“Ananthakaraka,” a happy tribute to Prof. Doshi held at Avani Institute of Design

Kozhikode : The renowned architect Ar. B V Doshi was recently honoured in an event called “Ananthakaraka,” hosted by the Avani Institute of Design. The Avani Institute of Design’s benefactor and guide, Professor Balkrishna Doshi, was the subject of this upbeat tribute. The four-day event, which took place from February 6th to 10th, 2023, featured readings and conversations based on his interviews and videos. The event was co-curated by Professor Roger Connah, Sebastian Joseph, Niraj Pillai, and Thushara K., all of whom are architects.

Beginning with a brief introduction by Roger Connah at the beginning of Ar. B V Doshi’s professional journey in architecture, the first day of the event featured a screening of the first chapter of the film Doshi – Eight Months with Olives and Cheese directed and scored by Premjit Ramachandran and Bijoy Ramachandran of 100 Hands, as well as a reading of Susanna Koeberle’s essay, Doshi Retrospective – A Timeline Reading.

Soumini Raja and Roger Connah opened the second day with a talk titled “Human Being, by Nature is a Warm Compassionate Animal,” which highlighted BV Doshi’s own generosity, kindness, and openness to others. This was followed by “I’m not an Architect, for me it’s a Search,” which detailed the evolution of the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore through Doshi’s own eyes.

The third day of the event kicked off with an introduction by K A M Anwar on the topic of “Avani and Doshi: Teaching and pedagogy,” which demonstrates the lasting impact of Doshi’s approach and the development of architectural education. This was followed by “A School without Boundaries,” a panel discussion featuring Thushara K, Athira Balakrishnan, Niraj Pillai, Sebastian Joseph, and others, and “Doshi Interview, Architect B. V. Doshi:

The Fourth day of the event concluded with ‘Doshi and Karma’ which it showed the belief of BV Doshi in the cyclical nature of Karma, the notion that all deeds, both good and bad, are repaid in some way and Closing Roundtable moderated by Roger Connah on Paris to the Pritzker Prize – Honouring Doshi.

Ar. B V Doshi is considered a pioneer of modernist architecture in India. Doshi was the first Indian to be awarded the Pritzker Prize – considered to be the Nobel Prize of Architecture in 2018 and Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India, in 2020.

Avani Institute of Design is affiliated with the University of Calicut and approved by the Council of Architecture (COA). It is governed by a Council chaired by celebrated Architect Tony Joseph and some of the best-emerging practitioners. The Institute has a very hands-on Advisory Council consisting of some of the best national and international architectural, design, and art practitioners and educators.

The Institute promotes a holistic approach to design education which will develop well-rounded professionals equipped with the sensitivity, empathy, social, and technical skillsets to address the ever-evolving concerns of our environment. Avani aims to expand into an interdisciplinary Art and Design program exploring new horizons in education, collaborative research, and creative thinking.

Website: https://avani.edu.in/