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Last fortnight, as India surpassed its past colonizer Britain’s economy to become 5^th largest economy, think tanks across the country were buzzing with the prospect of achieving the next milestone of 5 trillion-dollar economy. It is no more a matter of “If”, it is a matter of “When”, India achieves this milestone. Conservative estimates suggest that by 2027 India will surpass this milestone. The slumbering elephant- as it used to be identified in the past is showing surprising agility.

However, economic indices are not the sole indicators of a nation’s character. Nation building requires work at several fronts – be it health care, tourism, industries, education and many other vast sectors. As a nation we cannot remain oblivious to the grey patches within this seemingly green landscape.

One such sector that needs a closer examination is construction Industry. In terms of GDP the share of construction industry is 9%. In terms of employment generation, this industry provides employment to 50 million people, which is 12% of total working population. Architecture community is a key contributor to construction industry. Since pre independence times, It is among the most significant asset creator in the nation. It is high time that the contribution of this silent fraternity is acknowledged & accorded its dues.

This article is an attempt to highlight some of the challenges that our fraternity is facing.

Many veterans in the Architecture fraternity lament on the abysmally low representation of Architects in the corridors of policy making. Many strategic positions directly affecting our industry are spearheaded by bureaucrats & technocrats. These bureaucrats have little knowledge about the true impact & nitty gritty of this profession. It is high time that our industry is unshackled from the clutches of these "Babus". It’s a long standing but often ignored demand that there must be a proportionate representation of Architects in all such bodies.

The concept of “lateral entry” is a welcome step in this direction. Architecture fraternity must create pressure groups to reclaim such positions for the holistic development of towns & cities.

Another related aspect is low awareness of Architecture profession within the public & private sphere. Both classes & masses often ignore the need of professional architectural services in lieu of a cheaper imitation. A synchronized effort is needed in promoting & creating awareness about our profession via targeted social media campaigns & other modes of communication.

Another important issue that needs to be debated and deliberated within architecture community is equitable distribution of public sector projects. Not long-ago projects were allocated on the infamous L1 system of tendering, which miserably failed in achieving any desired objectives. It has only promoted mediocrity & fed to the menace of corruption in gigantic proportions. There are cartels within the industry producing low quality of work & not letting industry grow in order to serve their petty interest. The COA as custodian of this profession needs to come up with institutional mechanisms to create checks and balances and thwart such incursions in future. We need to come up with a robust tendering process where “selection by exclusion” is replaced with “selection by value addition”.

Last but not the least, our education system needs to be rejuvenated & realigned to current realities. The existing framework of Architecture education in India is in shambles. Architecture education is the key to the future of this profession in India. Unregulated mushrooming of architecture colleges bereft of a strong educational framework are producing unemployable graduates in the industry. This is becoming a huge area of concern and needs urgent attention.

Aforementioned are some key issues that need to be discussed & debated within & outside the fraternity. Our industry has to play a pivotal role in this nation building process and therefore it is all the more necessary to do the course-correction.

Mudit Gupta is an alumni of GCA Lucknow (1998-2003) batch. He is practicing in Noida. Views expressed in this article are author’s personal views. He can be reached out at ar.mudit@gmail.com.