During World War II, Baker served on a British warship that got marooned in Mumbai, India while returning from China. He had studied architecture in London, and so during the crew?EUR??,,????'???s three months stay he examined the local architecture and met a man who changed his life?EUR??,,????'??+Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi was amused the young Brit had fabricated shoes from discarded materials and suggested he use his ingenuity and architectural training to help build homes for India?EUR??,,????'???s poor.

Baker returned to India after the war to work with the Leprosy Mission, then dedicated his life to Gandhi?EUR??,,????'???s vision of creating low-cost housing. He took upon himself the duties of architect and contractor, procuring local raw materials and training masons in his concepts. He soon garnered the title ?EUR??,,????'??Architect of the Poor.?EUR??,,????'??

His houses, mostly in shades of red, are further identified by frameless windows and doors, brick walls without cement plastering and windows made from brick.

He was a strong believer in making buildings part of the environment, a smooth extension of the land and in many cases merged the existing trees into the construction. For instance, he would build a courtyard around a tree rather than cut it.

Baker was given Indian citizenship in 1989.