationally and throughout India,” said Pritzker Prize in an emailed statement.
It further said: “Influenced by 20th-century masters Louis Kahn and Le Corbusier, he explored the relationships between social traditions, connectivity to self and culture, and fundamental needs of human life. He impacted people in every socioeconomic class in his nation of origin because of his ethical and personal approach to the built environment. The news of his passing away was also announced on Instagram by his office, Studio Sangath, along with a statement from his family members and colleagues.”
“There are few words to express the sorrow and deep pain as we announce the passing away of our guru, backbone, guru, mentor, friend, and confidant,” the post said. “He was a light in this world; now we need to continue shining his light by carrying it within us in our lives.”
Doshi was born in 1927 in Pune and worked in Paris before Returning to India
Doshi was born in 1927 in Pune; he worked in Paris under Le Corbusier in the early 1950s before going back to India to oversee the modernist master’s projects in Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.
He established his office, Vastu Shilpa Consultants. He later finished some of his master-piece projects, including the underground museum topped with a series of domed roofs, Amdavad ni Gufa and Tagore Memorial Hall.
Narendra Modi, Indian Prime Minister, on Tuesday paid tribute to Doshi in a Twitter message. He called the architect a “remarkable institution builder,” adding that “coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work nationwide.”
Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the opposition Indian National Congress party, wrote a message on Twitter, “The news made me deeply saddened,” calling Doshi “one of the most esteemed Indian minds in the world of architecture.”
