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India’s post-independence modern architecture is well documented in various books. Copious works have been written on India’s art and architecture but woefully very few publications are available after the 1980s. There are about a dozen monographs of the country’s leading architects. India is a vast country with a population of nearly 1400 million with many cities, towns and villages. Few monographs and books covering modern architecture of this great nation may not suffice. Furthermore, these monographs mostly focus on works for the elite class, not forming the true representation of Indian middle class and economically weaker section of the society. At the same time, the projects they featured are built with the help of high-end technology, employing trained engineers and skilled workers, under the banner of reputed construction companies. Futuristic approach and current issues have been hardly touched upon in the available literature.

The book is an attempt to cover contemporary architecture of India from 1985 to 2021. It traces the history of architecture by covering most of the buildings built during this period. This publication is an endeavour to cover works of small cities, towns and villages which require a different kind of tackling altogether, as skilled manpower is not easily available at such places. Required machinery and equipment to construct buildings are not available either. The main body of work highlights projects catering to the lower and middle income groups, barring some exceptions of prestigious projects. Current issues from the field of architecture have been addressed in the book by quoting practical examples.

The projects studied and illustrated in the book belong to functional categories like apartments, houses, hostels, health centres, religious, recreational, educational and agricultural buildings. They are grouped based on their typology. Apart from giving factual information about each illustrated building, no critical commentary has been included. Nonetheless, certain subjectivity is undoubtedly reflected in the chosen examples. As the book has been conceptualised and presented as a reference book, it includes drawings, sketches and photographs sufficient to make the readers understand the projects. A simple and concise method of explanation has been adopted to facilitate the reader’s ease of comprehension.

Apart from many projects with brief description, the book features 48 projects in detail. The book is illustrated with 52 drawings, 102 sketches and 432 photographs.

About the Author: Architect Surinder Bahga has established architectural organization, Saakaar Foundation, in Chandigarh. His works have been published in many journals and newspapers of repute. Two of the church buildings designed by him were exhibited at the 5th Asian Congress of Architects, held in Lahore, Pakistan. His work was exhibited at the Archifest Exhibition organised by the Singapore Institute of Architects. Bahga was given the Sir M Visveswaraya Award in 1995 by HUDCO for energy-efficient housing design. His Baptist Church, in Chandigarh, has been selected by Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources and TERI as one of the best 41 energy-efficient buildings in India. He has also received the Michael Ventris Award from Architectural Association, London.

He has co-authored three books namely ‘Modern Architecture in India: Post Independence Perspective’, ‘New Indian Homes: An Architectural Renaissance’ and ‘Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret: Footprints on the Sands of Indian Architecture’. He has researched on a travelling exhibition ‘A Dream Realized’ on life and works of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret for Swiss Arts Council. Apart from this, he has co-edited proceedings of several national level conferences.

He worked as the Chairman of IIA, Chandigarh-Punjab Chapter, IIA Publication Board, GEM Punjab Chapter, Editor of Journal of IIA, Chairman of Chandigarh Municipal Corporation’s Committee of Buildings and Roads, Member Finance and Contract Committee, President FSAI Chandigarh Chapter and Councillor in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. Currently, he is the Member of the Advisory Committee of India’s Home Minister on Union Territories and Chandigarh Housing Board.