Uttarakhand remembers Baker

Uttarakhand Governor Sudarshan Aggarwal, in his condolence message, appreciated the role played by Laurie Baker in building low-cost houses after the Uttarkashi earthquake. 8220;Baker was a true architect of the poor,8221; Aggarwal said.

Dr Anil Joshi of the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation HESCO fondly remembers baker, whom he affectionately called 8220;Daddy8221;.

8220;I was the one to plead with him to come to the earthquake-hit Himalayan region in 1991. Despite his old age, he was magnanimous not only to come here, but also to teach us and the local masons some basics in safe house building,8221; Joshi recalled. Baker, along with his wife, visited the Garhwal Himalayas thrice after the 1991 earthquake. 8220;After the Uttarkashi tragedy, several agencies suggested housing designs to the locals. However, only Baker, with the help of local masons and using local material, constructed safe houses in the region,8221; Joshi said.

Baker organised his first workshop for local masons at Budna village in Ghansali tehsil of Tehri district. Twenty-two masons participated in the workshop. 8220;We finally requested Laurie Baker to show us practically how to build a low-cost house. And the grand old man, with a stick in his hand and a firm resolve, obliged us,8221; said Raghubir Kandwal, a native of Budna village.