When Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan,he wondered why portraits of British viceroys had not been removed. You cannot wipe out history by just removing the portraits, explained prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. What architects Phiroz and Rashmi Ranade have endeavoured through their book,Rashtrapati Bhavan: A Palace in Democracy,is to bring out these nuggets of history and anecdotes surrounding the Rashtrapati Bhavan,along with its splendid architecture. Architecture is not just about a monument. Its a story, says Rashmi. Contextualisation,she feels,is what sets their book apart from other works on the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The book,published by Trout Books (Rs 1,600),talks about historical events like the finalisation of the Partition plan that took place in the Panel Room; idiosyncrasies of its occupants like Lady Willingdon,who had a penchant for doing it up in lilac,and Rajendra Prasad,who insisted on conducting all official business in his bedroom. While Calcuttas architecture is mostly in the classical style and Mumbais in gothic,the Rashtrapati Bhavan is an amalgamation of the classical,Mughal,Buddhist and Muslim styles of architecture, says the 83-year-old Phiroz,whose designation as the chief architect of the CPWD from 1954-75 gave him free access to the interiors of the 350-room mansion for many years. Despite some overlapping,the book which Phiroz has co-authored with his daughter-in-law Rashmi,is meticulously researched. No monument can be fully understood without taking a look at the mind that conceived it. Perhaps the biggest achievement of the Ranades is the scrupulous resurrection of architect Edwin Lutyens life. His sly humour,attention to detail and the shift of allegiance from the romantic to classical style is outlined in a tone closely resembling reverence. After the completion of the Rashtrapati Bhavan,Lutyens said hed married off his daughter and had nothing to do with her now. Praises followed. G Shoosmith,Lutyens associate architect,called it the climax of architectural symphony. Swinton,chairman of the site selection committee,commented in awe,One looks,one accepts,one marvels. French premier Georges Clemenceau,after listening to Lutyens belief that even the ruins of a building should look beautiful,exclaimed,Hmmph. This will make the finest ruins of them all.
