How I met my Design? S1

In 2010, while millions of students in India were bound and determined to secure a seat in Tier 1 or 2 engineering colleges by 2012, I chose to sit back & ‘let’s see how it goes’. Although it was a critical phase in my educational journey, the recent release of 3 Idiots (1) encrusted an ‘All is WELL’ conviction within me. Some random research on a chilly evening was enough to quilt me inside the world of textile design and manufacturing — just enough to make me pursue it as a career stream for university education.

While we studied all the mechanics of the industry on black & white papers in classes, a few internships allowed us to see the colourful side of this world.

Fully equipped with the tools of knowledge, we grabbed our first jobs. I was placed in a fast-paced environment of export marketing at one of the largest textile conglomerates in India. I was lucky.

Six months in, I was still in the learning phase — learning not just how to be a smart merchandiser & climb the corporate ladder, but also about the system dynamics in this industry. I was more interested in the latter.

I could browse through the recent industry trends and happenings in the sector. Being both a labour and resource-intensive industry, the news section was covered with ugly patches of the cries of labourers & the plight of the environment. Such mishaps led to lasting impacts on the environment as well as society. This put me into a self-assessment mode. Am I being a part of some unethical system? I am a technical person into a business role, is there something I could do? Is nothing happening in the scientific research world that could prevent or at least reduce the ecological impact? Well, to be honest, a lot of things were happening in the labs. But this required something more than that.

What was it?

With time, I realised that it was not about the products we manufactured. It is more about us who manufacture and consume the products!

That something more meant something for the people and by the people.

How could I not thank the timing when I realized this and discovered about a postgraduate course in Design for Society. I was determined enough to pursue another unfamiliar degree, but this time with more clarity in thought.