Ashish Muni Ganju

Ms. Sumita Singha, Director of Ecologic Architects shares her memories of AA alumnus Ashish Muni Ganju.

I met Ashish Muni Ganju in the 1980s when I was studying at the Delhi School of Architecture. As our third year tutor, there was something different about him — he was passionate yet gentle. Ashish had studied at the Architectural Association in London from 1961–66. He brought an innovative perspective to design combining Eastern philosophy, local materials with a Western rigour. In his own words, 'Freshly qualified from the Architectural Association in London, I returned home to New Delhi in 1967. Architecture was a mission, and it was to be accomplished in India where I had grown up'. In time, his body of elegant and masterful works included his own home, community centres, a Buddhist memorial and nunnery for the Dalai Lama and urban design projects. He was most keen to showcase his work for the poor and disadvantaged. I wrote in my own book, Architecture for Rapid Change and Scarce Resources, that 'I was particularly impressed by this nature of true development work when visiting Ashish Muni Ganju’s work in Delhi in 2010. Showing me around the village of Aya Nagar, he said, “I have been working here for 20 years but you won’t see anything.” Yet, looking at the village pond, which is now clean, the people healthier and better informed about development policies and participating in them — I could see how real development is slow and almost invisible — with no bells and whistles.' That in a way, encapsulates Ashish's design philosophy and personality — slow, soft, gentle; and yet hard hitting with a futuristic vision. Echoing today's concern for the environmental crisis, he wrote almost 15 years ago these hopeful words, '[At] the end of the 20th century there has developed a global concern for saving the planet from the ravages of rampant and inappropriate industrialisation, as well as the imperative of fashioning an inclusive political environment which will benefit all sentient beings, and this points the way towards a hopeful future.' I hope the future generations of architects take notice of his words.

Ashish died from Covid aged 78 and is survived by his wife, Neelima, and daughters Tara, Surya and Chandini (true to his love for nature, his daughters' names translate as Star, Sun and Moonlight respectively)