IM Kadri Awarded the Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Trophy
Renowned Mumbai- based architect Iftikhar M Kadri was awarded the Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya Trophy for lifetime achievement at the 12th CIDC Vishwakarma Awards in a ceremony recently held at the India Habitat
Centre in New Delhi. The awards are organised every year by the Construction
Industry Development Council ( CIDC), a body set up jointly by the Planning Commission, Government of India, and the Indian construction industry that works as an umbrella organization for the construction industry in India, undertaking a wide range of activities for the welfare of society and the nation at large. This was the twenty- fifth anniversary of the awards program.
IM Kadri, 93, received a standing ovation at the ceremony. He was honoured for his exemplary body of work and contribution to the Indian architecture and construction industry. The jury, chaired by
Shri Pradip Bhargava ( IAS ( Retd), Former Addl. Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh), included Shri Divakar Garg ( Former Director General, Central Public Works Department) and Shri K M Singh ( Ex- chairmanand Managing Director, NHPC Ltd) among others.
IM Kadri, Partner and Principal Architect, IMK Architects said,“I am extremely grateful to CIDC for honouring me with this award. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to do so much work in India and abroad. I wanted to be an architect from a very early age. While studying at Jamia Millia Islamia, I was greatly inspired by the institution’s architecture, and was so in awe of the architect Karl Malte von Heinz’s work that I sought an opportunity to work with him.
This marked the onset of my career. Right from my early days, I always had a strong affinity towards nature and greenery because I belonged to a family of agriculturists. And while I have built over 100 buildings, each with a unique concept, all have a small garden or some sort of connection with nature. I have also always been tremendously influenced by Mughal Architecture and Urdu poetry and admire the beauty in their structure and proportion. My advice to young architects would be to create their style, bring out the individuality of their work, and give something new to the people and the cities we live in.”