Welcome to the 8th H Y Sharada Prasad Memorial Lecture being held on what would have been his 95th Birthday. I thank all of you for being here.
The Memorial Lecture, which we have tried to hold annually, celebrates the diverse engagements of Sharada Prasad – from the freedom movement to media and journalism, from language and literature, to design, music, and culture. Previous speakers have been:
- Mukul Kesavan on “India and Republican Virtue”;
- Sanjaya Baru on “Media, Business and Government”.
- Sugata Srinivasaraju on “Negotiating Two Worlds: Bilingualism as a Cultural Idea’’;
- Ullas Karanth, on “Recovering Nature in a Crowded Subcontinent”.
- Ram Guha on “The Art and Craft of Historical Biography”.
- Sriram Ramaswamy on “Mass Movements: A physicist looks at Living Matter.”
- Jairam Ramesh on Wise Counsel: Reflections on the Planning Era.
Many of you present knew Sharada Prasad, or Shouri as we called him, in his lifetime and remember him. Some others here would probably only have heard of him as the information adviser to three Prime Ministers, particularly Indira Gandhi, but also Morarji Desai and Rajiv Gandhi.
Some others may remember him as a translator of the works of the writers RK Narayan and K Shivarama Karanth, or as an editor of the Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru. Some may remember him as a journalist who started his work life with The National Standard (Indian Express), became one of the youngest news editors of a national daily at age 24, and, post-retirement, wrote a widely read column in The Asian Age.
What is perhaps less known is Sharada Prasad’s long and deep involvement with the world of design, which began probably well before the time that he worked with Charles and Ray Eames on the Nehru exhibition in 1964-65. Besides that friendship, he had a long association with the National Institute of Design from the time it was set up, finally going on to being the chairperson of its Board in the 90s.
Sharada Prasad had a very unsentimental approach to design — simple was good, as showed in his life and his possessions. While he has been called the epitome of the culture of Mysore, he was decidedly unimpressed by the meretriciousness of the Mysore Palace, privately remarking that it was a “monstrous wedding cake”. He was no fan of ornamentation, and could be quite dismissive of the overdecorated temple architectures of his home country.
But he was not an unalloyed worshipper of the modern either — at Harvard, he lived in a building designed by Gropius, which he said was a remarkable exercise in creating uncomfortable living quarters could be. For Sharada Prasad, form and function had to go together.
I am delighted that this year we have the well-known and very innovative designer, Itu Chaudhuri speaking on A Place for Design. Itu represents an approach to design that combines good taste with a work ethic — design is not separate from your thinking, from your work, from your business. All of those are integral aspects of being and working. And fun. Read Itu’s blog.
The work of his company Itu Chaudhuri Design can be seen across the country, in the packaging of a popular snack food chain. Sometimes the cover is better than the book.
I would like to thank Itu for agreeing to give this talk. I should also thank two special people — Mukul Kesavan and Itu’s daughter Uttara — who persuaded him.
Itu’s talk today is to me a natural continuation of a friendship between our parents — his father, the famous sculptor Sankho Chaudhuri, would frequently drop in at Shouri’s office, and sometimes after a walk in the Lodhi Gardens would drop in for a chat. (I think Itu also came occasionally — I can imagine he would have been interested in meeting someone who was a personal friend of Mallikarjun Mansur and Gangubai Hangal). We would also frequently meet Itu’s parents at the house of our close mutual friends, the Ranas. I am delighted to see Ira-ben here, after a long time. It is also lovely that this family friendship continues to our children’s generation.
Please welcome Itu Chaudhuri.
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