Kochi:

More than a meeting to commemorate the famous British-born Indian architect, it was an emotional gathering of those who were close to late Laurie Baker, who pioneered the concept of low-cost housing in the state.

Baker came to be known for his cost-effective, energy-efficient architecture and design with a striking aesthetic sensibility, married to tradition.

German architect Dr Klaus Peter Gast, the guest speaker at the meeting organized by Lifelong Learning Foundation on Friday, said that Baker explored the culture and tradition of the society through his architectural designs.

“But Baker’s ‘language’ has only been taken forward by very few architects. Some abused his design, others misinterpreted it. Kerala has to develop its own architectural language,” he pointed out.

Jaigopal Rao and Latha Raman, disciples of Baker, shared their memories of being with the ‘hilarious human being’. Baker was a rebel who fought the ‘establishment’ not with aggression, but humour.

Jaigopal spoke of how Baker had come under the observation of Research Analysis Wing (RAW) during the Indira Gandhi regime.

“It was astonishing to know that a separate file on Baker was kept by RAW. This came to light, when K R Narayanan, the then president of India and a friend of Baker, showed him the file. What provoked the Indira Gandhi regime to go after Baker were his cartoons, which he occasionally drew and published in some magazines. He used to draw a ‘foreign hand’ to denote certain things. The Indira Gandhi-led regime suspected this to be something against them,” he said.

When Baker was asked by his friends what made India his favourite place, he said it was the landscape or ‘the less-known geography of Himalayas’.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Kochi / TNN / April 02nd, 2016