Charles Correa, one of India’s greatest architects and urban planners who designed several landmarks, including the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial at Sabarmati Ashram and the Visvesvaraya Towers in Bengaluru, passed away here on Tuesday night. He was 84.
Born in Secunderabad on September 1, 1930, Correa studied at St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, before pursuing courses at the University of Michigan and the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in condoling Correa’s demise. “Charles Correa’s architectural marvels are widely cherished, reflecting his brilliance, innovative zeal and wonderful aesthetic sense,” said Modi.
Among the several landmarks and townships Correa designed include the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Bhopal; National Crafts Museum, New Delhi; Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur; British Council, New Delhi; the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, USA; Salt Lake City, Kolkata and Bima Nagar township, Bengaluru.
Correa’s latest projects include the Ismaili Centre in Toronto, Canada, and the Champalimaud Foundation Centre in Lisbon, Portugal. He founded the Urban Design Research Institute, Mumbai, in 1984.
Correa was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972, and the Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second highest civilian honour, in 2006. He was also awarded the 1984 Royal Gold Medal for architecture by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
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