Earth Crusader (2016)

Tucked away in the foothills of Dharamsala lived a very special woman, by the name of DIDI CONTRACTOR.

She lived life on her own terms, mostly against the tide. Born in Germany and raised in the USA, she adopted India as her home where she lived for over 60 years.

For 35 years she tirelessly worked and experimented with sustainability in building homes driven by a strong Gandhian ideology. A student at heart, she drew from traditional aesthetics and vernacular traditions and designed buildings using mud and other natural materials.

This self styled architect’s crusade is no ordinary sermon, but a practical demonstration of what one person can do to effect change in society.

With an urgent demeanour, without mincing words, Didi articulates her message to students across disciplines. She believes that the future rests in the hands of the youth and they are the ones who need to take her crusade forward.

Didi left the human form in early 2021.