Gauri Vridi

Gauri begins the conversation by talking about her early life and childhood in Chandigarh, where her father worked as the Chief Town Planner in Le Corbusier’s team. She then recalls moving to Nigeria which was a stark contrast to life in Chandigarh, and how she settled into the new environment, got a job, and worked on projects like designing nursing homes, a shopping centre, and a bachelor apartment. Subsequently, she moved to London and goes on to describe her professional journey and challenges while working there. She notes how she worked long hours in the London office, and then goes on to talk about how she decided to move to Canada as a challenge. She notes how she was in Africa from 1971-73, after which she worked for two years in London, for about three years in West Africa, where she worked for private firms and the Nairobi City Council. Thereafter, she was in Canada from 1978-1984, working on different types of projects. She further talks about her professional and educational engagements while she was there. 
She then describes her time after moving back to India, teaching in Chandigarh, and after three years of academics, wanting to be back on-site. She lists projects she did with government bodies, and an interior design project with the State Bank of India. Talking about the project and her own approach, she lays down some details and challenges related to it. Post this, she found herself back in Canada in 2002. On working in Canada after India, she speaks of the many procedural and cultural differences in both places, and lists the projects she started working on there. She also speaks of the few projects she undertook in the US and the challenges involved. The session ends with a discussion on future plans and aspirations.

The conversation begins with a discussion about Gauri’s father and his work in Chandigarh, as well as the influence and impact it created on her as a young child. She describes the challenges her father faced while planning the city, since it was all agricultural land up till then, and it had started developing gradually at the time, with Sector-22 being the only fully developed sector in the area. There were also issues on the political front, and within the professional engagements that he struggled with and had to negotiate. She then goes on to talk about his jovial side and personality, how he invested in a property of his own in Chandigarh, and anecdotes about the family’s interactions with Corbusier at dinners, etc. Recalling life in Chandigarh at the time, she recalls several details about their life, work, relationships, and the general social circles and culture of the city at the time. 
Talking about Eulie Chowdhury, she notes the confidential and private role she played in the administration and how she was trusted with many responsibilities as Chief Architect as well. She remarks how her profession was her entire life and she had a lot of passion for it. She also notes how it was an inspiration for a woman to have that standing at the time. She describes her as a firm leader, who was very western in her looks and outlook, and a strong presence overall.

Recalling her life and work in Africa, Gauri mentions how she was perhaps the only professional woman architect working there at the time, and how it was a very inclusive environment where was treated equally. She notes she worked on any projects that were given to her and gained as much learning as she could before moving to London, where again there was a shift in work environment and the kind of projects she worked on. Back in Nairobi, she worked with both private firms as well as the US Aid Housing with the City Council. She provides further details about her work, and how she moved to Canada afterwards and took on yet more projects, which she describes in brief detail. She further lists the ways in which her design approach evolved and how and where she tried to be innovative. 
Referring to the gender roles in each of the places she worked, she notes how Africa was a splendid experience for her overall she was young and warmed up to their culture fast, along with being treated as an equal in terms of salary and work selection. She details experiences of the same kind in London, where she gained critical insight into her own work, among other things. She also speaks of her postgraduate education and the decision to take it up, and recalls launching her own firm while in Chandigarh as she had an entrepreneurial desire towards her vocation which she wanted to explore. Ending the session, she notes how she wanted to continue these efforts in her projects in Canada and US as well, and the challenges she faced working there.

The session starts with a discussion on all the ways in which Chandigarh as a city and Gauri’s engagements while working there influenced her. She notes and describes in detail the way it consciously and subconsciously influenced her, as she notes that she sees the influence in her designs as well, and goes on to talk about this in detail. She recalls how she was naturally driven to architecture and notes her father’s influence in this, recalling how she learned many of her principles from him. Moreover, she remarks on the modernist design approach in her work and talks about that in detail. She further speaks of her client interactions, and how it differed in India vs in the West. 
She then goes on to provide a detailed idea about design approach with interior designing, aesthetics and the way she visualises a space, which she feels shouldn’t be too stuffy. On the topic of design cultures in India as inspired by the West, she shares her thoughts, and also speaks of her own processes, documented or not in forms of drawings etc. Furthermore, she details her daily life in regards to managing different roles, being a single parent and working, and the many learnings and challenges involved. She then goes on to mention old associations with Veena Garella, Namita Singh, and shares remarks on social responsibility of architects.