Profile

G. Sankar, the “Howard Roark” of Indian Architectural world, was born in Anusha, East Africa on 29 May 1960 to Sri T M G Nair and Radhamma. When he was 10 years old, his father took voluntary retirement from the British Services and the family came back to their home land Kerala. Sankar did his schooling in Thiruvalla and Thiruvananthapuram and later went to The Government Arts college, Thiruvananthapuram for his Pre Degree. As a boy Sankar was very much interested in engineering and he joined Engineering in The College of Engineering, Trivandrum . After finishing his degree, he went to Delhi for post graduation but came back without finishing it. While studying there, he worked for some of the biggest Architectural firms and had the opportunity to build some outstanding structures like the parking place at the Le Meridian which can accommodate one thousand vehicles and the underground parking place at Palika Bazaar, New Delhi. Later he did his M.S from Birmingham school of Architecture , UK .

However, the showbiz of modern architecture failed to allure him. His brief work experience had brought him face to face with the ugly side of architecture which was suitable neither to the context not to the culture of our country. He was completely disillusioned by the glamour in his field. That is the time he decided to break apart and to build his own path to achieve his goals.

Sankar stays in Thiruvananthapuram with his wife Sugatha. She teaches English in an aided college. Their only son, Sidharth, studies at Rishi Valley , Andhra Pradesh.

The Rebel and his beliefs

Even at an early age, while he was being trained in architecture, Sankar was disturbed by the inappropriateness of modern architecture. He strongly felt that the science of construction should be based on the geo-social fabric of a particular society. It is unfortunate that the contemporary architectural curriculum taught at colleges borrows heavily from the west. It neither caters to the need of the people nor is eco friendly. His young mind continuously rebelled against the ‘glamour loaded' conventional architecture which was based on impossible budgets for the common man. Every now and then he would ask his teachers about the appropriateness of what he was studying. He had to suffer harassment at the hands of those who failed to give an answer or justification to his ‘relevant' questions. Yet he never gave up. The rebel in him, probably was, the source of his social consciousness.

Sankar believes that the Indian context is very different from its western counterpart. Here we have big families, less space and limited budget. While constructing a house or a building, these three factors have to be taken into account. Hence he advocates the use of locally available materials which can be easily and inexpensively acquired.Sustainability, eco-friendliness and cost effectiveness became the key words in his work.