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A Chronicle of Architectural Heritage. Prof. Kavas Kapadia reviews Innovative Architecture through the Ages 1

“A Chronicle of Architectural Heritage.” Prof. Kavas Kapadia reviews the latest book, Innovative Architecture through the Ages, by Prof. Ram Sharma

Prof. Kavas Kapadia reviews Innovative Architecture through the Ages, the latest book by Prof. Ram Sharma, a richly illustrated journey through iconic historic and modern buildings across the globe. The review highlights how these works of architecture shape political power, public welfare, monarchy, and religion while deepening our understanding of culture, history, and professional practice.

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Edwin Lutyens' bust which was replaced by C. Rajagopalachari's bust in Rashtrapathi Bhavan

“Changing The Statue Does Not Change the Room”—Geethu Gangadhar on Edwin Lutyens’ Bust Removal

The current Indian government replaced Edwin Lutyens’ bust with freedom fighter C. Rajagopalachari’s at Rashtrapati Bhavan, framing it as decolonisation. But symbolic gestures don’t dismantle colonial mindsets embedded in governance, caste, and institutions. Geethu Gangadhar raises an important question: whether this removal is a way to eradicate colonial baggage or systemic removal of history.

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Vivek Rawal

Architecture, Power, and the Poor | “As a profession, architecture lacks moral position and has become complicit in the neoliberal dispossession of the poor.”—Vivek Rawal

Vivek Rawal argues that architecture—as a profession—is structurally aligned with political and economic power rather than social justice. He critiques how architectural education and practice prioritise developers and real estate over communities, turning housing into a market commodity. Even movements like sustainability and participation, he says, often become tools for elite consumption rather than genuine empowerment. True moral reform, according to Rawal, would mean architects relinquishing control and enabling community-led design and housing decisions.

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Gender. Hysteria. Architecture. | What Might Care Look Like If It Were Not Afraid of Women? 4

Gender. Hysteria. Architecture. | What Might Care Look Like If It Were Not Afraid of Women?

What kinds of spaces exist where women can breathe without being watched? If hysteria no longer exists as a diagnosis, why does its architecture remain? Aditi A., through her research study as a part of the CEPT Writing Architecture course, in the third and last chapter of this series follows the spatial logics that developed to manage hysteria, which continue in the contemporary environments of care safety, and everyday life. If the diagnosis has been discredited, what explains the persistence of its walls?

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Kirtee Shah on architecture profession at CEPT University alumni meet

“… the way architecture [profession] is perceived and practised, it needs to move from the pedestal to the ground.”—Kirtee Shah

In his presentation at the CEPT Alumni Meet, in January 2026, Kirtee Shah offers “something to think about” for the architects and planners regarding the future of architecture profession. He urges architects to relearn and refocus on service, sustainability, and inclusivity while addressing urban chaos, poor housing, rural neglect, and climate challenges.

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Gender, Hysteria, and Architecture - The Witch Hunt. Henry Ossawa Tanner. Source - Wikiart

Gender. Hysteria. Architecture. | “When Did Care Become Confinement?”

Was architecture used by society to spatially “manage” women and their autonomy? Aditi A., through her research study as a part of the CEPT Writing Architecture course, examines the period before psychiatry, when fear had already become architectural, tracing how women’s autonomy was spatially managed through domestic regulation, witch hunts, informal confinement, and early institutional planning.

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ArchitectureLive! - Art, Architecture and Urbanism 25

A Modernist’s Doubt: Symbolism and the Late Career Turn

Why did acclaimed modernist architects suddenly introduce historical symbolism like arches, decorative elements, and other cultural references into their work after decades of disciplined restraint? Sudipto Ghosh interrogates this 1980s-90s symbolic turn as a rupture in architecture, questioning whether this represents an authentic reconnection with content and memory, or is it a mere superficial gesture towards absent meanings. Drawing from Heidegger’s analysis of the Greek temple, he distinguishes two modes of architectural representation, ultimately judging that this turn was a nascent rebellion against modernism that may have failed to achieve genuine integration of context, material, and memory.

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Ode to Pune - A Vision. © Narendra Dengle - 1

The City That Could Be: An Ode to Pune

Narendra Dengle, through his poem written in January 2006, presents a deep utopic vision for Pune—what the city could be as an ecologically sustainable, equitable city that balances nature with development. He sets ambitious benchmarks for prioritizing public transport over cars, preserving heritage, addressing slum rehabilitation humanely, and empowering local communities

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