Defense, interior, and national guard ministers extend Eid greetings, praise efforts of military and security personnel    Worshippers in Makkah and Madinah perform Eid Al-Fitr prayer    Saudi authorities shut down food factories and branches over suspected poisoning cases    Saudi Arabia welcomes formation of new Syrian government, expresses hope for stronger ties    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Syria forms new government with 22 ministers including one woman President Sharaa vows reform and transparency    Israeli army fires warning shots at UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon    Denmark rebukes US Vice President Vance over Greenland remarks    Hamas accepts new Gaza ceasefire proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Makkah and Madinah mobile data usage exceeds global average during Ramadan: CST    Elon Musk's xAI acquires X in all-stock deal    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    NewJeans announces hiatus after setback in court battle    George Foreman, heavyweight champion and cultural icon, dies at 76    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Pritzker Prize-winning architect Balkrishna Doshi dies, age 95
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 25 - 01 - 2023

Balkrishna Doshi, one of the Indian subcontinent's most celebrated architects, has died at the age of 95.
Doshi passed away on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson from the Pritzker Prize. He was India's first — and to date, only — winner of the award, the profession's equivalent to the Nobel Prize.
Throughout his seven-decade career, Doshi, who often went by the initials B. V., championed public architecture and low-cost housing for India's poor.
"Doshi was instrumental in shaping the discourse of architecture throughout India and internationally since the 1950s," said an emailed statement from the Pritzker Prize. "Influenced by 20th-century masters, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, he explored the relationships between fundamental needs of human life, connectivity to self and culture, and social traditions. Through his ethical and personal approach to the built environment, he touched humanity in every socio-economic class of his native country."
His practice, Studio Sangath, also shared the news of his passing on Instagram with a message signed by his family and business partners.
"There are few words to express the deep pain and sorrow as we announce the passing away of our backbone, guru, friend, confidant and mentor," the post reads. "He was a light in this world, and now we need to continue shining his light by carrying it within us in our own lives."
"(In India) we talk of housing, we talk of squatters, we talk of villages, we talk of towns — everybody talks, but who is going to really do something about it? I took the personal decision that I would work for the 'other half' — I'd work for them and try to empower them."
Born in Pune in 1927, Doshi worked under Le Corbusier in Paris in the early 1950s before returning to India to oversee the modernist master's projects in Chandigarh and Ahmedabad. He settled in the latter, where he established his practice, Vastu Shilpa Consultants, and would later complete some of his best-known projects, including the Tagore Memorial Hall and Amdavad ni Gufa, an underground museum topped with a series of domed roofs.
But Doshi was prolific elsewhere, completing more than 100 projects in cities including Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur. Although of international renown, his work was almost exclusively focused on his home country. Some of his other signature projects include the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board building in Jabalpur.
The Aranya Low Cost Housing development, in the city of Indore, perhaps best articulated his outlook. Featuring an intricate network of passages, courtyards and public spaces, it offered 6,500 affordable residences to more than 80,000 people.
Speaking to CNN about his Pritzker Prize win in 2018, Doshi expressed his career-long commitment to using architecture as a force for public good.
"(In India) we talk of housing, we talk of squatters, we talk of villages, we talk of towns — everybody talks, but who is going to really do something about it?" he asked. "I took the personal decision that I would work for the 'other half' — I'd work for them and try to empower them."
Recounting his own encounters with "extreme poverty" as a child, Doshi went on to reaffirm his commitment to social housing in India.
"These people have nothing -- no land, no place, no employment," he said. "But if the government gives them a little piece of land, they can get a feeling of, 'I'm going to work hard, and find a way to build my own home.' If you put them together as a community, there's cooperation, there's sharing, there's understanding and there's this whole diffusion of religion, caste, custom and occupation.
"When I visit these places after almost 30 years, (I find people) who we gave one-foot-high plinths with a water tap and a toilet. Today, they have two-story or three-story buildings, that they built by themselves... (They are) multicultural, multi-religious people — including different income groups — and they all live together. They talk and communicate."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among several high-profile figures to pay tribute to Doshi on Tuesday. Writing on Twitter, he described the architect as a "remarkable institution builder," adding that "coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work across India."
President of the opposition Indian National Congress party Mallikarjun Kharge meanwhile tweeted that he was "deeply saddened" by the news, describing Doshi as "one of the most distinguished Indian minds in the world of architecture." — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.