“Ananthakaraka” a joyful ode held at Avani Institute of Design

Avani Institute of Design recently organised an event “Ananthakaraka” to honour the legendary Ar. B V Doshi and his contribution to architectural thinking and practice.

It was a joyful ode to Prof. Balkrishna Doshi, who served as a patron and mentor to the Avani Institute of Design. Readings and discussions based on his interviews and films were part of the four-day event. Prof. Roger Connah, Architect Sebastian Joseph, Architect Niraj Pillai, and Architect Thushara K. co-curated the event.

The first day of the event commenced with a brief introduction by Roger Connah at the beginning of Ar. B V Doshi’s professional journey in architecture, followed by Doshi Retrospective – A Timeline Reading Susanna Koeberle’s essay and 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 100hands.

The Second day started with an introduction by Soumini Raja and Roger Connah on “Human being, by nature, is a warm compassionate animal ’’ where it showcases BV Doshi’s warmth, generosity, and kind nature, followed by ‘’ I’m not an Architect, for me it’s a search ’’ where it portrays about the development of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, through Doshi’s own visions as well as perceptions and ‘Frugalness’ where ‘Doshi’, Balkrishna Doshi opines about what it means to belong to Indian culture, and as an architect.

The Third day of the event commenced with Introduction by K A M Anwar on ‘Avani and Doshi: Teaching and pedagogy’ which it shows the legacy of Doshi’s method and the advancement of architectural education, followed by ‘A School without Boundaries’ and a brief discussion with Thushara K, Athira Balakrishnan, Niraj Pillai, Sebastian Joseph and ‘Doshi Interview, Architect B. V. Doshi: Excellence Requires Patience’ where B.V. Doshi with his childlike curiosity, enthusiasm, and sense of humour, delights with stories from his life – the simple Hindu philosophy that helped him grow and work, his journey of founding his own practice, his insights on leadership, as well as people who influenced and shaped him.

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.

for more info visit : https://avani.edu.in/

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