Understanding the Evolution of the Architectural Language of Ar. Shivdatt Sharma

Abstract

India gained its independence on 15th August of 1947, and with this independence, also came the partition of the nation into India and Pakistan. There was an urgent need to address the refugee crisis and build the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the needs of the growing nation. During this time, views diverge on the future architecture of India and the identity it would have. One school of thought advocated the glorification of India’s vast and ancient past, known as the Revivalist movement. It aimed to evoke a sense of pride and nationalism in the citizen pre-independence. Postindependence, revivalism was a way of reclaiming one’s nationality and giving India a unique identity on the global stage. The other school of thought emphasized on the importance of moving beyond the past and focusing on the future. They argued that the architecture of the country should reflect its contemporary needs, technological advancement and its aspiration as a developing nation. It is during this time, that we see the emergence of the ‘International style’ or Modernist architecture in India. To accommodate for the loss of Lahore, which was a part of Pakistan after partition, India seeked for a new capital for Punjab, which would be the symbol of the newly independent and progressive state of India. This city was to be called Chandigarh. The first Prime minister of India– Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, believed that India’s architecture should reflect its new identity. He envisioned cities that embodied democracy, secularism, equality and a focus on science and technology. In the context of the debate between the modernism and the revivalism, Chandigarh designed by Le Corbusier was a turning point in the emergence of Modern architecture in India. Le Corbusier’s Modernism found great patronage in Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, as it fit perfectly with his vision. Master architect Le Corbusier, along with his other associates –Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew, were appointed for the planning of Chandigarh, the new capital of Punjab. A team of Indian architects worked under them and contributed to the Chandigarh Capitol project. Their work in Chandigarh can be considered the architecture of the Nehru Years (late 1950s and 1960s). Parallel to Chandigarh, master architect Louis I. Kahn is commisioned to design the Indian Institute of Manangement, in Ahmedabad by the industrial elite of the city. The study discusses the influence of master architects like Le Corbusier and Louis I. Kahn, among other foreign architects on the architecture of India. These Indian architects, who worked under the guidance of the masters, their contribution to nation building and then their subsequent architectural practice is an integral part of the narrative of the Modern Indian architecture. Exploring their architectural journey can reveal how they adapted the Modernism of foreign architects to the Indian context and its changing times, to create their own architectural language. This study focuses on the works and ideologies of Ar. Shivdatt Sharma, who was a part of this team of Indian architects at Chandigarh. The study looks at the evolution of his architectural language, in his career spanning over five decades (1963 - present). The existing literature talks about the works of Shivdatt Sharma, but there is a lack of comprehensive analysis that examines the evolution of his design principles or architectural language. The literature categorizes his career into 3 phases: his time at the Department of Architecture in Chandigarh, his tenure as the Chief architect at the Department of Space (ISRO) at Bangalore and his private practice. However, this study take a different approach by attempting to derive design phases of Sharma’s career, offering a fresh perspective to his architectural journey. Secondary case studies are identified and analyzed based on existing literature, site visits and interviews. Shivdatt Sharma’s career is categorized into three phases based on the literature review and the secondary case studies – The Early Phase, The Synthesis of the Influence, and Towards a New Language. Through this categorization, the study attempts to see the transformation in the architectural language of Ar. Shivdatt Sharma and how did he innovate beyond the ‘Chandigarh style of architecture’. Parameters for a comparative study, derived from the secondary case studies are; Materials, Form, Structure, Architectural Elements and Intent of the Architect. The evolution of each parameter is explored through various projects spanning Sharma’s career, employing a narrative approach. Keywords