Inauguration:

10:00 am

A Gathering of Seeker by lore

Girish Doshi: A Life in Architecture

Girish Doshi

Navkar Architects, Pune

Seven years at Sangath under B.V. Doshi shaped a practice of his own, rooted in “Traditionally Contemporary” architecture and the Vishnu Paddhat approach to building.

Across nearly four decades, his homes, schools and institutions have carried this philosophy into Maharashtra’s smaller cities and his work reflects a lifelong pursuit of architecture that is thoughtful, buildable and deeply connected to place.

Girish Doshi

Navkar Architects, Pune

Seven years at Sangath under B.V. Doshi shaped a practice of his own, rooted in “Traditionally Contemporary” architecture and the Vishnu Paddhat approach to building.

Across nearly four decades, his homes, schools and institutions have carried this philosophy into Maharashtra’s smaller cities and his work reflects a lifelong pursuit of architecture that is thoughtful, buildable and deeply connected to place.

Sandeep Pathe

Chitnavis Wada, Mahal, Nagpur

Guided explorations of the Chitnavis wada’s architecture, history, spaces and stories. Walk through its built heritage and discover how a historic place continues to shape our understanding of Nagpur.

Across seven states, conservation architect and author Sandeep Pathe works with archaeological and tourism departments to engage with India’s built heritage. Through practice, teaching and writing, he continues to explore how heritage can shape new ways of seeing for young designers

Majid Abidi

MONTAGE, Nagpur

Since founding MONTAGE in 2019, Majid Abidi has moved between architecture, research, art, writing, teaching and film.

His practice begins with a simple act of looking again to uncover what the ordinary, overlooked and unnamed might reveal.

Asad Firdosy & Shayan Firdosy

Firdos Furnishers, Nagpur

Father and son, Asad and Shayan Firdosy carry nearly 90 years of Nagpur’s furniture-making legacy into a contemporary practice rooted in teak craftsmanship and experimentation. From London Design Festival to training local craftspeople, they are reimagining how regional woodworking knowledge can travel into the future.

Curated by Ajinkya & Vikram Gandhe

(Invitation Only)

Ajinkya Gandhe - Architect-turned-chef and co-founder of Place Bakehouse & Coffee, Ajinkya explored cafés, baking and supper clubs in Goa before turning food into his full-time creative pursuit. He is also a MasterChef India Season 9 winner, known for reimagining familiar Indian flavours with a contemporary approach.

Vikram Gandhe - Entrepreneur and co-founder of Place Bakehouse & Coffee, Vikram began his food journey at 19 and went on to build and experiment across food ventures, with a particular passion for desserts. A MasterChef India Season 9 winner, he brings together entrepreneurship, food craft and contemporary Indian hospitality.

Veeram Shah & Dolly Thakkar

Design Ni Dukaan, Ahmedabad

Mentored by Girish Doshi, Veeram Shah brings architecture, interiors and furniture together through a practice shaped by art, design and craft. His influences range from Gandhi and Raza to Le Corbusier, creating a language where seemingly different disciplines become one.

Bijoy Ramachandran

HundredHands, Bangalore

MIT-trained architect and co-director of Hundredhands, Bijoy Ramachandran uses analytical drawings and urban observation to understand Indian cities.

His long association with B.V. Doshi also led him to document the architect’s life and work through the film, Doshi.

Morning: School and College Visits

Morning: School and College Visits

Morning: School and College Visits

Baithak Guys : 

NAZM by Artist Creed 

Kalash and Pralay are co-founders of Nazm where art finds its voice and stories find their audience. Born from a love for the arts, Nazm brings artists and audiences together.

Kalash & Abhinav Collective is a musical storytelling duo that blends poetry, music, and heartfelt narratives to create intimate, immersive experiences.

Morning: School and College Visits

Play:

Settle Down:

A rom-com about a stand-up comic

Backstage Playmakers, Nagpur

Onkar Ghare - Co-founder and theatre artist behind Backstage Playmakers, Onkar Ghare brings over a decade of experience in Nagpur’s experimental and conventional theatre. As director of Sonata, he has championed fringe theatre that breaks the boundary between performer and audience.

Shubhankar Mishra - Co-founder and theatre artist of Backstage Playmakers, Shubhankar Mishra has been part of Nagpur’s theatre community for over a decade, working across experimental and conventional forms. Through productions like Sauda, he explores contemporary stories through minimal spaces and immersive fringe theatre.

Shraddha Geevith, Mumbai

In conversation with students

Architect, educator, mentor, watercolorist and baker, Shraddha Geevith brings the many ways she observes the world into her practice and teaching. At the heart of her approach is a simple belief: better design begins with better questions.

