#CoverFeature: Meet Dr. Ponni Concessao—the first woman architect in India to have designed a state secretariat

The newly-inaugurated Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat in Hyderabad is colossal, if you go by the statistics alone. The iconic structure was envisioned and executed for the Telangana Government by renowned architects Dr Ponni Concessao and Dr Oscar Concessao of the award-winning architectural firm, Oscar, Ponni & Rahul Architects. While it was the brainchild of the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the very charismatic Dr Ponni Concessao translated this ambitious vision to reality. Dr Ponni Concessao is a name to reckon with.

Her confidence is infectious, and her repertoire is enviable. She exudes a unique amalgamation of the exuberance, earnestness and curiosity of a beginner, and the conviction that comes only with experience. After her schooling at Church Park Convent in Chennai, she got into the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirapalli to pursue architecture, becoming the first female student there to do so. She has always been a game changer. Subsequently, she went on to pursue her Post Graduation in Architecture at Cornell University and Harvard University. Eventually, Ponni and her husband, architect Dr Oscar Concessao, decided to move back to India.

From residences to public infrastructure projects, Ponni’s oeuvre is not restricted to any discipline or scale, and that’s obvious from her latest masterpiece, the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, Hyderabad. “I have this undying passion for excellence. I’m fiercely competitive. I’m obstinate,” says Ponni. Perhaps that’s the reason why these challenging projects come my way. “The Telangana Central Secretariat was no mean feat. But we accepted the challenge. Now that we look back, there’s a deep sense of pride, and gratification,” says the dynamic architect.

We caught up with Ponni at her masterpiece for a candid chat. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Seema Sreedhran (SS): What does design mean to you?
Ponni M Concessao (PC): Design means the world to me. Design is a medium that allows me to express my knowledge and translate dreams into reality. I have always thought that design is all encompassing. As an architect, I can visualise the urban design context, the structural system, the architectural design vocabulary, and the interior design all at one go! It is part of the intuitive and trained knowledge gained through experience and education. Most of the buildings I have designed have been a calculated mix of structural engineering and creative architectural and interior design, and that is the reason that most of them are award winning and a joy to the eyes of the beholder. As an architect, I am also a nation builder quite literally and design is a means of creating the ideal built environment for the nation.

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