Bombay Diaries PDUG13
01
The pits of planning from Paldi to Parel Uttisht Varanasi
A sudden trip to Mumbai was proposed one lazy Sunday morning, and was implemented that very night. Poor planning led to us to reschedule a lot of pending work, run around booking tickets, making calls, and try and fit in everything we had originally planned for our trip to Pune and Mumbai two weeks later. After a long journey, logistical problems with our stay and food, and other inevitable problems that come along with travelling in large groups, we reached the highly promoted Make in India fair in the Bandra Kurla Complex. The first impression; it was pretty impressive to see the amount of work put into the entire Make in India campaign. It seemed like most of the country is putting an effort to make the dream a reality. However, after a couple of hours roaming around, we realised that this was not aimed at us, third year students of product design. It was aimed at businesses that wanted to be part of the Make in India movement, and at showing businesses around the world what India is capable of. Very ‘B2B’. The other target group was for the general public, who are not exposed to design or manufacturing at all. It was interesting to see the number of areas where design intervention could be used and implemented, but the tour should have ideally been only for a day. The second day was similarly wasted. The day was spent walking around Make in India, which could
have been better utilised in visiting firms, studios, or even learning about the local culture. However, once again, due to poor planning in advance, we had to compromise and make do.
the importance given to designers in such a large organisation, with so many literally being stuffed into a tiny room, as compared to sales executives given a huge space.
The third day had something interesting in store for us; the India Design Forum. Interesting talks by designers or project heads of some of the most interesting projects around the world. A particularly interesting design insight, was the example of a piece of plastic. If you find it on the street, it has no value. If someone gives it to you, it has some value. If you make it yourself, it is priceless. I wondered why we, as an Institute of National Importance do not have collaborations such as the one between IKEA and NIFT Delhi to produce an entire range for the Indian market. I think both the students as well as the Institute could greatly benefit from such a collaboration.
The fourth day was left to us, due to the lack of time to plan industry visits. Besides a seeing the Gateway of India, and Haji Ali, we visited the National Gallery of Modern Art, which was hosting an exhibition on architecture in India. It was a fantastic exhibition, which really engrossed me throughout the four floors. The beautiful links between the socio-political structures of the country at the time with the architecture is enlightening. The needs and ambitions of the nation, and the architecture are bought out in an extremely well curated exhibition. A similar exhibition on design from pre-independence times to today’s consumer-oriented society as well would be extremely interesting to not only us designers, but to any layman.
We visited the VIP headquarters that evening. Interesting to see the amount of market and material research. However, it was disappointing to see
We braved the Mumbai locals in the rush hour!
It was a great experience to be pushed in and out of the trains, and to jump onto and off a moving train. I hope I never have to take the local in the rush hour ever again.
the same from the first to the last iteration, the change in form and user interface changed the product from looking like a hastily produced unit, to a well thought out product.
We realised that the budget given by our institute was way too little. I wondered why our institute would send us to another city if they aren’t evening willing to fund us for food, especially in a big city in Mumbai. I think that a lot of our trip was spent worrying about our money and budget, rather than moving around and experiencing different things from different parts of the city. The fifth day as well had some interesting visits with the highlight being the Godrej Innovation centre. The large open spaces and importance given to teamwork in design and collaborative work is inspiring. It would be interesting to see them in action.
Staying for an extra day in Mumbai, and roaming the beaches of Versova and Bandra, made me realise the need for not only public spaces to relax or to walk in, but for public spaces where one can eat and have social events.
Alan, an electronics assembly unit, was interesting to see design intervention through MSME. While the functioning of the product remained
The maintenance of such an area is also important, I wonder how design thinking can lead to residents/visitors themselves taking responsibility of these areas. How can I make the users of the area responsible for the beautification of these areas? The entire trip could have used so much more planning. I think we shouldn’t be sent off just because we had a free week. While it is an exciting proposition to go on a trip, it places a large financial and mental load, which, in this case, was not matched by the amount of learning.
