THE AMAZING ANGEL WITH THE HEART OF GOLD: Architect-Designer Mr. PREM NATH

Angels are visibly invisible !

I truly feel blessed that Sai Baba made me to meet this amazing angel with the heart of the gold when I was the Editor of CW INTERIORS magazine in Bombay in 2008. His great humility and his commitment to his profession speak all for one of India's famous senior architects-designers Mr. Prem Nath. I still remember as if it was yesterday... I mailed him for an interview and the next day, Mr. Prem Nath very promptly and kindly called me over phone and gave me an appointment. Rarely any man who is as busy and as senior as he is, will even bother to call on a journalist first thing in the morning... I am saying this because I have experienced enough during my stint as a journalist. As destined we met and his work is as amazing as his struggle in life. He was kind enough to share with me how life has taken him from the streets of poverty as a child to the world of fame and success. All because he never gave up and worked hard, and is working hard even now. 

I wonder at times, how destiny shapes us all. I wish to share Mr. Prem Nath's early struggle as a child because this is certainly one of the most amazing inspirational ones... let us all go back in time when India and Pakistan was divided in 1947 for the selfish gains of the politicians as millions innocent were massacred for no fault of theirs... he lost his father and his widowed mother with her two tiny sons had to flee Pakistan to land in Delhi. With nothing in possession, life was hard... "my mother used to work in a construction site as a labour and we used to work at a small tea stall," revealed the architect! I still remember, when he said this... I had to hold my tears in my eyes. From the early life of being a child labour, the struggle of the family saw each one working hard to excel in life. All the while, the two little sons used to attend evening school and kept studying hard. "My mother did a lot for us and she taught us to work hard... we owe everything to her," reminisces Mr. Prem Nath.

When the brothers grew up a little, God gifted them with the hands of an artist... so they used to paint street walls, posters to earn a living while never giving up their studies.  Their love for art, calligraphy saw them grow gradually to a better living. Life, still was tough because all of them had to work to pursue education. Young Prem Nath was a bright student and one among the toppers at his college days in Delhi... He recalls, “I was living 30 kms away from College and many a times, didn’t had money to travel in bus. I used to cycle to and fro. It was tiresome because after college I used to work near my house in an engineer’s office as a blue print artist... and it was for the very first time the engineer told me about architecture since I had a good hand. I never knew such a thing existed. Even though I was scoring top marks in college, I thought the B Sc degree won’t take me anywhere professionally. So I opted for Architecture course. Studies and work were going simultaneously.”

One thing led to another. His work was speaking for him as he was a shy person then. He was to join the famous American architect Joseph Allen Stein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Allen_Stein)  as his personal architect assistant in Delhi but destiny had something else in store for this young man. Architecture Course brought young Prem Nath to Bombay from Delhi. He preferred to move to Bombay and even before finishing his architecture course, he became a Senior Architect in one of the leading architectural firms in Bombay, where he started first working as a junior architect. After completing his course, he was to leave for Delhi but destiny once again held him back. Two major projects were offered to him on his own to design and handle everything... he started to work from his home and the strong belief and support of his first two clients never let the young Prem Nath to leave Bombay... needless to say, his amazing work spread its wings to soar higher and higher!

Today, Mr. Prem Nath is a well-known architect-designer in India and his amazing skill has designed many projects all over India and even abroad. The man who rose from the streets of Delhi today designs the best of the best buildings and interiors... his humbleness however remains on the grounds even today after all the fame and success he has achieved with his hard work. “I have seen ‘poverty’ from my early life... how my mother struggled as a construction labour... the least I can do to is to support people or organization who are helping the needy and the  poor. I am happy that you left everything to help the poor and I am proud of you,” he tells me with a smile and gave me his blessings.

Mr. Prem Nath happens to be one of the 10 Beautiful Angels of the First year (June 2010 to May 2011) and he told me then that whenever I need anything, I should approach him without hesitation. With his great contribution once again, the man with the heart of the gold has strengthen the movement. I am truly grateful to you Sir for everything... Sai Baba bless you and your family always and forever!!!