Opinion As India approaches its Independence centenary, its architecture must represent dignity, resilience, community

Civilisations across history have been remembered through the spaces they created. The Indus Valley’s grid plans, Jaipur’s astronomical instruments at Jantar Mantar, or the urban design of Shahjahanabad still tell us what their societies valued. Architecture endures long after dynasties and rulers fade. It is a record of human imagination, but also of human priorities.

As India approaches its centenary of Independence in 2047, the responsibilities of architects are greater than ever. The pressures of urbanisation, climate stress, and social inequality demand new ways of thinking. The true test of our profession will not be the number of towers that pierce the sky, but whether those towers and their surroundings sustain life with dignity, resilience and meaning.

The most urgent responsibility of architecture is social. Indian cities today reveal stark inequalities: Gated colonies alongside sprawling informal settlements, ivory towers beside villages without drainage or pavements. These contrasts are not accidents. They are the outcome of design choices that privileged a minority while disregarding the majority.

True progress begins with dignity. Housing must provide more than shelter, it must provide security, comfort and pride. Public infrastructure must be inclusive, offering safe streets, functional schools, and accessible parks. Architects must step forward as advocates of equity rather than bystanders to exclusion.

The climate crisis is no longer an abstraction. Delhi toils with longer and harsher summers, Mumbai and Chennai face catastrophic flooding each year, and Himalayan towns have witnessed repeated collapses where development ignored ecological limits. These are not “acts of God” but failures of design and planning.

Architecture cannot stop climate change, but it can ease its impact. Rainwater harvesting, passive cooling, renewable energy and careful use of local materials are not optional extras. They must be the foundation of resilience. A city that ignores drainage will drown. A neighbourhood buried under glass and concrete will overheat. Responsible architecture must align with the environment, not oppose it.

India’s architectural heritage offers lessons in adaptation and balance. Stepwells stored water while cooling the air. Courtyard homes channelled light and ventilation while strengthening community bonds. Temples and mosques were not only places of worship but also centres of civic life.

These traditions show that sustainability is not a borrowed idea. It is deeply Indian. The challenge is not to reproduce old forms but to adapt their principles for today’s urban pressures. Our ancestors built to endure. We must do the same, with contemporary materials, technologies and scale, and with the same respect for context.

Artificial intelligence, digital modelling, and advanced materials now allow us to simulate, visualise and construct with precision unimaginable a decade ago. Automation can transform the speed of urbanisation. Yet technology must remain a servant, not the master.

A building can be full of smart systems yet void of meaning if it disregards culture and community. Architecture is not a science experiment. It is a lived reality. Innovation must reduce resource waste, improve housing, and bring efficiency without erasing empathy. The future belongs to designs that are technologically advanced yet deeply human.

India’s cities are where the global and the local converge. Too often we copy international templates or cling sentimentally to nostalgia. Neither is sufficient. The task is to create a modern language of design that reflects our aspirations while respecting our heritage.

Modernity need not mean mimicry. Tradition need not mean stagnation. As one of the world’s fastest urbanising nations, India is not simply adapting to global trends, it is shaping them. The world will look not only at how many cities we build, but at how liveable, sustainable and authentic those cities become.

Every project leaves a legacy. Architecture that ignores its ecological footprint or deepens inequality will create burdens that last generations. Architecture that invests in resilience, inclusivity and cultural meaning will strengthen society.

For me, architecture has always been more than a profession. It is a calling and a trust. What begins as lines on a page becomes homes, schools, streets and parks. It becomes memory, identity and culture. At its core, architecture is the art of designing life itself. To practise it with conviction and care remains our greatest challenge, and our greatest privilege.

The writer is managing principal, CP Kukreja Architects Honorary Consul General, Republic of Albania