An Architecture of Independence: The Making of Modern South Asia

Modern architecture in South Asia is not monolithic. From a common set of ideals, it has gradually evolved into an “adventure of difference”, reflecting the cultural complexity of South Asia itself, and its different routes towards independence. Among the different approaches, ranging from the tectonic to the metaphysical and from the socially‑conscious to the sensorial, there are now conversations as well as contestations, coherence as well as contradictions. The work of the four architects presented here suggests the rich horizon of South Asia, which is part of the large and important narrative of modernity.