02
India through a Dramatic Lens Nikita Arora
03
NH8
Ashish Gari
I slept on Ahmedabad and get up in some Hotel on a highway by the time you realize that the trip is real and you have already enter the India Commercial capital Mumbai. I have been to Mumbai before but this time by the Institute to attend Make In India 2016. Travelling and seeing new things apart from our daily life routine is always a experience gaining and learning process which nobody can offer you until you observe and ask question to yourself. After a overnight journey everyone seems tired and exhausted and eager to reach the destination.The bus drop us at Dadar from where we have go to the hotel booked for us ,navigating through Google map we some how at the right place where we met our Faculty Mr. Naim Sheikh who is also very excited regarding the Making India visit. After reaching to our destined place we all get ready and took our lunch and headed towards Bandra Kurla Complex area, while going through the busy roads of Mumbai we can see the Big bill board Of Making India poster in every big corner of the road which was like another milestone for our curiosity and excitement to see actually inside story hidden behind the big fade crimson MDF board,Make in India. After few minutes of making the pass for the entry into the area we all were boarded for the design council stall where other companies have their respective stalls ,where you can really talk to the companies officials and know the companies product and service in a very transparent way which is almost knowing the
whole process of manufacturing process to marketing strategies and how it finally reaches the consumers.the event has almost 26 separate hall for more then 15 stalls which offers us to see the different sectors including food processing unit,IT and technology,design,defence and aerospace, transportation and automobile,etc.The main focus area of our visiting the the place is to attend more seminars and workshop which were organized by the companies CEO or higher officials which was quite informative by the same time it gives you clear vision of the companies profile and its priority in the market. The main attraction area were Automobile and robotics and defence and aerospace which is like the whole bunch of power dose to any person interested in these field. After looking all the war machines and gunship and models of fighter aeroplanes everyone was keen to know the process story and what are the future coming technology.there we can see the radar system and industries who actually manufacture it .the working process of each device was explained in very good manner and it gave us an idea that how things actually work and what are demands of completion the whole activity of operating the system.we talk to personels and know how we can contribute to this field or are we eligible for doing some project their and seeing our interest they explain their working style and how we can contribute to them in a effective way. It was great learning and meaningful visit to make in india.
04 Chai Gate to Churchgate Aboli Joshi
Our trip to Mumbai began rather abruptly and on Sunday night we found ourselves on a bedazzled bus to a new city. After being jostled around in the bus for fourteen hours, we were deposited grimy and exhausted at our accommodation. Soon after, we found ourselves at the Make in India event in the Bandra Kurla Complex. The importance given to “Design in India” as a concept was clearly visible in the small size of space given to us at the 26th pavilion. Though ours was one of the more glamourous setups, it was aimed at a non-design audience, making it boring for us as design students. The talks from various design professionals ranged from generic to useful. Getting to play with block printing was interesting though. Amit Gulati’s talk on frugal innovation was one of the highlights. Most of the stalls were very B2B oriented and seemed irrelevant. It seemed as though many companies and organisations had decided to put up a stall first and then forced a connection to the concept of Make in India. However, we appreciated the scale of organisation of the event and how seamlessly it was brought together. We spent three days at Make in India, which was fine for the first two days but soon got rather frustrating. The visit to VIP Bags on Wednesday was a breath of fresh air. It was great to meet people who were so passionate about their work. We got insights into how trends are analysed and used in design research. On Thursday, we had a free day, so we visited the National Gallery of Modern Art. The exhibit there was a well-researched-and-presented insight into the architecture field in India. A part of the exhibit with moving wall panels was created using Arduino, which was interesting in light of our prior course. I wish we had more time to spend there, since there was a huge amount of information, beautifully displayed that we didn’t get to chew on.
Afterwards, a few of us went to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Museum, where we got to see a display on the history of CST. We also got a guided tour of the building with emphasis on the various architectural elements involved. It reminded me of NID in the sense that the people who work there on a daily basis are used to the architectural beauty around them, but for outsiders it seems incredible. Godrej Innovation Centre: Our visit to Godrej gave me a look at what it means to be a part of a brand with a lot of heritage and a fixed design methodology. Again, due to poor planning we weren’t allowed to see their design studio, but we got a look at their resources and space. It seemed like an amazing place to work. Alan Industries: The owner of Alan Industries was a knowledgeable man, and he explained physics basics to us very patiently. It was surprising to see assembly of boards happening manually. We tested our patience living as 4 students in a tiny room with a handkerchief-sized bathroom. I’d say we got the full Mumbai hotel room experience. My favourite experience of the week was travelling in Mumbai local trains. Getting into the Ladies’ Compartment during rush hour was the most exhilarating experience I’ve had while travelling. Seeing a system that works so flawlessly in spite of the huge volume of passengers was inspiring. It’s truly a system designed for the Indian context. Overall, I felt lucky to be a part of the NID community, because we got to interact with so many people from the design industry. It was disappointing that we didn’t get to spend proper time anywhere due to poor planning. I hope to return to Mumbai again, this time with a more organised itinerary. It’s a city with a lot to offer.
