Here is a collection of quotes from a man who was true to his word:
“I have my own principles, which I am unwilling to abandon. I dislike falsehood and deceit. A building should be truthful.”
"Cost-effective houses are not just for the poor, they are for everyone. The equation that a cost-effective house is a house for the poor, implying a bad looking house, can definitely be proved wrong. Isn't it the responsibility of the upper and middle classes to stop indulging in extravagance and make better looking houses instead? This entire classification is wrong."
"Designing a house and getting someone else to build it is like preparing a menu with great care and then leaving it to someone to do the cooking and then the eating. It's no fun."
"Can one call the person who makes 500 similar houses an architect? It is not difficult to make 10 to 12 different houses using the same materials. That is why such established practices have to be stopped. One can come up with different options even without cutting trees or leveling the ground. Monotonous houses can be avoided."
"No innovative artist can hope to proceed in work without having gained an understanding of the local wisdom of a place.''
"Fortunately, I've never been cursed with a white-collar mentality and I see nothing degrading or infra dig in getting my hands and clothes dirty from physical work."
Tributes from the Web:
The Frontline – TRIBUTE - "Master Mason" - G. SHANKAR
Mother Jones: The Brick Master of Kerala
Uma's Blog (A great compilation!): Indian Writing - Farewell, Laurie Baker
Frontline - ARCHITECTURE - Laurie Baker's creative journey
An article adapted from from Laurie Baker by Atul Deulgaonkar (Akshar Prakashan, Mumbai) as translated from the Marathi by Joginder Singh and Shrinivas Warkhandkar.
Indian Express - Laurie Baker, for whom home was extension of land, dies at 90 - RAJEEV PI
Letters to FRONTLINE - Baker's Legacy
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