An attack on India’s Modern Heritage: Demolition of the Hall of Nations, New Delhi

Abstract

Modernity in India was born as a response to the practical need for infrastructure in the post-independence (1947) period. Locally produced concrete became the primary material for building, displaying India’s self-sufficiency and construction prowess. Local and international architects used concrete by adopting the prevailing global trends of modernist architecture, modified to serve in the context of India.

However, in the present socio-political environment in India, the architecture of the national capital, New Delhi, is being rebranded and transformed by the current government, under the guise of creating a ‘new modern identity’. This exercise, strengthened by legal loopholes and the lack of laws on conservation of contemporary architecture, has put the entire modern movement of India at risk. Several structures, which represented independent India’s socio-cultural identity for decades, now face the imminent threat of demolition.

This paper analyses the unfortunate fate of the Hall of Nations of New Delhi, which was built in 1972 using locally produced concrete and intensive manual labour, a structural marvel of its time. It was imprudently demolished in 2017 to pave the way for a new ‘world class exhibition centre’, erasing the legacy of self-sufficient India by seeking global investments and international designs. A study of the events leading to the demolition reveals the alarming lack of organisation within decision making authorities, and their unwillingness to recognise the importance of modern heritage of the city.