05
Design and the City Gaurika Singhal
I came back from my exchange to Ahmedabad only to find out the very next day that we had to pack and leave for Bombay. In a very panicked and hurried day, that’s almost a blur, the whole batch managed to get themselves organised and ready for our overnight bus journey to Mumbai. We all squished ourselves into one of the bus compartments and spent most of the night chatting. The next morning we made our way to our faculty for the course, Naim Sheikh. Naim found us a place to stay and made sure we had our food and travel sorted despite the terrible planning for this trip. He took out the time to push us around and make sure we were safe and sound even though he had a very tight schedule and lots to do at the NID stall at Make in India. In the days that followed, we roamed around Bombay and visited many places. The first three days were spent at Make in India week where we attended talks, workshops and conferences by some designers and looked around the 26 pavilions that were set up showcasing the potential of Indian sectors for innovation, design and sustainability in manufacturing. Even though our main objective of the trip was to attend Make in India and learn as much as we could, the representatives of different brands and industries couldn’t answer our questions and weren’t interested in students at all. It was a B2B set up. I did gather a bit by observing and reading though. The section I liked the most was the pavilion for defence and aerospace. I found the products of a company called MKU really fascinating. The armour they create for soldiers is designed beautifully not just to ensure maximum protection and safety but also
accessibility and customisability. One thing that really bothered me about Make in India week was the gross wastage of material. This exhibition was set up to show people from all around the world where india is headed in the future and I think that sustainability should be one of the key factors taken into account while setting up something aimed at such a massive audience. We spent one day exploring the city by ourselves. My day started with Parsi food and ended with Mexican food. We went to the National Gallery of Modern Art which was hosting an exhibit called ‘The state of architecture’ which was beautifully done. It reminded me of system design projects done on campus. I gained a good overview of architectural practices in India over the years. This was followed by a visit to CST museum where I learnt a bit about the history of railway in India and about the building, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus which is now a UNESCO world heritage site. It was my first time roaming around Mumbai and I’d only heard about the human carrying vessels, the people of Bombay call the ‘local’. When I got on my first local train, it was in the middle of rush hour, I stood in front of ladies compartment and got carried in with the swarm of women around me. Once I was in the boggey, I got kneaded and pulled till I made it safely to a seat in the back. It was a very exciting experience and I’m glad I went through it. Mumbai is a beautiful city and despite the terrible planning and organisation, it was a great week to come back to India. It felt nice to meet so many people from the design industry and spend time travelling with my friends.
07
Less Design, More Engineering Aakash Maurya
In the Bombay trip on first three days we visited “Make in India”. Make in India is an initiative to encourage companies of manufacture their products in India. The main objective of this campaign is to make country a manufacturing hub for domestic as well as foreign companies. As well as when I talk to the company HR & Representative, most of them have the intention to shoe what their company is really doing in terms of Manufacturing & Producing products in India as well as those parts which assemble here which is manufactured outside and how these thing contributing in the industrial growth of India. I took a tour each sector but my interest towards the Defense sector of the country. I talked to the HR (Mr. R. Krishnamurthy) of Hindustan aeronautics Ltd. Nasik Division and Mr. Hafiz HR of the Helicopter Division Bangalore of Hindustan aeronautics Ltd. They told us that most of the parts are manufactured outside and assemble in the Nasik Division of Pune India and they also looking for the companies who can help them to manufacture those parts in India only. I also did talk to Mr. Subrotoh Mandal- The Head of Electrical Eng. Dept. He told how they use new technology with the precision level and the durability of the technology and product, the way of servicing and maintenance of planes. He also told us about their latest and upcoming projects... we also had conversation with the Bharat Electronics Ltd. and DRDO. In the Godrej their representatives told us about how the Godrej is different from any other company and how everything designed here is sustainable. They told us about their product, working system as well the upcoming designed product. They show us what variety of product they designed and processes used. They experi-
ence was quite good with them. The experience with the “VIP” is quite obvious because the people whom we met they only tell the process how they do design and production process showing with some prototype. My expectation was to see how those luggage bags manufacture in the industry. With the Medical equipment company Allan, I had a good experience because they show the entire process of making a single product with technicalities and what machines are used, how each small component developed, there testing and then the final product and as well as the demonstration of product work. It’s kind of a journey of development a single product with showing the development of each and every part. In the end I would like to say about this “sudden workshop” that it was good, but can be designed better. And I didn’t get more time explore the famous corner of the city. I like the one of seminar which held in Make in India 2016, The Sadh guru “Jaggi Vasudeva” He started the talk About the design that Design is not creating physical thing it is about designing our destiny. He added to promote Indian culture that India has the culture design in the way to design the god in our way. And also tell the relation between the comic world and the individuals that yoga is the one of the way to know the geometry of body in related to the cosmic world to acess the rest of the point of the world. In the talk he said that that if anyone wants to make the best design machine of the world he should know the “Mechanism of the human body how beautifully its works as if we take example if we put a piece of bread in the human mechanism system, it’s become a part of the body just in few hours and it can experience through ourselves.
