Author Shivdatt Sharma launches a book titled ‘Pierre Jeanneret and Chandigarh’

Harleen Kaur

The City Beautiful is the product of two masterminds Swiss-French architects — Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. During Shivdatt Sharma’s book launch event on Thursday at the Chandigarh Press Club, the author remembered the latter. His book titled Pierre Jeanneret and Chandigarh, published by Niyogi Books, highlighted not only his architectural brilliance but also his humility. It also explores the relationship of Shivdatt Sharma with Jeanneret.

For the unversed, Jeanneret had designed houses for government employees and buildings for health as well as educational services, including the Panjab University, Chandigarh.

Sharma shared, “It took almost three years to complete this book. I had a very close relationship with Pierre Jeanneret. It was that of a guru-shishya. I was motivated to write about my mentor, teacher and guide, who was a rare combination of a great architect and an equally great human being. He had the unique art of infusing life into the smallest of objects with timelessness.”

Shivdatt Sharma had assisted Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret on different projects in Chandigarh during a decade-long association.