Pune: Tanay Narendra Bothara (23), a graduate in architecture from VIT’s Padmabhushan Dr Vasantdada Patil College of Architecture, won the Asia Young Designer of the Year 2019 recently at the 11th edition of  Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA) International Summit, organised by Nippon Paint.
 
He won the Gold medal in the Architecture category for his concept titled ‘Children Uprooted’, where he explored the ways of transforming war-ridden spaces in Syria for the sake of their children. 

Talking about his thesis, he said, “During my 4th year final submissions, I saw a video of Syrian kids narrating their pain and how the war has uprooted their childhood. I was disturbed by the video. It stayed with me for many days and triggered a few questions in my mind, ‘Can art and architectural approach in a war zone bring a minute of a smile for a kid? Can we as architects help these kids find their lost childhood?’ And many such questions came to my mind, which was the start for my thesis journey with the aim to bring a smile through architecture.”

“I believe that art and architecture is a tool which can revolutionise society. In my thesis, I have focused on  transforming the war-ridden spaces in Syria, and to provide an environment as conducive as possible for their long-term well-being, and a hope to let these children know that they have the power to rebuild Syria,” added Tanay. 

Moved due to the crises faced by children of Syria, he donated the entire prize money of Rs 50,000 which he won in the Indian finals, long before he even knew he would make it to the international finals. Tanay had beat over 8,400 applicants from 15 countries across Asia to win this coveted title.
 
As a part of the award, Tanay has also won a six-week design discovery programme at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He said, “I am extremely delighted with this opportunity to learn under top professionals and learn the design process and understand the essence of it.”

Extremely elated with the fact that he is the first Indian to win the Gold in the 11 years of the contest, he thanked his college and mentors for this achievement. He said, “My parents and family are thrilled with my achievement as this moment is like a dream come true for me but it is also a big responsibility to prove myself.”