Chandigarh’s Indian Modernists opens a window onto a generation of pioneering modern Indian architects, engineers, and administrators whose contribution was deeply intertwined with the foundation, growth, and fate of Chandigarh.

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Despite their central roles, these figures appear only sporadically in histories of Indian modern architecture and remain insufficiently visible in international scholarship. This exhibition argues that such omission cannot be attributed to a lack of relevance. Rather, it results from how the history—and the idea—of Chandigarh has been written: shaped by a one-directional historiographical narrative that privileged a narrow set of “master” authors.

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The work and positions of these first-generation Indian modernists did not align neatly with architectural history’s conventional focus on singular authorship. As a result, their rich biographies and substantial contributions have been overshadowed. This exhibition seeks to restore their presence, foregrounding the complexity and diversity of voices that shaped the modernity of Chandigarh.

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Moving beyond the celebrated “heroic years” between 1951 and 1965—years documented in archives and collections that have provided a robust foundation of knowledge, but have also fostered a kind of amnesia—this exhibition presents new research for the first time. Developed from private and institutional documentation, this research supports the project’s underlying premise: Chandigarh was conceived as a city whose seeds were well sown, yet whose flourishing required young visions and new voices.

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Echoing the oft-repeated mantra that Chandigarh should embody Jawaharlal Nehru’s aspirations for independent India—a capital fit for the nation’s future—India’s young professionals played a fundamental role in both the city’s creation and its evolution. Over time, they expanded the field of architecture into adjacent domains: furniture design, visual arts, photography, and graphic expression. In many ways, the pedagogical program of the Architects’ Office evolved into a unique total work of art, fully expressing the Indianness of Chandigarh.

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We wish to thank this first generation of Indian modernists and to celebrate their enduring legacy.

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Curators: Deepika Gandhi, Eashan Chaufla, Vikramaditya Prakash, Maristella Casciato