It was less than a century ago that India consolidated itself as a nation, after hundreds of years of foreign domination. Since its independence in 1947, it has worked tirelessly to define its identity; from the political stage to its day-to-day social engagements, India has established itself on the global stage as a rapidly emerging power. Its population is soaring, and is projected to surpass that of China in less than a decade. By 2050, around fifty percent of India’s inhabitants will live in cities, amounting to over 800 million people—over 2.5 times the entire US population today. In such a rapidly evolving society, how can architecture position itself to serve a vastly diverse country while maintaining a unified identity?

The State of Architecture: Practices and Processes in India, co-curated by Rahul Mehrotra, Ranjit Hoskote, and Kaiwan Mehta, explores the place of architecture in present-day India. The event, organized by the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), ran through March 20th and examined the evolution of the profession in the country, looking at the historical role of the architect as a step to understanding its place today. As discussed by the curators, the event raises the question of whether “India’s cities have the ability to house [the rising] millions, or to be home to them.” In addition, it moves the spotlight away from cities, and explores who might then “deliver viable housing and infrastructure [to] the other [sixty percent] of Indians who will still be living [outside India’s cities].”

The event is structured around three focus areas: India’s growth, Indian cities, and the role of architecture today. It moves beyond the aesthetic of individual buildings and addresses themes that affect the future of a rapidly changing nation. Several formats come together to shape the Event, the pivotal piece being the main exhibition housed in the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), in Mumbai. However, Professor “Mehrotra [estimates] that the exhibition is only about thirty percent of the larger conception of the Event.” The three-day inaugural and closing conferences, along with the Celebrating Charles Correa symposium, have also drawn the attention of a high volume of both practitioners and students. Keynote lectures have added to the broad spectrum, showcasing the work of architects like Christopher Charles Benninger and Brinda Somaya. Moreover, The State of Architecture has served as a platform for numerous smaller exhibitions, seminars and conversations that further stimulate discussion on the future of architecture in India.

The central exhibition is divided into “three experimental zones” a physical manifestation of the event’s focus areas. The display moves through the mezzanine areas at the NGMA, from a big-picture look at the profession in the Indian context to snapshots of contemporary projects and their impact in redefining architectural practice today. The main floor presents a quantified survey that links architecture to India’s growth. Evidently, the rise in GDP has impacted the real-estate market, which in turn has influenced architecture and design.

The remaining two parts of the exhibition are plotted along a timeline that marks vital political and cultural events, showing their direct relationship to various architectural moments in the country: from the nation-building project post 1947, to the conception of Indian modernity and the booming urbanization rate as a driver for cities. This section “deliberately emphasize[s] projects that represent the reengagement of architects with public urgencies[, and] highlight[s] the architecture of community infrastructure and institutions.” From Charles Correa’s Kanchenjunga Building in Mumbai to Himanshu Parikh’s integrated infrastructure developments in Indore, projects reflect how architecture contributed to forming a country that capitalized on its rich diversity, while preserving a strong national identity.

However, since the liberalization of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, the role of architecture in contributing to a unique identity has become increasingly convoluted. The third part of the exhibition starts a conversation on how architecture can reinvent India, and the challenges it may face in doing so. It discusses how Indian architects in the early twenty-first century will have to choose between imitating global design trends, often highly favored by real-estate developers, and finding “vibrant region-specific solutions.” Stemming from there, events like the closing conference—on New Architecture in South Asia—push the discussion to investigate new approaches in housing and infrastructure that embrace India’s diversity through the plurality of contemporary practice.

The NGMA exhibition is an indisputable reflection on the State of Architecture in India. Yet the event transcends the Gallery’s walls and spills out into the city, reinforcing its three focus areas. The use of other venues, including educational institutions like Sir JJ College of Architecture, echoes the idea that architecture must contribute to the construct of Indian cities rather than behave as an independent entity. Furthermore, taking the festival to the streets, as was done by the Kala Ghoda Festival series and the pavement exhibition at the Goethe-Institut–Max Mueller Bhavan, fully embraces the city and engages the greater public in the discussion.

Adding to this, keynote lectures and film screenings push out the boundaries of Mumbai as a venue and embrace the country as a whole. The symposium that celebrated the work of the late Charles Correa, as well as lectures like those from Himanshu Parikh or Christopher Charles Benninger explore varied regions of the country. Film screenings portray architecture in uniquely local contexts, as is the case with Jain Architectural Heritage: Building and Restoring Old Temples in Gujarat. Similarly, smaller format events address more punctual issues particular to specific regions throughout the country, as seen in "Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral City" and its portrayal of Hindu pilgrimage sites.

As a whole, The State of Architecture: Practices and Processes in India presents a provocatively accurate picture of the discipline’s historical trajectory, and sets the stage for passionate discussions on its role in reinventing India’s future. Retaining a commendable degree of objectivity, it poses poignant questions for practitioners and students to dwell upon. Yet it does not stop at engaging those familiar with the discipline; the event is an active invitation to engage the greater public in building a narrative for what will define the future of Indian architecture.

Update: a prior version of this piece referenced the following incorrect statistic: "By 2030 ten percent of India’s inhabitants will live in cities, amounting to 850 million people—over 2.5 times the entire US population today." That statistic has since been replaced with: "By 2050, around fifty percent of India’s inhabitants will live in cities, amounting to over 800 million people—over 2.5 times the entire US population today."