06 Life of a designer Rutuja Chavan
The Mumbai trip was a Surprise trip. No one of us had any idea that next morning we will be in Mumbai, travelling in locals and eating vada pav….but that’s life. For the first three days we attained the Make In India. The main highlights of the place were different sectors including automobile, navy, Air force, Manufacturing Industries, Tourism, Design and much more. Small workshops and talks held by Indian Design Forum from various expertise gave people brief idea about what is Design. I was really inspired by Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev , who spoke about Design of Life, who is author, poet, founder of Isha Yoga Center, India. Make In India week was good initiative to promote design thinking and create awareness for the Power of Design. Then we visited VIP Industries, it was good experience to meet new people. There we met the design team of the Caprese brand, having one to one conversation about the trend and the design process followed was really amazing. On the fourth day we visited Mumbai from a tourist point of view but still keeping in mind the designer perspective. We visited National Gallery Of Modern Art, which exhibited the history and evolution of Architecture in India. It had various info graphics and photography display. It provided good understanding about the importance and
evolution of Indian Architecture. Then we visited the Chhatrapati Sivaji Terminus, known as CST. We visited the CST Museum which displayed history and evolution of Indian Railways. Apart from the museum, CST building was breath taking, the Architecture was amazing, showcasing the various styles of architecture in a single building. On the last day we visited Godrej Industries and Alan Industries. Godrej Industry We visited Knowledge Centre it had display of various furniture and work place furniture, as per the trend analysis. The Innovation Centre was another interesting area which gave us a brief idea about the research pattern and overall process analysis. Alan Industry It was a small electrical component manufacturing industry. It was a great insight to know about how such components are made and then assembled manually. And that was the end of our Industrial visit tour. We all experienced Mumbai as a real “Mumbaikar”, travelling in locals and city buses everyday , living in a small room for four days and eating vada pav at any time of the day. It was a really good experience, which one should have in life.
08
Mumbai meri jaan Aparajita Tiwari
It all started on a Sunday morning when I found out about the immediate trip to Mumbai. An ambiguous feeling it was. With the blink of an eye it was evening and I was waiting on the bus stand with fourteen batch mates ready to set out for an expedition (well not really, all I wanted was some sleep). The next morning I was in Mumbai, the so called city of dreams. After all the hustle bustle of the accommodation was settled down, I finally reached make in India fest and trust me when I say that calling it huge would be an understatement. All of us collectively went to hall no. 26 and straight to the NID pavilion. I was thrilled to see the work of the students up there on display and a large no. of people admiring it. On looking around I realized how various companies like PepsiCo, ITC, Nestle were trying to catch the attention of the crowd and market their products to make them feel indigenous to our country. Where as a variety of government initiatives like start up India were not only encouraging the masses to become entrepreneurs but were also providing them complete support and training to establish their own companies to produce goods and services made in India. I personally found it very absorbing how a variety of international companies like IKEA strategized to not only design for but to design with the Indians to set a foot in the country.
Out of a variety of workshops, seminars and talks that i fortunately was a part of, the one by Sadhguru was rather spellbinding. I was amused how in a few words and simple associations he was able to explain the knowledge of aesthetics. Trying my hands on block printing, metal embossing and finding out the stories of these artists was an experience in itself. As a whole what amused me about make in India was how well organized it was and how all individuals as well as the objects present there performed their duties to keep the event going. Make in India was followed by a day of sightseeing around the city. We visited a variety of places like gateway of India, Kala ghoda fest, Haji ali durgha, and tried a wide range of cuisine from Parsi to Asian but other than the experiences that these places had to provide, I found the experience that I had on the way to these places more exhilarating. I rather found it hilarious that to get inside the local train I didn’t even have to move myself, just stood near the door and the crowd carried me in. You might call me opinionated but I feel that pushing others behind to make your own way ahead is in the blood of Mumbaikars. Well they are not to be blamed. In a city with a population this massive, everyday life is not less than a rat race.
