Industrial design is a young discipline. It has been four years since the last publication of the Industrial Design Centre—"A Decade of Design Experience"—came out. These four years of silence were also the years of extraordinary activity and growth in IDC. The UNDP assistance programme to IDC began in early 1979 and has just ended. IDC is much better off now that they have contact with prominent people like designers and visitors from all over the world, with new ideas and insights gained from stays abroad, and with equipment for our various laboratories and studios. The scope of the new work is broadening constantly. Being a design school and just teaching product design—now it's involved in research and design also. IDC's involvement in areas like visual communication and product ergonomics is growing. Now it is more active in more areas. Researchers in perception, Applied Ergonomics, Audio-Visual communication, Devanagari Typography, Design Methodology, Design Traditions, and Design History are all involved in IDC. Even in areas like "Basic Design," where Ulm and Basle were supposed to have said the final word in design pedagogy. And they are trying to develop a new approach more appropriate to their needs. Because the cold greyness of the Ulm approach just does not fit into the warm colours of this country. "Abhikalpa" tries to report what has been happening in IDC-in design, teaching, and research. We hope to go deeper into issues than the usual picture book design magazines. Though this issue contains articles from contributors from IDc only, Abhikalpa welcomes contributions from everywhere. It is intended to be a forum for raising issues, discussing ideas, and reporting results.