30-780: Akbar Bhawan , formerly the Akbar Hotel , is a building in the Chanakyapuri locality of New Delhi , India which houses the South Asian University and offices of the Government of India's Ministry of External Affairs . Designed by Shiv Nath Prasad in collaboration with Mahendra Raj , it is one of Delhi's best known examples of brutalist architecture and bears semblance to the Unité d'habitation in Marseille , France. Inaugurated in 1972, it
60-575: A college for a graduate degree, receiving first a B.A. degree from Jammu and Kashmir University , Srinagar , and subsequently an M.A. degree in Political Science and a PhD from University of Delhi . In 1950, the 19-year-old Karan Singh was married to 13-year-old Yasho Rajya Lakshmi, granddaughter of Mohan Shumsher Rana, Maharajah of Nepal , belonging to the Rana dynasty of Nepal . Her father, General Maharajkumar Sharada Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana,
90-513: Is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the titular Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir . From 1952 to 1965 he was the Sadr-i-Riyasat (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He is the chairperson trustee of the Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir which maintains 175 temples in north India and works in other areas such as historical preservation. Singh
120-595: Is known for switching his loyalties from one political party to another quite frequently. He has served as Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University , Jammu and Kashmir University, Jawaharlal Nehru University , and NIIT University. He has been engaged by Sansad TV (a merged Global TV Channel of Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV ) as a Guest Anchor along with some other senior celebrated experts from diverse fields such as Bibek Debroy , Amitabh Kant , Shashi Tharoor , Hemant Batra , Maroof Raza and Sanjeev Sanyal to present some flagship programmes. Karan Singh served as
150-423: The architectural style of Le Corbusier and is one of India's best known examples of brutalist architecture. Built with prestressed concrete , the building has few decorative motifs keeping in line with the brutalist aesthetic. It has a raw concrete finish, uses brise soleils and features an exposed staircase at its far end. The use of a transfer girder in the transitional floors of the building allowed for
180-547: The suites . The trends set in interior decor at the Akbar became widespread in India's hotel and hospitality industry in later years. Its coffee shop, Madhuban , was noted for the Mithila murals decorating its walls which was a pioneering attempt to commercialize and give the artform a modern identity. The structure has however been criticized as being squalid and visually unappealing whereas
210-721: The Akbar Bhawan after her. Chanakyapuri Chanakyapuri ( Sanskrit : चाणक्यपुरी , romanized : Cāṅakyapurī ) is a neighbourhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950s in New Delhi , India. It is also a sub-division of the New Delhi district and plays host to the majority of foreign embassies in New Delhi. Chanakyapuri, meaning "city of Chanakya", is named after Chanakya , an ancient Indian diplomat, philosopher, politician, military strategist and advisor to Maurya Emperor Chandragupta Maurya . Chanakyapuri
240-813: The Government of India, of which Karan Singh was a Union cabinet minister, abolished all official symbols of princely India , including titles, privileges, and remuneration ( privy purses ). During the conclusion of the Cold War , he was India's ambassador to the USA . Singh received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005. In 1971, he was sent as an envoy to the Eastern Bloc nations to explain India's position with regard to East Pakistan, then engaged in civil war with West Pakistan. He attempted to resign following an aircraft crash in 1973, but
270-538: The India Tourism Development Corporation, the hotel remained profitable throughout the 1970s. However, by the early 1980s it began to incur losses and ITDC suffered low occupancy in its hotels following the construction boom in the run up to the 1982 Asian Games . In the changed business environment and the government's decision to exit the business of running luxury hotels, the ITDC decided to hand over
300-539: The border with neighbouring Dhaula Kuan . Sardar Patel Marg marks the Western periphery, while the Chanakya Cinema complex, which lies beyond Nehru Park, forms the south-western perimeter. The Delhi Ring Railway stops at Chanakyapuri, while Lok Kalyan Marg metro station and Jor Bagh metro station are the nearest stations of Delhi Metro . Karan Singh Independent (1984) Karan Singh (born 9 March 1931)
330-516: The building to the Ministry of External Affairs to house its offices. The hotel was shut down in April 1986, and the building was turned into a government office building and renamed Akbar Bhawan. The Foreign Service Institute under the Ministry of External Affairs used to function from the building. The Government of India planned to redevelop the building into a five-star hotel with private partnership in
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#1732876024512360-644: The chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for three terms up until 2018. In 2008, he awarded an honorary doctorate to the then prime minister Manmohan Singh , and in 2016, he was asked by university administration to award an honorary doctorate to prime minister Narendra Modi , that the prime minister declined. [REDACTED] India : "In 1974, I led the Indian delegation to the World Population Conference in Bucharest, where my statement that 'development
390-502: The common rooms from the accommodation and amenities such as its restaurant, a garden and a theatre were on the roof and the building's floor plan closely resembles the Unité d'habitation in Marseille. The interior design for the building was done by Laila Tyabji and Dale Keller . The Akbar's interior design and decor were noted for their blend of western and Indian elements. The hotel's logo
420-407: The creation of a column free lobby , a feature that came to be adopted widely in hotel design . The use of pure geometric forms in the building has been attributed to the influence of rationalist architecture whereas the exposed nature of the building material is thought to have been due to financial austerity rather than the brutalist aesthetics. Comprising 13 storeys , a service floor separates
450-501: The fall of Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai. And Charan Singh himself resigned without facing Parliament even for a day as he was not sure of having a confidence motion passed in his favour. Karan Singh contested the 1980 Lok Sabha election on a Congress(U) ticket and won. In 1989–1990, he served as Indian Ambassador to the US, and this experience became the subject of a book he wrote, "Brief Sojourn". From 1967 to 1984, Karan Singh
