03. The Current Scenario Education is the lifestream of a country’s progress.6 It is important that this stream is copious at the source and equally accessible by all. In India, the Indus Valley Civilisation marked the beginning of architectural education, followed by ‘gurukuls’ and then formally by schools of art and architecture (Amaravati, Mathura and Gandhara). The establishment of full-fledged architectural institutions began gaining momentum in India only after its independence in 1947.7 Currently, in India, the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is typically a 5-year programme which includes a compulsory practical training period of 4-6 months, depending on different institutions’ curricula. After graduating, one can register themselves with the regulating body and work in the full capacity of an ‘architect’. However, in the past few years, the country has witnessed an unpleasant boom in the number of architectural schools, ‘like a nuclear ball of fire growing larger and larger, as it expands outwards, ever further’.8 From merely 4 schools providing accredited courses in the field in 1947 (Figure 7), the number rose to 117 in 2005, and then rapidly increased to reach the current 469. These numbers raise serious doubts regarding this ‘explosive ball’ going out of control.
Pradhan, B.M. “Architectural Education.” In Seminar on Architecture, edited by Achyut Kanvinde, 129-135. New Delhi: Lalit Kala Akademi, 1959. Available at: < https:// architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-168628> [Accessed 8 September 2020]. 6
Rahul Mehrotra, Kaiwan Mehta and Ranjit Hoskote, The State Of Architecture: Practices & Processes In India, 1st edn (Mumbai: Spenta Multimedia Pvt. Ltd), p.61. 7
Benninger C., The Future Of Architectural Education In India - The Crises And Challenge. ArchitectureLive!, Available at: <https://architecturelive.in/the-future-ofarchitectural-education-in-india-the-crises-and-challenge-christopher-benninger/> [Accessed 6 September 2020]. 8
16
