New Delhi: The 43-year-old Archana Gupta an architect by profession lost her life when a bullet fired to welcome the new year during new year’s eve killed her after it hit her on her head.
The unfortunate incident killed an incredible woman who was committed to diverse interests say people who knew her personally, TOI reports.
Archana’s presence as a guest in the party turned into a shock and grief after she was hit during the party’s celebrations. Her death has left her family, friends and the hundreds of architecture students in shock and grief.
Gupta was cremated on Thursday had spent decades working on the conservation of Delhi’s monuments and public spaces.
Family and friends of Gupta are mourning over the death of vivacious personality like one of hers while her professors remember her for her sensibility and intelligence.
Conservation architect Ratish Nanda, who knew Gupta for over 30 years, described her as “an architect and a teacher with a deep interest in historic building conservation and urban design”.
Speaking of Gupta, Nanda said, “She was incredibly effective at everything she did — and she did lots. She also taught almost continuously since graduating in 1996.”
While a family friend said, “She liked to keep busy on various projects. For 15 years, she taught at TVB University School of Planning and Architecture and was someone students looked up to and connected with immediately. It was only in the past few years that she became a guest lecturer because she also had to manage her foundation and family business.”
Deeply saddened at the tragic & untimely death of young Archana Gupta.
A bright architect, teacher & author, she was an expert in urban planning & in her own way a contributor to the process of unprecedented urbanisation that New India is currently engaged in. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/hBW4I8horU
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) January 4, 2019
She conducted heritage walks for the Conservation Society of India and was the co-editor of the Delhi Conservation Society newsletter in 1991-1996 too apart from running her family’s reality business as well as her father’s consultancy business.
She had also owned a platform called Foundation of Indian Cities she co-founded with fellow architect Anushman Gupta. Her own bio on the foundation site says that “through her buildings and teachings (she) tries to represent those aspects of architecture which look for the ‘big feelings’ in the little things”.
She also co-authored a book with Anshuman Gupta titled Celebrating Public Spaces of India in 2017.
Remembering her work at the foundation, Anshuman said: “Her research would have led to a second book in due time.”
Historian Narayani Gupta also shared some memories with Archana. She said: “Archana spent her childhood in the Caribbean, and was, therefore, quicker to pick up details that those of us who have lived here longer take for granted.”
“She made forays into the historic urban village of Chirag Dilli, had long discussions with the inhabitants and made it the theme of her dissertation.”
She further added that her daughter recalled Gupta her pausing under the giant banyan tree by the pond near the Chirag Dilli walls and smiling, “I like this place. I can imagine the villagers gathering in the shade of this tree centuries ago.”