INDIA’S modern and contemporary artists enjoy an international following, and the country’s manufacturing industry is getting recognised abroad. But India’s design industry is scarcely known or recognised, even in India. There are markets for Indian fashion and traditional handicrafts, but little attention is paid to modern design (except for cars and smart home interiors), and there is scant design education.India Design Forum
The two-day India Design Forum in Delhi last weekend was meant to help correct for this. It brought together approaching 700 Indian designers, architects and students with some famous international figures, such as Paola Antonelli, a leading American curator,Karim Rashid, an America-based designer, and Lidewij Edelkoort, a fashion expert from France for a series of lectures and debates.
“Companies live on design but don’t see it as an important function,” says Rajshree Pathy, An Indian entrepreneur and contemporary-art collector. She organised the event with her daughter, Aishwarya Pathy, through her south India-based Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Art. “India is one of the largest consumers of design, be it automobile, textile, industrial or product design, so there’s no end to the need for design professionals. But CEOs see it as elitist or something just for handicrafts.”
Inspired by the Dubai Design Forum four years ago, Ms Pathy went “knocking on doors” for sponsors in India, but was regularly rebuffed. Most saw design as a subject for fashion and luxury goods, with little relevance to their own work. The conference’s list of 40 sponsors includes only two manufacturing and infrastructure companies: Punj Lloyd, a leading engineering group, and Titan, a watch manufacturer in the Tata group. More mainstream Tata companies, such as Tata Motors and Tata Steel, clearly kept their distance, as did Mahindra and Hero from the auto industry, and Godrej and ITC from consumer goods.
“In the West, design plays an integral role in improving the quality of life,” says Atul Punj, chairman of Punj Lloyd. “In India it must have relevance for the masses.” His company chose to support the forum to “help shape design aspirations” in everyday life. He mentions the importance of sustainability in cities, "with contemporary design in public utilities, buildings and infrastructure”. Mr Punj's affirmation of the need for better infrastructure is significant, not only because he represents a big construction firm, but also because of the unauthorised and uncontrolled expansion of most Indian cities, frequently with poor-quality construction.
“Global brands use design companies in places like Paris and New York that often involve Indian craftsmen and designs, so why isn’t India doing it itself?” asks Ms Pathy. The problem, she says, is that there is “no design thinking” in India, in part because the education system is too structured to allow for much creativity. A National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, produces a few dozen design graduates, but that is a tiny pocket of excellence.
“In the West, design plays an integral role in improving the quality of life,” says Atul Punj, chairman of Punj Lloyd. “In India it must have relevance for the masses.” His company chose to support the forum to “help shape design aspirations” in everyday life. He mentions the importance of sustainability in cities, "with contemporary design in public utilities, buildings and infrastructure”. Mr Punj's affirmation of the need for better infrastructure is significant, not only because he represents a big construction firm, but also because of the unauthorised and uncontrolled expansion of most Indian cities, frequently with poor-quality construction.
“Global brands use design companies in places like Paris and New York that often involve Indian craftsmen and designs, so why isn’t India doing it itself?” asks Ms Pathy. The problem, she says, is that there is “no design thinking” in India, in part because the education system is too structured to allow for much creativity. A National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, produces a few dozen design graduates, but that is a tiny pocket of excellence.
Yet India has the brains and the massive human potential to bridge these gaps, as Mike Knowles, a British furniture designer and dean of the Delhi-based Sushant School of Design, has discovered. "One major advantage India has over other nations is the dynamic qualities of students who quickly grasp the fundamentals of great design," he says.
"If India does not establish some brands soon, it will be too late since all the imports will just take over the country,” says Karim Rashid. “It was a shame that the hotel I stayed at in New Delhi had Italian lighting, Italian furniture, German sinks, German faucets, French products,” he adds.
Auspiciously, the forum’s 700 delegates were noticeably younger than those who gather at most Delhi conferences, and included 100 students. India is now emerging into a new consumer society where the drab products, poor quality and inefficiencies of its pre-1991 controlled economy are becoming less acceptable. Ms Pathy plans to host a second forum at the same time next year.
Some point to a parallel with the dawn of design in Britain. By the end of the 1950s, Brits enjoyed a prosperity that allowed them to grow out of the bleak environments wrought by the second world war. A nascent appreciation for design finally blossomed in the early 1980s, when the field became an accepted profession. India still has a way to go, says Mr Knowles, given the lack of design education in the country. “Most young people with design skills would rather call themselves artists because that’s where the money and glory is”.
"If India does not establish some brands soon, it will be too late since all the imports will just take over the country,” says Karim Rashid. “It was a shame that the hotel I stayed at in New Delhi had Italian lighting, Italian furniture, German sinks, German faucets, French products,” he adds.
Auspiciously, the forum’s 700 delegates were noticeably younger than those who gather at most Delhi conferences, and included 100 students. India is now emerging into a new consumer society where the drab products, poor quality and inefficiencies of its pre-1991 controlled economy are becoming less acceptable. Ms Pathy plans to host a second forum at the same time next year.
Some point to a parallel with the dawn of design in Britain. By the end of the 1950s, Brits enjoyed a prosperity that allowed them to grow out of the bleak environments wrought by the second world war. A nascent appreciation for design finally blossomed in the early 1980s, when the field became an accepted profession. India still has a way to go, says Mr Knowles, given the lack of design education in the country. “Most young people with design skills would rather call themselves artists because that’s where the money and glory is”.
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