India’s Green Visionary

Dr Prem C Jain, Chairman, Indian Green Building Council gives credit of his achievements to his mother who encouraged him to be an engineer. Talking to Shubhra Saini, he goes down the memory lane to recount the green buildings movement in India and the way forward.

Dr Jain is of the belief that sustainable living is in the DNA of every Indian. “Culturally, we have been taught to reuse & recycle but, with rising consumerism, we are forgetting the traditional way of living which promoted resource efficiency and eco-sensitivity.” As a matter of fact, his aesthetically designed home in Delhi, is a representation of his belief and lifestyle. The greenery outside, the beautiful paintings and statues inside, the collector’s edition ‘Bhagwad Gita’, all depict his deep interest in nature, philosophy and arts. And the creativity doesn’t just end here. His wife Renu Jain is a painter, sculptor and a Kathak dancer; she majored in Interior Design from the University of Minnesota (USA) and is a renowned sitar player. Their daughter too pursued design interest albeit in the field of fashion. A well-known fashion designer Payal Jain has been involved in the revival and hence preservation of handicrafts that are on the verge of becoming extinct.

My house is like a temple for me because I built it for my mother who stayed here for ten years with me. I have always felt the place to be blessed. A lot of my new initiatives started here and became success. For instance, first steps towards creating IGBC were conceptualized here. Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) too started from this house.

Read full Interview here:

http://realtyplusmag.com/indias-green-visionary/