Nearly hundred members of the National Institute of Design (NID) community were present at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) on Saturday. They had gathered to not only launch the Ahmedabad chapter of Association of Designers of India (ADI) but to also discuss and come up with solutions on how to impart design education and thereby give rise to many a Kumar Vyas.
Saturday also witnessed the felicitation programme of NID's founding faculty member and design educator, prof Kumar Vyas, who received the 'Sir Misha Black Medal' for distinguished services to design education on March 8. While the NIDians reconnected with Vyas, remembering the time when they studied under him and learnt the nuances of design, they also explained features of ADI to the students and community at large.
Rashmi Korjan, visiting faculty at NID and member of ADI, explained that, "Our vision is to be a world class network which represents the professional interests of the Indian design community. We intend to create a meaningful interface with a web of design professionals, users, the industry, education institutions and policy makers." "In addition to these aims, ADI is also committed to promoting best practices in the profession of design in India. This is pursued by strengthening and promoting the capabilities of the Indian design profession, as well as amplifying and presenting a unified voice to influence public policy," Korjan explained.
Talking about the importance of design education in India, especially with NID expanding into various other cities as well, ex-NID director, Ashoke Chatterjee said, "There has to be a three way approach to design education in India. First is the pedagogical aspect, then the teaching and most importantly, the teacher-training programme. Design education in India will vanish if we do not have design preachers like Kumar Vyas. However, the question remains about what is India doing in terms of investment in design education. We have to build teachers for the same without which future Kumar Vyas cannot be born".
Similar views were shared by NID alumnus and professor, Khalid Ameer Rafique who said, "Design education is not a one-day affair. We need great teachers in today's time to spread design education. There are no textbooks or methodology for design education. We need to have textbooks for designers to document. It is high time we do that. If ADI works in this direction, many things will change and design education will get its due importance."
National designers' body to have local chapter in city
Ahmedabad: Design students and professional designers in the city can now look forward to derive the benefits of having its own association as alumni of the National Institute of Design (NID) will set up an Ahmedabad chapter of Association of Designers of India (ADI).
While ADI has been established as a society in the month of January 2011 asthefirst nodal body for professional designers, various chapters of the association are rigorously undergoing the processes of formation.
Highlighting the need of such an association, alumnus and visiting faculty at NID Rashmi Korjan said, "We need to have a voice and having an association willfulfillthis need.The association also aims to spread the awareness of design amongst the people by organizing workshops and seminars on design."
Initially the Ahmedabad chapter of ADI will take designers of other cities in the state as well amongst its members. Korjan said, "Designers in other cities such as Baroda and Surat and so on can become members until local chapters of ADI are formed there as well."
While Designers in the city have alsobegun the groundwork of setting up an Ahmedabad chapter of ADI the subject will also be discussed at an event on April 30 which will be attended by a large number of NID alumni including senior alumni like Subrata Bhowmick, Dinesh Korjan, MP Ranjan and founding faculty of NID Kumar Vyas as many others.
Film maker and designer in thecity Pravin Mishra said, "At a time when the country is beginning to realizetheimportanceof design and policies are beginning to take shape, the existence of such an association becomes important. ADI can play its part in laying the road map for design development of the country."
Vyas to be felicitated
NID alumni will felicitate founding faculty of NID Kumar Vyas who was recently awarded Sir Misha Black Medal 2011 for excellence in design education. The event will be held on April 30 at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). The event is a part of NID alumni initiative called 'Reconnect Ahmedabad' which is held annually as an alumni get together.