Redesign of the immunisation card by Prof. Mandar Rane. The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), run by the Government of India, makes essential immunisation available for free to children between the ages of 0 to 5 years. The mother and child protection card that contains demographic and health information as well as the immunisation status of a child is an important part of UIP. For every child immunised under this program, there exists a home-based physical record as well as a clinic-side copy of the same. The language, content, and design of the immunisation card vary from state to state. Analysis of immunisation cards from three states—Bihar, Gujarat, and Maharashtra as well as contextual inquiries conducted at a primary healthcare centre in Mumbai revealed several issues faced by three types of stakeholders in the immunisation process: healthcare service providers, parents, and caregivers of the child. Surveyors and policy-makers also rely on information from such cards for gathering data about the population. The redesigned card addresses problems of comprehension, the needs of various stakeholders while entering and retrieving data, and practical issues such as the durability of the immunisation card.

The Photographer and The Reality of Imagination projects were done by Prof. Mazhar Kamran. With the mystic poems of Rumi working as dialogues that the characters speak, "The Photographer" is a film that explores the realm of imagination and what it means to a person who, in order to create, lives much of the time on the boundary between the real and the imagined. The story is about a photographer who shoots a model one day, and it turns out she is visible only to him. He had walked into another time. "The Photographer" had its premiere on the Foundation Day of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. It was shown internationally at the Cannes Film Festival, Short Film Corner. The second project of Prof. Mazhar Kamran was the success story of Navy Mumbai Film on the Sanitation Project. Clean water and sanitation is a sustainable development goal of UN. To communicate the difference that modern sanitation methods can make to a city’s water and sanitation needs, the film presents the "success story" of Navi Mumbai in this context. Taking a cinematic approach, the film communicates without commentary or interviews, relying purely on visuals and sounds, with minimal text. The film was commissioned by the Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo. It will be used for advocacy and leadership-building programmes of ADBI. Another project of Prof. Mazhar Kamran was Traditional Indian Art and Animation in India Exploring the roots of an Indian style On the one hand, we have a rich heritage of traditional Indian art forms that are rooted in the different regions. They embody the culture of the people. The colours, the shapes and forms are distinct, and they tell equally rich stories of the people. On the other hand, we have a contemporary medium, Animation, born in modern times, it has roots in an industrial environment which is increasingly technology-driven. Between these two is a gulf, a rich space full of creative possibilities. What the research seeks to do is study this space systematically and formulate key concepts and ideas in this space. It seeks to articulate and codify all that is involved in the transformation of an art form from one tradition, one origin, into another, more contemporary form. The study will also reflect upon the issues—social, ethical, and aesthetic—that crop up when such a transformation happens.

Prof. Raja Mohanty’s one of the best projects was Art @ IITB. IIT Bombay’s vision is to be a leading global technology university that provides a transformative educational experience to create leaders and innovators and generate new knowledge for society and industry". The arts enrich our aesthetic imagination and help to shape how we perceive ourselves and our surroundings. A visible display of works on the IIT Bombay campus that combine technical and artistic creativity could aid in the integration of education. This project envisaged a road-map for arts education at IIT Bombay that includes the creation of traditional and contemporary works of art on the campus; residencies, seminars, and talks by visiting artists; and mentorship to encourage students to develop an aesthetic sensibility. His other important project was the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial, Dandi. This memorial to the 80 marchers who accompanied Gandhi in upholding "Right against Might" was conceptualised by Prof. Kriti Trivedi. The beginning of an engagement with handloom weaving is an interesting "side effect" of this memorial. In 2019, Shivani Nayak, one of the graduating students from IDC School of Design, wove her own convocation scarf. The weaving initiative encourages more students to do the same. Learning from Nature and from the Indigenous Collaborative Project with Bidyut Roy and Sandeep Manchekkar project was a residency space for visiting faculty was created at Wighavali using local materials such as bamboo, mud, fired bricks, traditional terracotta tiles, and dried pipal leaves. This space is envisaged as an extension of classroom walls to spaces outside cities that enables students to come into contact with alternate realities and learn from indigenous ways of doing things and from nature. Raja Mohanty’s other important project was Understanding Visual Art Traditions. collaborative projects with practitioners of indigenous art traditions. The traditions studied included patachitra art from Orissa; Gond art from Madhya Pradesh; Madhubani from Bihar; and Pichhwai from Rajasthan. Collaborative projects took the shape of books for children and "grown-up" children! Ghanshyam Sharma from Nathdwara, Radhashyam Raut from Bhubaneswar, Durgabai, and Mansingh Vyam from Bhopal, and Sharwan Paswan from Mithila were the artists with whom the collaborative projects were done. "The Circle of Fate" published by Tara Books, Chennai, was shortlisted for the Anderson Prize, 2009. "The Enigma of Karma" was a sequel to this. "Machaan Masti", "On Inheritance", and "Cycle Ka Sapna" are some of the other learning materials for children that were created as the collaboration continued as a part of the Damroo Project, funded by the Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust.