Another interesting thing was to see how vendors of fruits, vegetables, hair clips and bindis would get inside the ladies compartment and would save them time to go out and buy these things. It felt like a mini market place within the compartment. How can I dare to not write about the vada pav of Mumbai? Shivaji will curse me if I commit a sin like this . I knew that Mumbai is also famous for its vada pav but little did IW know that it runs in the blood of Mumbaikars. No, I am not exaggerating, instead of roti beggars shout for vada pav “Bhagwan ke naam pe dede baba, vada paav khana hai�. We also visited VIP and Godrej. I was rather shocked to see the size of the VIP office and I was told that this is how offices in Mumbai were. Well none the less the design area was a cute little space where each designer had tried to customize it according to his/her needs. It gave some interesting insights into the working and the structure of the company and the role of design as well as of the designer.
But surprisingly Godrej had a huge office and I was amazed to find out about the variety of products that it manufactures and the kind of services it is engaged in. I simply fell in love with their design space and the cafeteria. The design space was heavily influenced from the NID campus and it gave deeper insights into their working process. I admired how the company gave the designers the freedom to explore and laid emphasis on group work. It was followed by another visit to an electronics manufacturing company but the fact that i don’t even remember its name shows that I found it quite boring. Alright I am going to conclude now by saying that the trip gave me wonderful insights into the minds of a variety of people, gave me an excellent opportunity to not just observe and learn from a variety of companies and events but from the everyday lives of common people. Jai Maharashtra!
09 Astylar Coordinates Atin Bose
The trip began on a rather spontaneous Sunday as I woke up to the news that I would be travelling to Mumbai with 13 other people. As I saw this afore planned day of respite fleeting, the traveller in me was pleased. I was looking forward to breaking monotony of the college life and schedule as I feel that is an essential catalyst for creativity. Cutting straight to the chase and the long bus journey short, Make in India being our primary reason for the visit to Mumbai, was a disappointment in my opinion. While it was extremely heartening to see design being given importance (with India Design Forum having its own conference hall), Make in India failed to embody design. In the era of user-centric design, the expo seemed to have overlook its aspects in all regards, right from the waiting/queuing area of the visitors to the lack of adequate navigational signages inside the venue. The expo also failed to score on the sustainability aspect since there was a blatant wastage of materials and energy in the numerous panels covering the pavilions. The exhibitors at the expo were mostly looking out for corporates looking to fund them rather than catering to queries of curious and interested designers like us. So it just made you question the whole foundation of the expo. Is design still a superficial farce when we, as a nation, are looking to be the makers of the world?
reflected and written about. They say sometimes the sweetest delights arise from the most unexpected occasions. They could not have been more correct. Here are my thoughts and opinions on the exhibition ‘The state of Architecture Practices and Processes in India’:
As India’s cities morph into megacity regions with little capacity for planning or design, the prophets of hyper-urbanisation assure us that ‘smart cities’ will be the answer. They dismiss anxieties about burden that such a model of development will inflict on community, infrastructure and the environment. At a projected growth rate of 2.3, the proportion of India’s population that lives in cities willulated by 850 million people. Will India’s cities have the ability to house these millions, or be home to them? And who will deliver viable housing and infrastructure for the other 60% of Indians who will still be living in villages, or in the peri-urban margins of India’s cities? These are questions applicable not only to architects and urban planners, but to designers as well. These megacities will have a massive requirement for a plethora of systems in place to cater to various needs of its habitants. These needs could be varying from transportation to waste management. It is only in unison will the designers and planners of the present and future be able to address these needs. Thus, it is critical that the model of probMoving on to better parts of this voyage and perhaps to my favourite one, in the midst of the lem-solving is at the heart of the methodology bustling chaos that Mumbai is, we decided to have adopted by them. a look at the ongoing exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art. This was no doubt the only As an exhibition, ‘The state of Architecture Pracpart of the trip that I felt was thought provoking tices and Processes in India’ proposed a critical at some intellectual level and thus worthy to be review of the architectural profession and histor-
icises it with reference to three formative events : independence emergency and liberalisation. The exhibition was further structured on three premises; First part a substantial research based survey of the profession : its centres and schools, the location of practices, the gender imbalance among practitioners, the role of journals, books and other publications in sustaining the professions knowledge infrastructure. It gives you a review of the profession of architecture and its evolution in India. It also breaks down the ethnography and demography of the profession and finds patterns in them to come to conclusions. In many regards, the design profession in India can be related to the field of architecture. It highlights the rate of hiring of designers and architects dominating in the private sector due to the influx of money. It also goes on to mention how due to stringent and premature deadlines followed in these private sectors (especially in regards to architecture), the design process is sacrificed and overlooked to make these ends meet. A very interesting statistic presented in this part of the exhibit is as follows: ‘There are about a quarter the number of architects in India as compared to USA catering to 4 times the population and charging 1/13th the design fee.’ This fact about being underpaid could be directly related to what we were warned against and told about in our previous course Design Management. In the second part, it traces a historic arc through postcolonial India’s heroic modernity, the role of architects in Nehruvian nation building enterprise. It also dwells to the diverse political and cultural positions that emerged between 70s and 90s and the strategies that architects evolved during this
