Renowned architect and Padma Bhushan awardee BV Doshi no more; PM mourns demise

Well-known architect and Padma Bhushan recipient Balkrishna Doshi, who worked with legends like Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn, died at 95 at his home here on Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those who paid rich tributes to Doshi.

“We are deeply saddened to inform you about the passing away of Balkrishna Doshi (August 26, 1927-January 24, 2023), loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather,” his family said in a statement.

Condolences poured in from various quarters over the demise of Doshi, widely regarded as the foremost architect of modern India.

“Dr BV Doshi Ji was a brilliant architect and a remarkable institution builder. The coming generations will get glimpses of his greatness by admiring his rich work across India. His passing away is saddening. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti,” tweeted PM Modi.

Born in 1927 in Pune, Doshi worked with architecture legends like Le Corbusier. He also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and many other acclaimed projects.

CM Patel called Doshi the Pole Star in the world of architecture.

“Condolences on the passing away of Pritzker Prize winner ‘Padma Bhushan’ Balakrishna Doshiji, a world-renowned architect who is like the pole star in the world of architecture. May God rest his soul and give strength to his family, countless fans and disciples to bear this shock,” he said in a tweet in Gujarati.

His family members said no one loved life more than Doshi. “‘Anand karo’, celebrate life, as he would always say. He had so many people that he loved dearly and who loved him back,” they said. Some of Doshi’s projects include the Institute of Indology, CEPT University and Kanoria Centre for Arts in Ahmedabad, the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, and Aranya Low Cost Housing, a township for low- to middle-income families, in Indore which won the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995.

Doshi founded his own practice, Vastushilpa, in Ahmedabad in 1956. Several members of his family are architects. In 2018, he received the Pritzker Architecture Prize, considered one of the most prestigious prizes in the field of architecture, becoming the first Indian architect to receive the honour.

He was conferred upon the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour in India, in 2020.

In 2022, Doshi received the ‘Royal Gold Medal’ from the Royal Institute of British Architects, which described his work as combining “pioneering modernism with vernacular, informed by a deep appreciation of the traditions of India’s architecture, climate, local culture and craft”.