Architect and Thinker
Releasing May 2023
Munishwar Nath Ashish Ganju (1942-2021).
Munishwar Nath Ashish Ganju qualified from the Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, in 1966. He returned to India in 1971 for higher studies and spent his entire career spanning over five decades towards researching through teaching and practice.
Image © Narendra Dengle
He taught at the School of Planning and Architecture, and the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. He was the founding Director of the TVB School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi, Visiting Professor at the University of East London, U.K., and the Universita IUAV di Venezia, Italy. He was also Co-Chair of the Asian Advisory Board & Core faculty at Building Beauty programme at Sant’Anna Institute, Sorrento, Italy.
He also co-founded Greha, a charitable society for research on human habitat, instituted in 1986 and was its President for over two decades.
His practice spans the Indian sub-continent, including Afghanistan, first as a consultant to UNICEF and the Governments of India and Afghanistan, and later as architect planner for buildings, residences and campuses for public institutions. He has also designed for the Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala to research the practice of a sustainable architecture in the Himalayas. He has won several prizes in national and international design competitions.
He was member of several committees of the Government of India, including the Committee to Advise on Maintenance and Modifications in Rashtrapati Bhawan New Delhi, and the Ministry of Urban Development’s Committee for Redevelopment of the Lutyens Bungalow Zone New Delhi.
His writings have been published in books and journals nationally and internationally. He had also co-authored with Narendra Dengle a theoretical paper entitled “The Discovery of Architecture – A contemporary treatise on ancient values and indigenous reality”.
He lived in New Delhi, India and worked on the urban fringe to demonstrate the principle of urban renewal by citizens.
Edited by Rohit Krishan Gulati
The Book
Edited by: Nardenra Dengle and Henri Fanthome
Introduction by: Shiny Varghese
It is pertinent to document Ashish’s legacy in the form of a formal publication and make it accessible to people at large.
The book will offer a window into Ashish Ganju’s way of life, work and practice. In addition to some of his key works which will be presented through written word, images and drawings, the book will also feature essays, conversations, and reflections contributed by his associates, friends, colleagues and clients.
All the proceeds from the sale of the book will be used for supporting GREHA’s activities and research.
This book would be our tribute to the legacy of M N Ashish Ganju.
Contributors
Some confirmations are still awaited.
Aarti Dhingra Ashok Lall Henri Fanthome Heywood Hill Jogi Panghal Julyan Wickham Mark Warner Mayank Pandey Narendra Dengle Nicholas Weaver Nidhi Batra | Parul Kiri Roy Rohit Krishan Gulati Sanjay Bhardwaj Savyasaachi Sergio Porta Shiny Varghese Shonaleeka Kaul Snehanshu Mukherjee Swati Janu Verendra Wakhloo Vinod Gupta |
Credits and Support
GREHA and Ganju Family for providing access to the content.
Akanksha Gautam, Mayank Pandey and Shreya Singhal for documentation support.
Support – Prebook your copies
The book is scheduled to be released in May 2023.
To be able to cover the expenses towards production of the book, we are requesting support in the form of pre-bookings, and donations. You can contribute in the following ways.
A. You can transfer the amount of INR 1500.00 (or in multiples) for pre-booking your copies. The MRP of the book is still to be decided. Additional amount if any after discount on the MRP will be collected before the delivery.
B. You can transfer any amount to the following account, to support the initiative.
Account Details:
Account Name: Verendra Wakhloo and Rajesh Advani
Account no: 50100451431726
Bank: HDFC Bank
IFSC: HDFC0000614
Please send the transfer details with your name, contact number and transaction ID to [email protected]
Have a question? – Contact us.
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