Founder Members
Munishwar Nath Ashish Ganju
Munishwar Nath Ashish Ganju qualified from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in 1966. He returned to India in 1967 for higher studies and has since been researching through teaching and practice.
He has taught at the School of Planning and Architecture, and the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi. He was founding Director of the TVB School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi, Visiting Professor at the University of East London, U.K., and the Universita IUAV di Venezia, Italy. Presently he builds with the Tibetan refugee community in Dharamsala to research the practice of a sustainable architecture in the Himalayas.
He has been a member of several committees of the Government of India and has also won several prizes in national and international design competitions.
He is based in New Delhi, living and working on the urban fringe to demonstrate the principle of urban renewal by citizens.
Ashok B Lall
Ashok B. Lall has worked with a design partnership in Singapore, and with Stein, Doshi, Bhalla, New Delhi, before setting up private practice in 1980 (principal partner in Ashok B Lall Architect). The practice, which does mainly institutional projects, places emphasis on issues of sustainability and energy conservation. The firm's work has been published widely, won awards in a number of design competitions.
He has taken an active interest in architectural education since 1990. He has also initiated the “Aapki Sadak” programme for the renewal of urban open spaces in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi. He has been a member of the core team of academics at the TVB School of Habitat Studies since its inception.
A G Krishna Menon
A G Krishna Menon is an architect, urban planner and conservation consultant practicing in Delhi for over 40 years. He is actively engaged in research and his contributions have been extensively published in professional journals and several academic books. He has also been actively involved in urban conservation and in 2004 drafted the INTACH Charter for the Conservation of Unprotected Architectural Heritage and Sites in India. He is currently the Convener of the Delhi chapter of INTACH. He was the first Dean of Studies at the TVB School of Habitat Studies and later its Director till the School was merged with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University to become the University School of Architecture and Planning in 2007.
Dr Kanhaiya Lal Nadir
Dr Kanhaiya Lal Nadir is a political scientist by training. He taught at the Delhi University in the Department of Political Science, and at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, where he was also the Head.
He has been a member of the core team of academics at the TVB School of Habitat Studies since its inception, and he served as the Dean of Administration. He has taken an active interest in the Theory of Design and issues related to architectural thought and architectural education.
Sheba Chhachhi
Sheba Chhachhi is a photographer, women's rights activist, writer, film-maker, installation artist. She is based in New Delhi and has exhibited her works widely in India and internationally. Issues centering around women and impact of urban transformations informs most of Chhachhi's site-specific installations and independent artworks.
Ramu Katakam
Ramu Katakam is an architect qualified from the School of Architecture , Cambrige University, UK and has been practicing in India since 1977. Initially based in Delhi, he moved to Bangalore in 1997. Among his other interests was the creation of a sculpture gallery in the heart of an urban village in Delhi. He was part of the core team that started the TVB school of Habitat Studies where he taught for four years. He was also instrumental in the design and setting up of Dilli Haat - a crafts bazaar that allows craft persons to sell directly to the customer.