480-584: The first governor of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1965 to 1967. On 8 August 1953 as the President ( Sadr-i-Riyasat ) of Jammu and Kashmir, Karan Singh backed a coup d'etat against the elected Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah , allegedly for harboring independent ambitions for Kashmir, which led to the imprisonment of Abdullah for eleven years following the Kashmir Conspiracy Case . In 1967, he resigned as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir , and became
510-732: The resignation was not accepted. The same year, he became the Minister for Health and Family planning, serving in this post until 1977. Following the Emergency, Karan Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha from Udhampur in 1977 on a Congress ticket [the party had not split into Congress(I) and Congress(U) factions till then], and became Minister of Education and Culture in 1979 in Charan Singh's cabinet, representing Congress(U), which had split from Indira's Congress. Notably, Charan Singh became Prime Minister after
540-449: The run up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games , but it was never implemented. The South Asian University has been housed in the building since 2010 pending relocation to its permanent campus at Maidan Garhi, Delhi . The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs was located in the building before its merger with the Ministry of External Affairs. Following the death of the former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj , demands were made to rename
570-562: The use of concrete and glass causes high indoor temperatures during power outages . The Akbar Hotel was built as part of the Fourth Five Year Plan . The building is owned by the New Delhi Municipal Council . Construction of the building began in 1966 and was completed by 1969–70. It was inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh , the then Union Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation on 27 January 1972. Leased and operated by
600-516: The youngest-ever member of the Union Cabinet, holding the portfolios of Tourism and Civil Aviation between 1967 and 1973. Two years later, he voluntarily surrendered his privy purse, which he had been entitled to since the death of his father in 1961. He placed the entire sum into a charitable trust named after his parents. In the 26th amendment to the Constitution of India promulgated in 1971,
630-524: Was a hotel of the India Tourism Development Corporation before its conversion into an office complex in 1986. The Akbar Hotel was noted for its use of innovative decor that blended contemporary designs with traditional Indian art and handicrafts. The building is located on Satya Marg in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri , New Delhi. Akbar Bhawan was designed by architect Shiv Nath Prasad and built by Mahendra Raj. It mirrors
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#1732876024512660-656: Was a member of India's Upper House of Parliament, the Rajya Sabha , representing the national capital territory of Delhi . He is a senior member of the Indian National Congress party who served successively as President ( Sadr-i-Riyasat ) and Governor of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir . He was a life trustee and president of India International Centre . He was elected chancellor of Banaras Hindu University for three terms until 2018 when he
690-503: Was a member of the Lok Sabha. In 1984, he contested the Lok Sabha polls as an independent candidate from Jammu but lost the election. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 30 November 1996 to 12 August 1999, representing National Conference , a Muslim dominated party active in Jammu and Kashmir . Later, he was a Rajya Sabha member from 28 January 2000 to 27 January 2018 representing INC . He
720-524: Was a son of Mohan Shumsher. The match, arranged by their families in the usual Indian way, lasted all their lives. The couple had three children: In 1949, at age of eighteen, Singh was appointed as the Prince Regent of Jammu and Kashmir state after his father stepped down as the ruler, following the state's accession to India. From that point, he served successively as regent, the Sadr-i-Riyasat , and
750-573: Was added in 1969, built in the Brutalist architecture style. The cinema was later torn down and the plot redeveloped into a shopping mall with a new cinema in 2017. Major roads in Chanakyapuri include Shanti Path , Nyaya Marg, Niti Marg, Chandragupta Marg and Panchsheel Marg. In addition to these, the Ring Road traverses the southern expanse of the neighbourhood and intersects National Highway 8 on
780-528: Was developed in 1969 for the families of the diplomatic personnel. In time, two markets, two colleges and schools run by diplomatic missions (including The British School and the American Embassy School ) were established in the neighbourhood. The Akbar Hotel was constructed 1965-69 for the India Tourism Development Corporation by Shiv Nath Prasad . Around it Yashwant Place was constructed for shopping and eating. A movie theatre Chanakya Cinema
810-419: Was educated at Doon School , Dehradun , a boarding school, which represented a departure from the usual practise of princes being educated by tutors at home. The school was very elite, but it nevertheless meant that Karan Singh shared the classroom (though not the hostel) with boys from non-royal backgrounds, and received a standard education. Unusually for the scion of an Indian royal family, he then enrolled in
840-665: Was succeeded by Giridhar Malaviya . He has been a prospective presidential candidate over the years. Yuvraj Karan Singh was born at the Martinez Hotel , Cannes , France , into the Dogra dynasty . He was the only son of Sir Hari Singh , Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir . His mother, Maharani Tara Devi , who was the fourth wife of his father, was the daughter of a landowning Katoch Rajput family and came from (Vijaypur near Bilaspur ) in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh . Singh
870-404: Was taken from the design in a lattice screen at Sikandra, Agra . The windows in the lobby were decorated with wooden beads from Channapatna , Karnataka and its walls featured swords and scimitars from Rajasthan . The interior decoration also featured kalamkari prints in its conference room, Birbal , and used Rajput , Mughal and Kangra miniature paintings and Tibetan thangkas in
900-490: Was the first major extension of New Delhi beyond Lutyens' Delhi . The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) developed a large area of land to create this diplomatic enclave in the 1950s. Subsequently, this land was allotted to embassies, chanceries, high commissions and ambassador residences. The enclave is built around a wide central vista, known as Shanti Path (Peace Road), with wide green areas. A large landscaped park spread over an area of 80 acres, known as Nehru Park ,
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