period. This was perhaps the most interesting part of the exhibition for me as it gave the viewer a timeline of all the major happening and events in the field of architecture in India in reference to the general happenings in India at that moment. Visually, there was hierarchy of the information which made it extremely easy for the viewer to grasp it. In conclusion, it presented a selection of projects by younger practices, contextual within disorienting social cultural and economic paradigm shifts of the early 21st century. As a whole, I thought the exhibition was extremely well curated, to the point where a lay person like me, who is not an architecture fanatic, was so engrossed by the topic that he would be willing to spend hours at the exhibition. In the days that followed the exhibition, we visited the Godrej Boyce Headquarters and were shown around their vicinity while dwelling into their range of interio products. While we got a detailed demonstration of their products, some of which were innovative in their own regards, we were unable to actually fathom what the design process adopted by them was, since all of that happened behind closed doors. We also visited Alan Electrical and VIP industries, but I personally did not find anything remarkable to mention or write about, in all due respect. To sum it up, the most important takeaways for me from the trip were the questions raised and thoughts provoked by the exhibition at NGMA about urban planning in the years ahead. It was indeed a breath of fresh air while not straying away too much from the field of design.
10
Vismayam
Shatakshi Shukla
Decision-Surprises-Chaos-Mumbai. February 14th, 2016, a decision made by our faculty came to us as a surprise. Morning, I woke up to an E-mail stating that we PDUG13 batch is supposed to leave for Mumbai, Make in India, in the evening, and the rest of the day was just a chaos until we settled ourselves in the evening bus to Mumbai. Monday, morning 10 am we stood near the Dadar railway station, yes, we made it to Mumbai. We hassled through our navigators and reached our hotel. Co-ordinated by our faculty Md. Naim Shaikh, we battled through the traffic of Mumbai and finally reached Make in India. What I basically knew about Make in India was that it is an initiative of the Government of India to encourage multi-national, as well as domestic, companies to manufacture their products in India. Also, that one of it’s set caught fire that very day. When I stood in the queue for registration, it felt as though I was Alice and this was a wonderland. The scale of the event and how seamlessly it was organised just made the whole experience wonderful. As I went down the rabbit hole, this wonderland brought more surprises than we hoped for. It was kind of an intervention about India and its capabilities in term of manufacturing, design, engineering, research, development, defence and much more. Most of the stalls were B2B oriented, showcasing their services or products in order to attract buyers. The 26th pavilion was dedicated to “Design in India”, had a small setup organised by NID, offered Talks by different designers, sharing their experience and learning in the field of design. They also shared those little design hacks they discovered on their way. The different workshops offered by these entrepreneurs cum designers were a huge attraction. These workshops were DIY based letting us explore different mediums like block printing, metal etching, sketching/ portraying etc.
For 3 days we looked around all the stalls/ pavilions, participating in different workshops, talking to people, discussing their work and management, understanding the correlation between design and manufacturing. Looking at the work showcased by IIT’s made me think about the possibilities and need for design intervention in engineering. The evening was spent exploring the workspace of VIP’s studio. It was a joy to look into their design process and how they analyze and develop trends. Thursday was dedicated to Mumbai darshan. We visited the National Gallery of Modern Art. The exhibit there was a quantified critical review of the architectural profession in India. their research was articulated through infographics, timelines and moving wall panel installations (created using Arduino).Afterwards, we split into two groups and a few of us went to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Museum, where we got a guided tour of the museum(history of CST) as well as the architecture, emphasising on the small elements involved and their significance. Friday morning, we went to the Godrej Innovation Centre. It was interesting to look into their design process, methodology and innovation. It seemed like a prodigious place to work in. The evening we went to the Alan Industries. It is an electronics based industry manufacturing and designing a lot of different electronic equipments including medical gadgets. The owner of Alan Industries was a patient man, as he gave us a tour of his entire industry explaining all the involved physics basics to us. The most enjoyed part of the trip for me would be finding our way through local transport- bus, auto, Metro and most of all Mumbai locals. If you can get through Mumbai locals in rush hour, You can get through anything in life.
