Speaking at the first Architect Achyut Kanvinde Memorial Lecture, Balkrishna Doshi hailed him as the pioneer of modern architecture in India
“Although he came from an art deco architecture background, there was an aspiration in him, an aspiration to do something different in a country where things were changing at a fast pace, everyday,” said renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi, while delivering the keynote address at the first Architect Achyut Kanvinde Memorial Lecture at the Chandrashekhar Auditorium at the Inter-university Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) on November 21. “I believe as an architect, you cannot create what you are not, and going by this diktat, Kanvinde came across as a humane, sensitive individual. His buildings spoke volumes about his humanity and also indicated that he was searching for his own self, through his works,” Joshi added.
With his signature buildings, including the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, National Science Centre, Delhi, National Institute of Immunology (NII), Pune, numerous dairy buildings under National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and several other works, Kanvinde left his mark on the modern school of architecture, in fact, being one of the pioneers of the movement. “It was a time when everyday something new was being created and India was just coming to terms with its newly-acquired independent status. Kanvinde gave full rein to his innate creativity in such a charged environment,” said Doshi, speaking of the period (1950-60) in which Kanvinde created masterpieces in stone and concrete.
“In each of his buildings, whether residential, commercial or government complexes, one can see an attempt to break away from traditional architectural design and yet, design them keeping in mind all the aspects conducive to a great building (such as climate, use of space, orientation and aesthetics),” revealed Doshi to a packed auditorium on a chilly Saturday evening. “His ultimate concern was for his profession and for society and that came through quite effortlessly in all his works. Kanvinde traveled extensively across the country and always made it a point to carry books and magazines along. He used to say the long travels gave him time to read, reflect and introspect. Kanvinde’s stellar contribution can be summed up succinctly as that depicting plasticity, humility and humanity,” he added.
