Sourabh Phadke, an architect and teacher born in Pune, Maharashtra, is one of the few Indians invited to King Charles III’s coronation. The event is set to take place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, May 6.
A trained architect, the 38-year-old joined The Prince’s Foundation’s Traditional Building Skills programme and specialised as a stonemason. He was chosen to be on the royal guest list for his association with the foundation and his outstanding artistry.
“It's still sinking in, and I don’t know what to expect, considering I’ve never been to a Coronation before. It’s with that spirit in mind that I’m approaching it,” Sourabh Phadke said in an interview with PTI.
Established in 1986 by King Charles III, The Prince’s Foundation is an educational charity to promote design and architecture.
The Foundations Traditional Building Skill programme, which was based at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, where The Prince’s Foundation is headquartered in Scotland, was where his work stood out. He also contributed to building a new education pavilion on the estate with his peers.
Subsequently, he also continued here as a schoolteacher, teaching science and social studies to children.
Gordon Neil, Executive Director of the Prince’s Foundation at Dumfries House, said in a statement, “We are so proud of Sourabh’s achievements, before he arrived to study with us at Dumfries House, all the way through our traditional craft skills programme, and while at the Prince’s Foundation’s School of Traditional Arts. His selflessness and dedication to study are being greatly rewarded by being a guest of ours at this weekend’s Coronation, which is sure to be a special day for our charity founder, His Majesty the King, as well as Sourabh and his fellow guests.”
In India, Phadke has worked with several communities nationwide to design and construct buildings with the use of locally-sourced materials. His work focuses on earth and allied traditional materials for building crafts and also toward sustainable sanitation using appropriate technologies and design.
“Crafts and skills are opportunities to reflect. I might be building a toilet in India or working with a student on a project in the UK, but it’s still the same. We need to be able to respect everything in the same way – it can offer us the same joy and the same love," Phadke added.
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