Nehru Centre

"The achievements and vision of Pandit Nehru, the Architect of Modern India were to be captured in spirit, space and stone by a modern Indian architect"

The Nehru centre at Mumbai was designed as a living memorial to India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was a dream project of the late Rajni Patel, eminent lawyer, politician, social worker and man of many parts.

Once it was decided that a memorial was to be set up in Mumbai, discussions were initiated on what the institution should be like. Among those who were involved in the discussions were eminent scientists, historians, writers, litterateurs and thinkers who worked out the initial visualization of “living memorial to the maker of modern India”.

It was left to Mr. I.M. Kadri to visualize the structure that would hold the memorial. The building had to symbolise Nehru’s thought and ideology. When Nehru emerged, India has a strong agricultural base. This is represented by the landscaped ascent. From that base he went on to lay the foundations of big industries, gigantic dams and public sector undertakings - the incline at Nehru Centre serves as a kind of mount for his memorial.

The cylindrical memorial tower, noted for its fretwork – like, latticed or crosshatched cladding houses an auditorium that seats 1000 people, a library, an art gallery and other exhibition rooms and office spaces.

It took 2-1/2 years to put up the structure and cost Rs. 9 crores. Nehru Centre today is a premier art and cultural centre in the country with one of the city’s most favoured auditorium.