PM’s Architect: Who is Bimal Patel, the man who designed the new Parliament building?
PM’s Architect: Who is Bimal Patel, the man who designed the new Parliament building?
Agree with the construction or not, the new Parliament building – spread across 64,500 square metres – appears majestic and worthy of being India’s seat of power. The building has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 May (coinciding with the anniversary of him being in power for nine years) in an historic event which also saw the installation of the ‘sengol in the new Lok Sabha chamber.
However, who is behind the design of this new and well-improved structure? What has been his inspiration in the construction of the new building that is four-storeys high and triangular in shape?
Catch all the live updates from the inauguration of the new Parliament building HERE
We bring you the inside details of the design of the building and also the man behind this beautiful construction – Bimal Hasmukh Patel, who leads Ahmedabad-based HCP Designs.
Who is Bimal Patel?
Bimal Hasmukh Patel, born on 31 August 1961 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, is an architect, urbanist and academician and also the brains behind the new Parliament building, which comes under Central Vista Project.
One could say that Patel’s love for architecture comes from his father, Hasmukh Chandulal Patel, who also set up the HCP firm in 1960. Bimal studied architecture at the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad, in 1984 and completed his Master’s degree in Architecture and City Planning in 1988. He received a PhD in City and Regional Planning in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley. He completed his doctoral thesis under Marxist urban geographer Richard Walker. Incidentally, today Patel heads CEPT, the same institute that he studied from.
Following his education, he started his career in 1990 in Ahmedabad, which he calls the ‘open to transformative ideas’. Speaking to The Print, he was quoted as saying of the city, “Ahmedabad has always been open to new transformative ideas and it has always supported modernisers in diverse fields: Gandhiji, Vikram Sarabhai, Ravi Mathai, Gautam and Gira Sarabhai and Ela Bhatt. It is a receptive place for people who want to sincerely pursue innovative projects.”
In 1992, Patel won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for designing The Entrepreneurship Development Institute and since then his career has been on the upswing. He is the brains behind many of the building and structures around the country – for instance, the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad, Bhuj Development Plan and Town Planning Schemes (post-earthquake), Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, and Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Ahmedabad.
He has won many accolades for his designs, including the Padma Shri award in 2019. Besides this national honour, he has been the recipient of the World Architecture Award in 1997, the Prime Minister’s National Award for Excellence in Urban Planning and Design (2003), and the HUDCO Design Award (2013).
Also read: New Parliament building and the many controversies surrounding the structure
Bimal Patel and ties with PM Modi
In October 2019, Patel’s HCP Designs won the consultancy bid for the Centre’s ambitious project to redevelop the Central Vista, including Parliament and Rajpath, and develop a Common Central Secretariat for various ministries.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said that Patel’s firm will be paid Rs 229.75 crore for consultancy services, will prepare the master plan of the project, including designs, cost estimation, landscape and traffic integration plans, and parking facilities among others.
However, this announcement was met with much criticism, with some saying, “He is just some architect from Gujarat who knows Modi. What does he know about Delhi or its history?”
Bimal Patel and Modi share a long history. In fact, one can say that Bimal Patel is a facilitator of Modi’s dreams and his go-to person for big projects. In 2005 when Modi was still Gujarat chief minister, it was Bimal Patel who was given the responsibility of the Sabarmati Riverfront project, which in later years became Modi’s choice for photo-ops; remember the dinner for Chinese president Xi Jinping or even celebrating Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. It also featured in Modi’s campaign resume in 2014.
After Modi became prime minister in 2014, it was Bimal Patel who was once again given the responsibility of constructing the historic Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Modi’s constituency of Varanasi. The project was aimed at linking one of the pre-eminent Hindu temples to three main ghats on the Ganga, a distance of about 320 metres by 2021.
When criticised about destroying heritage and history, Bimal Patel remained unfazed. Speaking to The Print, he had said, “We should be respectful of heritage and tradition, but should not let ourselves be held hostage to them. Research shows that Varanasi is an ancient city that has been continuously built over by successive generations in many different ways. What is important is to have the courage to do what needs to be done”.
Bimal Patel’s designs on Parliament
After winning the contract for the Central Vista Project, Patel and his sat down to visualise what the new Parliament would look like.
He had earlier said that he wished for the new structure to be a true replica of “Rising India”. Speaking to Moneycontrol in the past, he had said, “The new design borrows its aesthetic language from the rich architectural traditions of India and from the old Parliament building. We have ensured continuity in the materials used on the exterior of the building, continuity in the colour schemes of the interiors. The building also incorporates various craft traditions of the country.”
When asked about the shape of the building and why he chose it to be triangular, he responded that many sacred geometries celebrate “triangles” and “trinities”. “The new Parliament building is designed in a triangular shape since it sits on a triangular plot and has three main spaces – Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and a Central Lounge. Also, triangles are sacred geometries in various religions and cultures of the country. The Sri Yantra uses a triangle, the three Gods or the Trinities are a triangle and therefore the triangle is sacred,” he was quoted as telling news agency PTI.
He added in an Indian Express report that his vision for the new structure was to “make a clean break, untether ourselves from the past and more fully embrace the future”.
And a clean break, it seems he has made. In the Lok Sabha chamber, the national bird Peacock is theme whereas in the Rajya Sabha chamber the national flower Lotus is the theme and in Central Lounge courtyard they have used the national tree Banyan as its theme.
Patel has ensured that various parts of India are featured in the new structure. The sandstone in the construction has come from Dholpur, and the granite from Lakha village in Jaisalmer. The carpets have been woven in Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh, and in Kashmir. Intricate woodwork has been sourced from craftsmen from Maharashtra.
As Bimal Patel once said, “What we do with our Parliament building will powerfully signify who we are, how we view our past and where we see ourselves going.”
With inputs from agencies
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