94. Demolition of Kahn's IIM Dormitories with Sarosh Anklesaria, Shubhra Raje, and Riyaz Tayyibji

Original Drawing by Tori Haynes

“When an import becomes indigenous what it means is not just a formal stylistic adaptation, but there is a very interesting back and forth in terms of how practices begin to evolve, emerge...it is far more interesting to follow the practice and the transfer of authorship....”

Shubhra Raje

The basic issue is: what is the value of collective/cultural memory? What happens when we privilege certain memories over others? This week, Sarosh Anklesaria, Shubhra Raje, Riyaz Tayyibji and Vikram Prakash converse about recent developments at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM) where controversial deliberations have led to the decision to demolish a large swath of dormitories on its campus designed by Louis Kahn, architect.

Timestamp Outline 

1:30    introduction to the raging controversy on the IIM’s proposed demolition of Louis Kahn’s celebrated dormitories

2:25    Introduction to Riyaz Tayyibiji, cofounder of design firm Anthil Design, and consultant to the National Institute of Urban Affairs for the preparation of the heritage plan for the city of Ahmedabad 

4:07    Introduction to Sarosh Anklesaria, cofounder of Anthil Design, T. David Fitz-Gibbon Professor of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University

7:00    Introduction to Shubhra Raje, architect, educator, researcher

8:45    Shubhra Raje’s entanglement with the IIM was first through her father, Anant Raje, one of the preeminent post-indenpendence architects in India and was closely associated with Kahn

11:57    Inheritance

12:15    One Continuous Line: Art, Architecture and Urbanism of Aditya Prakash, Vikram’s new book that explores the life and work of his father, Aditya Prakash

15:45    reactions to the IIM’s controversial decision to demolish Louis Kahn’s dormitories

17:45    erasures from Babri Masjid to Pragati Maidan and the Central Vista redevelopment project.

21:25    letter to IIM

26:30    trauma and paralysis from close proximity.

33:20    “When an import becomes indigenous what it means is not just a formal stylistic adaptation, but there is a very interesting back and forth in terms of how practices begin to evolve, emerge...it is far more interesting to follow the practice and the transfer of authorship....”    SR

39:30    “There are three arguments that are looked at: safety, comfort, efficiency...This is their modus operandii, they make it so subjective that...you can’t defend those arguments anymore.”    RT

42:00    the subject of memory

47:00    alluding to Louis Kahn’s famous quote“there is no such thing as architecture, but only the spirit of architecture…which can not be broken into categories for the marketplace.” LK

50:00 discussion of neoliberalism and cities, brands, etc…the global map, competing with Shanghai and Dubai