Copy Cats

India achieved its Independence in 1948. Since then it has eschewed its Imperial Raj past. In fact so much so, that many fine Victorian buildings have been allowed to fall into decay as 'imperialist relics' across the country.

However it appears that some 'modern' Indian companies have forgotten that they are meant to be ignoring their ignoble past under the British, and even the Muslim Mughals, and follow Hindu classical building styles.

The Infosys Campus Mysore .... Looks Familiar?

The latest of these is the IT company Infosys .... they have a campus in the southern city of Mysore, which is meant to reflect 'the biggest and best in the world' .... a company aspiration.

However what struck me about the campus was that all the buildings would have looked normal in any western university .... they were all built in the Neoclassical Greco-Roman style. Doric columns and all.

Western Neoclassical Buildings ....

 
The latest addition to this is a proposed 'Gothic style' free-standing clock tower (the biggest such in the world .... although no records are kept for this by Guinness Book of Records).

Proposed Infosys Clock Tower ..... Looks Familiar?

..... which is basically a rip off of Big Ben (which isn't actually free-standing at all).

Big Ben Clock Tower ....

It made me laugh that they are apparently aping the West, to prove that they are the best .....