Minakshi Jain

Minakshi Jain begins the conversation by mapping her childhood . Born in 1943, she was the second among five sisters. Her father was a lawyer while her  mother, a social activist, was a BA graduate, which  was an admirable feat for women at the time. Graduating herself in 1964 from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda  with an architecture degree, she recalls how her studies led to a deep and lasting appreciation of Indian art and heritage.  While talking about her time at the National Institute of Design (NID) – she mentions meeting several notable personalities whose work she went on to admire. She talks about the exposure that her master’s gave her, and reminisces her experiences during the Master’s programme in Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) in 1966. 
On coming back to India in 1970, she was offered her first job by B V Doshi, and subsequently, she gave birth to her two daughters in 1971 and 1973. Together with her husband and conservation architect Kulbhushan Jain, she set up her own practice in 1970. Prompted by a question on the architects who influenced her and her education experience, she remarks on the education standards and structures and her experience of being one among five girls in their entire class. Moving on to talking about her time at NID, she recalls her role and the activities she took up at the institute, starting as a trainee. While concluding, she goes into detail about the many eminent practitioners that she met there and had the chance to work with . 

Continuing the conversation, in response to a question on her role at CEPT University, Minkashi  describes the courses she taught as a Visiting Professor, and spoke of  the many eminent architects she met at CEPT over her time studying and teaching there. Moving towards how she began to focus her research interests on conservation and heritage, she maps her life’s journey that inspired and channelled her pursuits.  This includes the work her husband did  with the Maharaja of Jodhpur and the projects he was  involved with. Subsequently, she recalls, these projects fell under the purview of her own expertise and supervision.
Continuing to work in the field of conservation, she mentions the UNESCO award that she was granted, and  dwells on the prestigious conservation efforts towards specific projects in Jaipur between 2005-2010. She admits to being unsure about when she made the transition from an architect to a conservationist. Furthermore, she talks about the ongoing learning process that her work involves, and her concept of conservation, which was being managed simultaneously along with teaching. She also talks about her more recent projects including one in Kochi, and notably mentions her ongoing work with the Mehrangarh Museum. Concluding the dialogue about her academic work and the books she has published,  she discusses the recognition that she has received for them as well as for her husband’s work. 

The conversation begins with Minakshi describing her memories of architecture and her built environment from when she was a child and she recalls a particularly significant effect that a Dussehra procession had on her. Talking about the different built environments of various cities which influenced her as a young child,  she moves on to discussing the various creative pursuits   she developed while still studying, like ceramics, and mentions how her faculty helped her hone these skills. . 
Speaking of her educational experience at the University of Pennsylvania under the guidance of Louis Isadore Kahn, she talks about the important questions she learned to address, such as, how to use a space.  Responding to a question on the impressions that the university gave her, she remarks negatively and quotes an adage that her supervisor used,  about being unable to stick around and grow under a large tree.  While discussing her different internships and work experiences, she describes the positive and negative aspects  of having worked with architects like Pravina Mehta, and institutions like NID and CEPT, etc. She dwells on her desire to renew knowledge as she talks about the changed design approaches she could have developed across the years.  Recounting the many personalities from within the field that she met with at NID, she goes into detailed accounts of the relationships she gained from closely working with them. 
One of her fond memories is the time she spent working on the IIM project headed by Ar. Kahn and having seen Indira Gandhi.  Within the fast-paced environment of the project, she gained a lot of significant experience and exposure.   She further notes how while growing up as an ambitious woman, an architecture student in the 1960s, and then as a woman practitioner, her mother’s support put her at an advantage. In response to being asked about any issues she might have faced, she mentions the few she can recall  and shares stories of gender biases at the workplace.

In 1971, Minakshihad just come back from the US. Talking about her journey in the personal sphere after having taken maternity leave or having been inactive for six years,  she notes how she and her husband faced a few issues in setting up their practice. Both of them had studied under the supervision of Louis Kahn and she  recalls how they placed importance on lighting, minimal wastage, and worked on about 150 houses, institutional buildings, etc. In response to a question on climate change’s effects on her practice she contemplates her approach.  There were many clients with varied needs for whom she designed detailed houses and in that light she talks about her approach to designing low-cost housing.  While talking about the schools in Kutch that she worked on with CEPT and the design and model approach she adopted,  she goes into detail on the elements of the space. Beginning from 1990 till 2007, she remarks how a large group of research projects she took on were conservation initiatives, bringing in examples of projects including  working on the water edge of about 1600 km for the whole of Gujarat, and her work on arid-area housing.
 The conversation takes a turn towards focusing on how there is a lot of academic content in their projects and she describes the developmental research initiatives she worked on. Moving on to the evolving nature of knowledge and the teaching roles one must attend to, she notes how architecture educators need to be active practitioners as well, since there is a lot more to teaching than simply knowing the size and scales of something, and vice-versa.. Going back to her teaching experience, she comments on the evolving nature of pedagogy and lightly adds that she has always felt that more than giving, she has learnt more from her students. She shares an interesting anecdotal story from a visit she made to the US to give a lecture, and connecting it to her values such as consistency, commitment, and focus,  she admits how these values may have attracted more and more projects over the years. Concluding the discussion on the recognition she has received, in addition to being bestowed with several awards, she also fondly talks about the reception she received in India and the continuing work she engages in through her projects. As a concluding note, she sheds some light on the kind of academic projects that triggered her inclination towards conservation.