20th Century Indian Architecture

Book excerpt: This book is an attempt to evaluate the role of architecture of foreign masters of modern architecture in India in shaping the post independence Indian architecture. It is an effort to understand the reasons of origin of modern architecture, factors responsible for its development and its architectural vocabulary both in world and in India. It further strives to gather the existing studies that have already been done and also intends to contribute to the present body of knowledge by identifying and defining architectural vocabulary of modern architecture of foreign modernist masters' works in India and also statistically analyse its influence on post independence Indian architecture that native architects exhibited in public domain. It is a maiden attempt to analyse the influence statistically at such an exhaustive level, which has never been done before. The book elaborates how the architecture of modern India embodied and reflected the dramatic shifts of Indian society and culture. It throws light on Indian architectural modernity journey that began at the turn of the 20th century, fostered new design practices that directly challenged the social order and values invested in the building traditions of the past. It is an effort to fill in the gaps in the course of development of modernism in India and also an in depth analysis of the way Indian architects were influenced by the works of foreign masters of modern architecture in India. This critical representation of India's post independence modern architecture is an essential reading for all students and scholars of architecture, as well as all those interested in the story of development of modernism in India.