Habibur Rahman '43, MA '44
Habibur Rahman ’43, MA ’44, was the very first undergraduate and graduate South Asian student to join SA+P. Rahman would go on to become one of India’s most prominent architects. Rahman was born in 1915 in Kolkata, India. He received a scholarship to study Engineering at MIT from the Bengal Government in 1942, however, he shifted to Architecture shortly after arriving at the Institute.
Habibur Rahman with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru Courtesy of Ram Rahman
Habibur Rahman ’43, MArch ’44 in Studio Courtesy Ram Rahman
Habibur Rahman Architecture Class 1944
Rahman returned to India in 1946, one year before independence, and joined the Public Works Department as a Senior Architect in Bengal. After building Gandhi Ghat in 1948, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, Rahman was handpicked by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s then prime minister, to join the Central Works Department of the Government of India. At the time, the Central Works Department embarked on a large-scale program to build institutions of governance, education, justice and culture. Some of Rahman’s iconic architectural contributions included building the World Health Organization headquarters in New Delhi along with designing the National Zoological Park, and providing low-cost housing to millions of refugees who arrived in India in the aftermath of Partition. Within all his contributions, Rahman infused his distinct modernist style, catering to various needs of the nascent nation.
Habibur Rahman sketch, Calcutta Library Courtesy of the MIT Museum
Habibur Rahman Thesis Calcutta University library architectural study