Where Architecture Meets Anecdote: Humor, Heartbreak, and the Mat-Haroo Spirit

WIT.NESS, Mat-Haroo Spirit, the new book by Gurjit Singh Matharoo and Vagish Naganur, is a playful, piercing, and very human take on life in design. Skipping technicalities and architectural jargon, the book dives headfirst into the unpredictable world of practice, client capers, underworld encounters, creative mishaps, late-night epiphanies, and the absurd dramas that shape a career.

Written with humour and humility, this part memoir, part tall tale reveals the side of architecture that rarely makes it to journals or glossy monographs: the messy, funny, frustrating, but ultimately uplifting stories behind the work.

To mark its launch, Matharoo Associates, in collaboration with Artius, hosted an evening that promised as much conversation as celebration. Held at the Jacaranda Hall at India Habitat Centre on 19 September, the event featured a lively panel moderated by architect Manish Gulati (M:OFA Studios), joined by the irrepressible Vaibhav Dimri and Sunil Mehra, two voices that couldn’t quite be “moderated.” The discussion unfolded as a heady mix of anecdotes, provocations, and laughter, echoing the book’s irreverent yet insightful spirit.

For Artius, India’s pioneer in mass timber innovation, the event was an extension of their beliefs, foraying into a world of ideas, conversations, and cultural shifts that are shaping the built environment. By curating platforms like these, Artius places itself at the intersection of design and dialogue, creating space for architects, writers, and thinkers to share stories that challenge conventions and spark imagination.

“This book is so much more than architecture; it captures life’s challenges, perseverance, and the creative grit needed to bring dreams to life, values that mirror our own journey at Artius,” said Bhawna and Vivekabhilash Sharma, Founders, Artius.

The evening culminated in dinner and drinks because no good story ends without company and cheer.