Designed in 1970, this university was envisaged to create change in the world of academics in India. Change has occured in the past 30 years - JNU has been known for its left wing leanings, which is a far cry from Nehru’s kind of socialism.

The competition brief had a large canvas for the designer. My design did break the norms and not follow the hierarchies that were laid down. I believed it was possible to create settlements for the housing areas where professors could have peons as neighbours. The design was a series of streets which would evolve into squares and open spaces that would link the academic buildings. The buildings were to be simple ones set around courtyards and wide corridors that would in turn act as places of meeting and discussion.