Who has been your inspiration in the process of your entire career?
I find the roots of my inspiration in my father, Ar. Suresh Gupta, who has worked hard throughout his life. I grew up watching him work tirelessly and dedicatedly and his passion for architecture instilled a passion in me as well. He is my role model and I always look up to him when I find myself in a tough spot.
Which has been your first project? Where? What was it? How has been your experience?
My first ever project was my maternal uncle’s bungalow, which had to be constructed in a small town named Manmad. My uncle, who was an engineer, was a great inspiration for this project. We worked out the project together using scrap materials. We used scrapped MS pipes for beams and lintels, and scrapped tiles for walls and cladding material. It was a very interesting project and it eventually aided in getting me my first ever project in Indore after I got married.
What type of projects captures your interest or rather interested to do?
All the projects that I take up are equal for me and I put my heart into them. Every project is a new experience and I find it as an opportunity to explore and experiment with new techniques and materials. For me, all my projects are like my children, and it’s impossible to prefer one child over the other.
Your most challenging projects; where and why? Tell us more about the same?
Although all projects have unique challenges, I felt the most challenged when a government project came our way. We participated and won a competition entry for government college projects. There were about 8 projects and all of them were far from Indore in an obscure place. It was, therefore, tough for me to learn and adjust to the norms and regulations of the government system. But that being said, it was a wonderful experience, and I learnt a lot from it.
Tell us about your upcoming projects; where and what type; schedule of completions?
We have a variety of projects on our plate at the moment. These range from small bungalows to huge bungalow premises, institutional projects, hostels, sports complexes and interior works.
Your wise words to next-gen stepping into this profession?
The new generation is full of smart and technologically advanced people. We surely learn a lot from them. My advice to the upcoming generation is to understand that technology is just a tool to aid the journey of a project. Rather than being dependent on it, we should be its master, using it to enhance our work and efficiency, and for our creativity and conceptualization.