11
Unfogged and Smoggy Deergha Joshi
The unexpected, unplanned advent of the instructions got us to board the bus for Mumbai even before reality dawned upon us. It sunk in, eventually as we found ourselves dragging bags across roads of Mumbai with dizzy heads and swaying bodies. The trip saw us all assume various roles in new environment. We were the logicians, commanders, debators, campaigners, mediators, avid learners, adventurers, and philosophers. By the light of the sun, we played the learners, ever so curious to learn from everything we looked at. By the the evening ,the explorers within would trace all possible inches of the Mayanagri. And each day ended with dead exhausted souls. The Enthusiast We were exposed to the multitudes of services in a wide array of fields and so to a blend of opinions and ideas. Three things lingered on and stayed to trigger a thought long after. Firstly,to understand the roots of a product, to understand our own roots. To indoctrinate. To unplug. To start from the very start. And to shed the lethargy of slavery that our minds have been subjected to as a nation since the British raj.
Second was to strike a balance between perception and expression. To live consciously, halt our mindless racing and to be ready to design our lives. Thirdly, a funny but very important concept of “the right to offend” for a progressive designer community. To collaborate is to question and seek clarity than to simply nod. The Explorer The checklist for this side was surely fulfilled and much more jotted last minute. Chasing sunsets Missing them each time 30 minute dive into a sea of comics and graphic novels VarieTEA The Rush Hour Rampage The other convenient route via the Sea Link :P Blending cultures ‘Bhai’ ka ghar Big Fat Burgers The Classy Caffeine Street “window” shopping GoKarting YO! The six days spent away, unfogged multiple perceptions and a smog of a new set of questions also have set in.
12
Sea Link
Vaibhav Singh
Bombay being the place where I grew up, the visit turned out to be a much needed break from the regular studio courses. It was great being at Make in India and experiencing an event of such scale, though majority of the pavilions were more on the commercial side rather than being informative with companies promoting their products and services. We did get to see some new things like the monster mining truck and a musical performance with cranes. Make in India was better than any other event we had been to before and it certainly surpassed our expectations, from student projects of NIDians and IITians to Defense pavilions. I did get to see a lot of new things but for a student I think it lacked in terms of learning. Next was visits to VIP and Godrej, now I had heard people working out of small workplaces and VIP’s design studio was even smaller than I expected. I am sure they don’t lack in terms of the facilities they offer to their designers. The designers working there did get the liberty to personalize the space they work in which was a good thing. Though smaller in size the visit to VIP was much more informative about how designers work in their studio and what is expected out of them once you get into the industry. Whereas Godrej being another big company has a facility as big as a township. It was a task just finding the right gate to enter their facility. Again at Godrej it was more about their guy talking about what they make and how they are better than other furniture pieces
in the market. It would have been much better if we could have seen the process that goes behind making those great pieces of furniture. We were given a tour of their Innovation Centre but personally I liked the visit to VIP more as we got to interact more with the designers and get a lot on insights about the industry. Driving in Bombay during rush hours is always a trouble but we did get a day off to visit different places in Bombay and drive around Bombay when the roads were relatively empty. Three days in a row I ended up driving by the sea overlooking the sunset. I have visited most of the places earlier but one of the things I had to do was visit the CST museum. It was another section of the station that they opened for the people to showcase the history of one of the most famous train stations of Bombay. It was nice getting a guided tour of the station and know about the history of the station and how things were years ago compared to how they are now. We also went to one part of Kala Ghoda festival which I felt was hyped and it didn’t live up to the expectations. For me, visits to the studios were much better in terms of learning and we could have spent less time at Make in India and had more such visits to some other studios. In terms of planning, I think it was very poorly planned and we could have gotten so much more out of this trip if it was better planned.