Sketching Chhaya: A documentary

film that seeks to understand

Neelkanth Chhaya

Neelkanth Chhaya, Ahmedabad

Moderated by Pooja Khairnar, Nashik

& Nipun Prabhakar, Bhopal

Prof. Neelkanth Chhaya | Mandala Design Services

Grew up in Nairobi before coming to Ahmedabad to study and later teach architecture at CEPT, where he served as Dean of the Faculty from 1987 to 2012. Alongside partners, Kallol Joshi and Sohan Neelkanth, he founded Mandala Design Services, whose most quietly radical project came after the Kutch earthquake: Khamir, a craft resource centre built with Hunnarshala where designers and artisans work as equals. In 2023, he also became the inaugural recipient of the Balkrishna Doshi Guru Ratna Award

Nipun Prabhakar

Dhammada Collective, Bhopal

Through Dhammada Collective, Nipun Prabhakar works alongside rural communities and artisans across India on buildings, objects, exhibitions and research.

His grassroots, interdisciplinary practice brings architecture, craft and community together, earning the collective the Ammodo Award for Architecture: Local Scale 2025.

Gajesh Mitkari

Studio Modak, Nagpur

With 151 projects and 50+ brand collaborations, Gajesh Mitkari has built identities that move between independent Indian brands and global names such as Netflix and Hyundai. Through Studio Modak, he combines strategy, illustration and Indian visual culture to give familiar stories a new visual language.

On the Art of Storytelling,

Nipun Prabhakar & Gajesh Mitkari

Moderated by Kathaakar, Nagpur

The conversation explores how stories are found, shaped and communicated from personal experiences and place to architecture, culture and community.

With Gajesh Mitkari and Nipun Prabhakar, expect a dialogue on storytelling as a way of seeing, interpreting and making meaning, rather than simply presenting information.

PK_iNCEPTION, Nashik

Pooja Khairnar

CEPT-trained in Theory and Design, Pooja Khairnar begins with a search for the “generic essence” hidden within a project’s context, people and unsaid brief. Her practice transforms these deeper values into architecture rather than allowing form to arrive first.

Santosh Pisal

Studio Apaaar, Pune

Santosh Pisal explores architecture as something that extends beyond the physical structure into human experience. The studio’s Museum of Humanity, recognised by the Architecture Hunter Awards and The Plan Award, reflects this idea of limitless architecture.

Paramjit Ahuja

Paramjit S Ahuja Design Studio

Nagpur

Paramjit Singh Ahuja lets context, purpose, people and place shape each project rather than following a singular architectural signature.

His practice extends from civic, institutional and cultural architecture to conservation, environmental advocacy, accessibility and the wider life of the city.

Habeeb Khan

SHK Architects, Nagpur

Architect, educator and former President of the Council of Architecture, Habeeb Khan has championed architecture rooted in traditional and vernacular knowledge.

His work with Smita Khan earned the INTBAU Award 2018 for advancing these ideas through large-scale architectural practice.

Moderated by Sandeep Pathe

Conservation Architect

Developer: Sameer Kachore

Urban Designer: Pradyumna Shasrabhojanee

Ecologist: Prachi Mahurkar

Activist: Anasuya Kale

A cross-disciplinary conversation on Nagpur’s growth, bringing together perspectives on heritage, development, ecology, urban design and the people who shape the city.

Prachi Mahurkar | Ecologist, Punarnava Ecological Services

Through Punarnava Ecological Services, Prachi Mahurkar works across ecological restoration, biodiversity, sustainable farming, eco-sanitation and native plant conservation.

Her work connects ecological research with community education, documenting the landscapes and species of Central India along the way.

Ar. Sameer Kachore | Director, The Rajarha Group

An architect who brought the architect’s way of seeing into his family’s retail, investment and construction businesses, Sameer Kachore approaches development through space, structure and everyday life.

Under his direction, The Rajarha Group has evolved from layout planning into creating over 4.5 lakh sq. ft. and 350+ homes across Nagpur.

Ar. Pradyumna Sahasrabhojanee | Architect & Urban Designer

From coordinating 5,750 emergency shelters across 50 villages after the Gujarat earthquake to conserving temples and landscapes in Vidarbha, Pradyumna Sahasrabhojanee works where architecture meets place and crisis. His work with the Vidarbha Heritage Society also helped bring Nagpur’s natural precincts into the city’s Heritage List, expanding what we understand as heritage.

Anasuya Kale | Chhabrani | President, Swacch Association

Founded the Nagpur-based NGO in 2015 after starting as a CMCA volunteer; today it works across waste segregation, plastic eradication, composting, water conservation, climate awareness, wetland preservation, and livelihood generation for women's self-help groups, with 600+ awareness sessions delivered.

Closing Remarks

Classical Music Performance by;

Sadhana Shiledar - Vocalist