This report provides an overview of my experience working on the project, including the tasks I was assigned, the challenges I faced, and my learnings. The projected animated film Afsaana is a stunning visual masterpiece that tells the story of the people of the Natwar Parekh Colony (NPC). The film consists of animation created by the children from the colony, such as claymation, paper cutout, live-action conversations, and footage of NPC. The projection mapping technique was used to bring the film to life by projecting it onto a large building wall in the middle of the festival. It was synced to the music, creating a mesmerising, immersive experience for the audience. I was assigned to work under animator Mr. Jerry Antony. Jerry completed his master's in design in animation from NID Ahmedabad two years ago. He previously worked in advertising and is currently a freelance designer. Jerry was one of the resident artists for the event and had already conducted stop-motion animation workshops for the children in Kitaab Mahaal (community library of Natwar Parekh Colony).

“Birds I View” is an illustrated field guide to the birds of the IIT Bombay campus. The book acts as an interactive storybook for an audience new to the field of birdwatching by explaining the birds' characteristics, behaviour, and how to spot them. It also acts as a quick field guide and reference book for birdwatching. I grew up in Kerala and was surrounded by a wide variety of flora and fauna at home. Growing up, I was always fascinated to see new birds and animals and the plants that my mom brought after her evening walks. Even though my childhood consisted of interactions with a lot of varieties of birds seen commonly around Kerala, I never took this seriously and never bothered to observe and learn more about these species. After joining college, my friend introduced me to the world of birdwatching on a weekend walk through the lakeside road. I was still boasting about my childhood and growing up with many of these species. But spotting an Indian paradise flycatcher changed everything. I was mind blown. It was magical. I had seen nothing yet, and a whole new world opened up. After that day, I started looking out for these cute creatures, which teach us a lot through their interactions with nature. I knew nothing about the birds I had seen as a child. More people should know about these fantastic creatures. This project was started on this idea. This is a collection of my experiences and learnings from the IIT Bombay campus.

This project aims to create context-based learning materials to teach English to first- and second-grade students in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. The learning materials are designed to be engaging and interactive by introducing the language through activities that encourage inquiry-based learning. Through this project, three activities were created for foundational-level classes using visuals familiar to the students and stories from the region. The activities went through several rounds of testing over four schools in the Nainital district with the help of Siksha Sahayaks. The project is being carried out in collaboration with an NGO called Aarohi in Uttarakhand.

By employing augmented reality, information such as advertisements, posters, and announcements regarding upcoming events, launches, festivals, and more can be communicated without the need for printing posters, pamphlets, and other physical materials that result in waste generation. Our objective through this project is to propose an alternate solution that employs AR to disseminate information, not only reducing waste but also paving the way for further advancements in the digital space.

Any unpleasant or unwelcome behaviour or action that is sexual in nature or connected to the person’s gender and sexual orientation is considered sexual harassment. People who are the targets of sexual harassment experience a hostile atmosphere that affects their ability to learn, find work, and maintain their mental and physical health. IIT Bombay’s Gender Cell investigates sexual harassment complaints through the Internal Complaints Committee and conducts events to spread awareness. It is important that the students/staff/residents of IITB have trust in the organisation and approach when faced with sexual harassment or any sexual discomfort. This project aims to understand the various perceptions, especially among students (focus group), and how we can build the trust so that students can go to the right place run by the trained professionals and get access to resources like counselling and security when needed. It takes a lot of courage to stand up and speak for yourself and, more so, to launch a complaint and have faith in an organisation where you don’t know anyone. Perceptions of people around the victim play a crucial role in deciding what steps the victim takes. By taking interviews and being part of meetings and discussions with IITB gender cell members, I tried to understand the perceptions and how we can (re)solve them. What is the best way to talk about a sensitive topic? How can it be most effective? Do students/staff face sexual harassment on campus? How do they deal with it? Who do they first approach? Do they know about gender cells? Do they know how to approach it? Do they know about the process and the members? Do they trust the organization? If not gender cell, where do they go? Why do culprits do what they do? What happens when the victim gets wrong advice? Is it harmful? These are some of the questions that I tried solving for this project.

