By
Savitha Hira
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‘Design’ is progressively the watchword for India. Where
have we, as a growing-design-awareness-nation reached? How close are we to our
global counterparts? Or is the road ahead still full of stumbling blocks?
Industrialist, Design Connoisseur and perpetrator of
the upcoming India Design Forum, Rajshree
Pathy, says, “Design is still a
very misunderstood word in India. Design education is still inadequate with a
mere 2-digit number for a country as large as India, as compared to China’s 400
plus design schools.” The India Design Forum that proposes to become a catalyst to promote innovative design thinking and
create a high level of consciousness for the power of design by bringing
together global and Indian think tanks on Design, opens to an intense two-day
dialogue in Mumbai this weekend. Rajshree calls it “the foremost
platform in India for design solution” – an information dissemination and
exchange scenario that purports to explore and engage design thinkers and
those-who-matter in forging ahead a
‘Created in India for the World’ as opposed to a ‘Made in India’ label.
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| Rajshree Pathy |
Design Education is another
aspect under the scanner as is being currently discussed at length in a dedicated
conference - an initiative by the India Design Council, happening in Pune over
the next two days.
Debates, dialogues, dissemination and diligence
continue to engage design consciousness, seeking, probing and attempting to
deliver in a bid for India to shine the brightest. There is no doubt that
creativity is at its peak – at every turn; and design is being questioned for
its rootedness, identity and relevance. There
are pockets of development around the country – excellent ones at that; some
recognized, eulogized; others quietly operating within the
social-responsibility sphere.
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| Dror Benshetrit |
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| Renny Ramakers |
In the current awareness-rich scenario, Indian
designers are marking strong footprints on the global design scene; the Design
Policy for India is pursuing directional diktats; Design Intervention via the Design
Clinic Scheme for MSMEs, which proposes
to benefit industry clusters to create a dynamic platform to provide
expert solutions to real time design problems, and in that add value to
existing products; and the India Design Mark, which is a design standard, a
symbol signifying design quality, after evaluating good design through a
systemized process are inclusive initiatives that are propelling India as a
design-recognized nation.
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So where do we as a
“heritage, craftsmanship, design-rich” nation stand? On the one hand, we have the common man, who
refers to ‘design’ very frequently in his everyday jargon to differentiate one product from another;
on the other we have industry experts and intense design dialogue. These
dialogues are not just for the industry; it all boils down to acceptance and
propagation by the layman – the user, the feedback-thrower, who is ultimately
going to decide the fate of design - good or bad. How open is
this layman to paying for astute designs as he is open to recognizing and
owning an established brand?
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Food for thought: World over, design is being
recognized and granted its due intellectual rights. Home-grown markets are
spearheading international growth. India has perhaps the largest home market it
can cater to, and some. Serious design considerations as the agenda-topper can
make significant inroads to a multitude of issues.
We throw open this debate…
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