13
A week in Mumbai Harshika Jain
We were sitting in our hostel rooms on a nice, sunny morning on Sunday – 14 Feb and suddenly, we got to know we are leaving for Mumbai that very night. So, from the very beginning, all of us were geared up for adventure and ready to take whatever comes our way (an unexpected event for Valentine’s day indeed). Finally, we reached Mumbai and to Make in India thereafter. I attended quite a few lectures at Make in India but most of them focused on basics of design, i.e. design lectures for novices. Therefore, I decided to cover each of the 25 pavilions in detail and talk to people. People who have made it big have a different though process than the rest of the population. Their mind works on a different frequency and these are the people who make it happen. I can’t is not a word in their dictionary, they are convinced of their own actions, do not play the blame game, lead an ideal lifestyle with a balance of work and play and looking at them from a distance, they seems like very confident speakers who know how to engage with an audience and have their attention. I admired these traits. Also, it was interesting how corporates work. Just for kicks, I asked the front liners on the counters to give me the contact details of their CEO’s but they always directed me to contact the HR. It was a battle of wits and they seemed to cling on to vital information and not reveal it all. I guess the CEO’s must be spammed by mails from random people everyday thus the reason for front liners acting as secret agents. Pulling off such a massive event as Make in India would not have been an easy task. Although, I do not know how eco friendly the MDF cladding of each of the huge pavilions was, the event surely would have evoked the feeling of pride in the eyes
and minds of our fellow countrymen and brethren. This sort of confidence is needed as India is self sustaining and intelligent enough to progress and better itself. Instead of looking at the west and south east, we, Indians need to look inside. The foreign pavilions displayed how their countries are technically advanced and how high their standard of living is. I realized that we have a lot of manforce and hence we can be as technically advanced but we have an additional challenge of dealing with an ocean of population. The industry visits at VIP Bags, Godrej and Boyce and Alan Technology solutions gave us a first person perspective of how exactly companies work. I also got to know the importance of precision and cross checking. Each product goes through a vast multitude of tests whether strength or component assembly before it is finally released into the market. We as consumers want perfection and want to buy the product which gives the best performance. In short, we strive for the faster, better and more. But behind this is the work and testing done by designers, engineers and the marketing team. The product is not the only part of companies. How a product is marketed and how it is identifiable in the market in front of competition is another thing that I got insights about. Although we felt jobless during the trip, we learnt so many things without really realizing. Now that I look back on it, this trip has taught me a lot, perhaps not skills but life skills. As a first time visitor to Maharashtra and hence Mumbai who got to travel in locals, buses and eat vada pav all in one week, I can only say Shivaji Shapath. I hope I get to visit this city soon and experience the pulse of the city and nightlife. Till that moment comes, Hardik Shubhechha.
14
Unplanned but Eventful Akshay Yadav
The visit to Mumbai was eventful indeed. Planning everything from accommodation,to food, to visits, all on the fly was a new experience. First on the list was the Make in India exhibition. The talks in hall 26 were mostly targeted at the people who were new to design. They weren’t very exciting. But of course, the talk about frugal innovation by Amit Gulati did appeal to all. However in the India design forum conference, there were some fantastic talks by dignitaries of different discipline from the likes of Sadhguru, the spiritual master who talked about designing one’s life and the importance of geometry, and Joris Tubergen, a 3D printer expert, who talked about 3D printing food, installations, stacking a number machines to make a small factory of 3D printing machines. We saw a glimpse of great work happening in the IITs and wonderred if we could collaborate to employ design thinking in their concepts. We got to know how DRDO starts working on different projects, some on the demands of the defence and some which they pitch to the govt./ defence. We came across the latest technology being employed by the defense. We saw stalls of so many companies which we had never heard about, which basically provide services to other companies ,so remain in the background. It was interesting to know from them that they were now feeling the need of their brand presence to be felt at the consumer’s’ end too. Most of these stalls were for B2B purpose and thus have little use of/ for us. The VIP visit was very insightful, as we had a long conversation with the designers of the brand
Caprese, involving questions about their design briefs, research methods, freedom of work etc. I finally got to ask a lady’s bag designer - why do these bags have buckles which are buckles for the show but have a button snap beneath it. I wasn’t satisfied with the answer though. They plainly said it’s just for the show. And we went to Godrej, where we were taken through the whole range of Godrej’s products line. A company that makes stuff ranging from soaps to space equipments! That’s quite something. Such a big campus where products are conceptualised, prototyped, tested and manufactured. We also went through the Godrej Interio’s range of furniture- a good mix of form and function. The level of detail, the CMF of the products, it was a good exposure. The attendant acquainted us through the main features of every set, why they worked or why they didn’t. I think we should have product appreciation courses too, where we go look at the good products in the market that we can’t buy. We went to see Alan electronics assembly line where there were people who assembled electronics both by hands and an automated machine when needed. We all got reminded of the development boards and other electronic components which we used in the tech. studies course, and wondered if they too came to being from the hands like these. Summing up, it was a great week, hectic but eventful, unplanned but insightful. Until next time together as batch.
Contributors Uttisht Varanasi Nikita Arora Ashish Gari Aboli Joshi Gaurika Singhal Aakash Maurya Rutuja Chavan Aparajita Tiwari Atin Bose Shatakshi Shukla Deergha Joshi Vaibhav Singh Harshika Jain Akshay Yadav
Edited and Compiled by Gaurika Singhal