India Independence / Eames

Today, August 15th, is the 66th anniversary of the end of British rule over India. Ten years later, in 1957, the Indian government asked the Ford Foundation to invite Charles and Ray Eames to India. For three months Charles and Ray traveled the country and met with artists, writers, craftspeople, architects and people from industry. What came of this, was The India Report. One of the key recommendations was to establish the National Institute of Design (NID). With help from the Ford foundation, the institute opened in 1961. The Eames would have a lifelong relationship with the institution.
Source: NID 

Eames photo taken on their 1958 trip to India.
Source: Library of Congress

Eames Office at NID, 1964
Source: Design for India 
(A great blog with a detailed account of the Eames's relationship with the NID)


Charles back in India, 1978


Charles in India, 1978.  He died later that year.

Ray at the Eames Award Ceremony in 1988 at NID. The area is now called the Eames Plaza.
Ray died later that year --10 years to the day after Charles. 

Eames Plaza
Source: India///Diary

Read more here.