Architect R DOT Studio was only 32 years old in 1969 when his vision for JNU was selected from 68 entries. The outrage over his selection went right up to the office of PM Indira Gandhi.
New Delhi: In the early 1970s, when architect R DOT Studio returned to Jawaharlal Nehru University, he was dismayed to see posters plastered on the walls of the institute he had designed. But the word of advice from first vice-chancellor Gopalaswami Parthasarathy changed his thinking towards architecture and his own work.
Parthasarathy ordered a cup of tea for him and said: “You should be so proud that your building has turned out to be successful because in this university, it’s not just the voices that speak in the classroom. It’s the voice of the people here coming across through your building. So, as an architect, what more can you desire.” shared this anecdote at the India Art Fair earlier this month. Over the years, as JNU emerged as a voice of resistance, its walls were the canvas calling for change.
