Foreword James Stewart Polshek

FOREWORD

JAMES STEWART POLSHEK

“Architecture and architectural freedom are above all social issues that must be seen from inside a political structure, not from outside it.” —Lina Bo Bardi, 1974

Distinguished Indian architect Brinda Somaya is both fiercely independent and profoundly idealistic, characteristics that are the foundation of her innovative conceptual approach to architecture, urbanism and preservation. I quote Bardi’s words, not because both architects are women but because both, during a difficult world economy, enriched cultural history while expanding the boundaries of their professional discipline.

In 1975, Somaya opened her own studio. Her architectural practice expanded over the ensuing 40 years, the latter part of a period that critic Martin Filler characterised as being one of “all-pervasive commercialism, rampant celebrity-mongering and a dispiriting lack of social awareness”. This dark observation is radically contrary to Somaya’s entire belief system. Her intellect and the distinctive Indian traditions of architecture as a collaborative craft allowed her to rise above this new set of negative social and political impediments.

Notwithstanding the influence of feminism and the impact that may have had on the young Brinda Somaya, there remained almost total male domination in the domain of her chosen profession. Today, the exponential increase in the number of women students and practitioners of architecture suggests that the democratic and empathetic core of this ancient calling is alive and well. Brinda Somaya’s life and practice, as comprehensively laid out in this monograph, makes clear that she is one of the models for this quiet reformation: one that celebrates service rather than power, and generosity rather than ego gratification.

This is clearly demonstrated by the typological diversity of her individual buildings and her contributions to the enlightened urbanism of modern Mumbai. These, and many more built accomplishments, attest to her firm’s global reputation.

Recent major projects demonstrate her affinity for clients whose programmes contribute to the public good. These include the “Tata Consultancy Services

Campuses”, which inspires an internationally recognised quality of work; “The B.D. Petit Parsee General Hospital”, which represents the highest standards of healthcare service in a stimulating verdant environment; and the ongoing stabilisation and restoration of Louis I Kahn’s masterpiece, “The Indian Institute of Management”, in Ahmedabad, which represents the firm’s contribution to education.

My acquaintance with these multifaceted achievements was not always informed by direct observation of Brinda Somaya’s studio’s work or from her publications, but from actual participation with her and her colleagues. In 2014, Damyanti Radheshwar, an architect who had worked with me professionally for almost 30 years, asked if I might be interested in collaborating with Somaya’s studio for a competition in memory of great Indian jurist Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, who had died in 1956. Provided with a crash course on the postcolonial history of India, I quickly came to share with my distant Indian colleagues an understanding of this man’s importance. I had not been aware of Ambedkar, who had committed his life to the oppressed classes of India and was the “architect” of India’s constitution. Brinda and I shared the belief that the design competition would publicly celebrate his momentous contributions and simultaneously provide an opportunity to weave together many of the beliefs that had animated our careers.

Brinda and her team convinced me that it was important to create an iconic public space that could accommodate the millions of pilgrims who would be coming twice a year to commemorate the life and accomplishments of Ambedkar.

Within days, I found myself working intimately with Somaya and members of her team. Over the weeks we worked together, I came to develop a profound understanding and respect for her anonymous but effective team. Their life-affirming social convictions encouraged both a reinforcement of Indian architectural traditions and an optimistic imagining of the future.

Brinda Somaya: Works and Continuities is a comprehensive chronicle that will influence and enhance the contributions of future architects, preservationists, designers and planners who share Brinda Somaya’s convictions.

I end with a quote that befits her idealistic vision of our chosen profession.

“A historian (or an architect) ought to be exact, sincere and impartial; free from passion, unbiased by interest, fear, resentment or affection; and faithful to the truth, which is the mother of history, the preserver of great actions, the enemy of oblivion, the witness of the past and the director of the future.” —Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar