75 names to know in Indian design

The glory days of modern Indian design and architecture began immediately after the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru commissioned infrastructure and buildings, both institutional and public works, to reflect a liberal vision of a newly formed democracy. Since then, there has seldom been a moment in the 75 years of Independence that India hasn’t been on the rise.

In fact, the 75th year of our Independence also marks one of the most ambitious eras in India’s infrastructural growth and development to date. From the massive redevelopment of the Central Vista Project in the capital to the 296km-long Bundelkhand expressway that was completed in a record 28 months to the Smart Cities Mission which promises state-of-the-art metros in cities all the way from Visakhapatnam to Mumbai, where construction on the Coastal Road is also running at full speed. Look up in any city and you’ll find big machines at work in a tall, taller, tallest conquest of urban skylines.

Therefore it seems the right moment in time for Beautiful Homes to present a brief history of the country’s rich and varied design and architecture through 75 of the brightest and most influential minds that have shaped our interactions with not just the world outside our homes but also the way we experience design in our day-to-day. From luminaries that form the backbone of our nation and starchitects who shape our urban skylines to custodians of our most prized heritage structures and sustainability champions, these are some of the most influential people in Indian design and architecture.

This list is by no means exhaustive. We wanted to present only 75 names and in a country with the variety of practices that we have, 75 doesn’t even touch the surface. We know that. But we have here 75 irrefutably important names, builders of legacy brands, and contemporary architects and designers whose practices are at least 20 years old. As a young platform, we believed it was important for our readers to look at names that have been around from before the age of social media, and have played a sustained role in the design realm of the country.