His passion for design is the stuff legends are made of. And when the Padmashree-winning architect Balkrishna V Doshi comes-a-calling, it’s happy times ahead for the art scene in the city.

In town for the inauguration of an exhibition of his works at the Indiaart gallery which will open at 10 am today and continue upto September 14, the renowned architect is upbeat and relaxed, even as he stresses that he has big dreams for the city of his origin—Pune. “Unfortunately, it’s not growing the way it should, due to lack of planning. Which is a pity, considering this place has everything going for it: from its proximity to Mumbai to its exemplary climate to its vibrant educational and cultural scene. I remember making a plan for a business group with regard to the merger of 30-odd villages into the city. The plan never came to be implemented,” he reminices.

Ask him why is it that each time a tourist comes to town, we end up showing him/her architectural achievements which are a throwback to the Raj. “I don’t agree,” he says to the implicit question in the query. “We have tremendous architectural achievements of our own.”

So is it possible to reconcile growth with the distinct cultural character of a city ? “Very much so. It just needs vision. Rearrange spaces, reorient traffic, plan, negotiate: with the unshakeable end-goal of retaining the essence of the city. It is possible. They’re doing it in Europe,” he says. “Every time a new area is added to the city, it becomes imperative to merge it as seamlessly as possible without disturbing the core. But you need a great deal of cohesiveness and unity between builders, architects, the local authorities and citizens’ groups to achieve such a scene.”He is scathing about the construction boom across the country. “Today, anything and everything seems to pass off as development activity. Have land, build on it. Without much thought of the consequences ahead. How it will affect future generations is not something that seems to concern anyone,” he says. “And no, I’m not pointing fingers at any single group or entity. I believe development is a collective responsibility, and needs to possess a social conscience, which has the courage to go much beyond immediate concerns.”