While unfair labor conditions of architecture for architects and the discussions of unpaid internship are still alive and debated in architecture, World Architecture Community’s India Reporter Shubhayan Modak reveals many tragic situations that young architects and students are confronted in India in the professional practice of architecture.

The last few years have been challenging for architects and allied designers in the Indian subcontinent. The situation in India is one that hints towards a gradual disintegration, and the symptoms are visible. Demonetization hit hard in 2016. Architecture, like most other sectors, faced violent turbulence, one whose wounds have hardly healed. However, demonetization is only a micro-reason, a subset. And with the gradual economic slowdown and stagnation, hopes are not to be held on to. The current state of the profession and architectural education in the country paints a gloomy picture. The two are inter-related and affects each other in more ways than known to us.

It is hard to be a practicing architect in India these days. The primary reason for this is the volatile market situation. While government projects and state infrastructures were considered to be a stable source of income a few years back, the policy of ‘lowest bidder gets the project’ has taken its toll. Fierce, unethical competition has led to firms quoting amounts that are lesser than one-tenth of the standard remuneration. While not much is currently being discussed about the flailing quality of design in the country, this too is imperative. There is only so much that an office, working at fractions of the standard rates can do. Private projects are ample, however, rates have gone down! All these, combined with the erratic nature of payments from both the government and private clients are making it hard for the firms to sustain themselves honorably. Instances of unpaid dues, months after completion of the scope of work is common. Approved charts of standard rates for architectural and design consultancy and execution exists, however, the existence is limited to paper, and there is no enforcement of the same