There is a noticeable lack of games that allow sighted individuals and people with visual disabilities to play together. When asked, individuals with visual disabilities often struggle to name games that accommodate both groups. It raises the question of why game development tends to focus on creating games exclusively for the sighted or solely for the blind. Perhaps this tendency stems from the belief that catering to the diverse needs of both sighted and visually impaired players simultaneously is complex or requires significant modifications to game mechanics. There may also be a lack of awareness and understanding about how to design inclusive and accessible gameplay experiences that can be enjoyed by everyone. However, it is vital to recognise the importance of inclusivity in game design. By creating games that are accessible and enjoyable for individuals with visual disabilities and sighted individuals, we can foster social interaction, promote empathy, and bridge the gap between different abilities. The objective of this project is to develop a game that is accessible and inclusive for both players with visual disabilities and those without. By considering the needs, preferences, and abilities of both groups throughout the game design process, we can create an engaging and enjoyable experience that transcends barriers and allows for meaningful participation from all players. Through promoting inclusivity and accessibility in game design, we contribute to a more diverse gaming landscape, where individuals with varying abilities can come together, have fun, and share memorable experiences.

This project explores an advanced concept of teaching moral education in schools with the help of meticulously designed interactive short films utilising choice architecture and the Soviet montage theory. The final output of this project is a short film, prototyped online with interactive capabilities for teaching values. The students’ all-round performance in schools is inversely related to the amount of bullying and violence faced in the schools (OECD, PISA 2015 Database), and the introduction of moral education in schools drastically reduces the instances of bullying and violence (MEXT 2007-2012). In this project, research was done on the education systems, moral education curriculum, and teaching methods in schools in several countries to find scope for improvement in the moral education imparted in Indian schools. Analysing their curriculum and upon primary research with current school students, a new curriculum is designed for class VII. Research to understand choice architecture and Soviet montage theory, along with in-depth analysis of several interactive films, was done to understand the medium and its potential. The insights were used to make an interactive short film for imparting moral education.

This project is an exploration of the process of weaving narratives by documenting dreams and the craft of communicating the surreal narratives through the medium of audiovisual. In this project, a live-action experimental short film has been produced as the final outcome. The film attempts to communicate various perspectives to a narrative with a layered story and, at the same time, maintain a surreal, dreamlike look to it, which may carry the viewers to an imaginative journey. At its core, the narrative is derived from extremely personal experiences and events from both dreams and reality. It has then been processed to form a compelling and impactful narrative in the form of a film.

The global seafood industry significantly impacts the world’s oceans and its wildlife, particularly the Atlantic and Pacific bluefin tuna, which have seen a reduction of 80% and 90%, respectively, due to overfishing. The consumption of bluefin tuna, a delicacy in sushi, is particularly prevalent in countries such as Japan, Italy, Spain, and France. Several campaigns have been launched to raise awareness about the dangers of overfishing, including Seafood Watch, Fish 2 Fork, Good Fish Guide, and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). These campaigns aim to educate consumers about the importance of responsible seafood consumption and encourage businesses and consumers to make choices that are less harmful to the environment. With this in mind, we propose to create a typography-led campaign for social activism as part of the D&AD New Blood Awards, with the brief given by Google and H_M_C_T. Our campaign will aim to raise awareness about the impact of overfishing on the world’s oceans and wildlife and encourage individuals to make conscious choices about their seafood consumption. Using typography, we will create a powerful visual message that will resonate with consumers and encourage them to act.

Packaging is a major sector that uses regional languages in various sizes. Devanagari, being one of the important scripts, is used in small sizes for printing instructions and information on labels. However, the readability in such cases is very low. Out of the available ones specially designed for smaller sizes, the major ones are owned by organisations or not free for commercial use, making brands choose the economical choice of using less readable fonts for the instructions and packaging of the product. The project aims at creating an open-source Devanagari body text font for application in packaging design for sizes smaller than 9 pts (3.175002 mm).

Indic scripts have a rich history and have been used for centuries in the Indian subcontinent. However, designing typefaces for these scripts presents unique challenges compared to Latin scripts. In recent years, Indian type designers have significantly progressed in developing complete and refined solutions for Indic scripts. With the expansion of digital media and the growing number of audiences, the demand for Indic fonts continues to rise. The digitisation of Indic fonts with Unicode has significantly increased usage across multiple devices for various applications. With the advancements in font technology, a single optimised font can efficiently work in print and digital media. The project investigates the diverse forms and styles of the Devanagari script through the development and experimentation of a variable font. The project utilises innovative variable font technology to create two axes—the weight axis and the decorative axis. Unlike conventional variable fonts that merely alter the width or weight of a typeface, this project takes it a step further by incorporating the decorative axis. The decorative axis adds a new dimension to the font by changing its visual grammar, allowing for more flexible usage across various media and applications.

The graphic novel tells about the reality of so many underprivileged artists who are all trying to achieve their goals and making efforts to complete their dreams. Taking two stories, for example this graphic The novel includes the struggle, moments, and the journey of an artist passionate about dance and how they are putting effort into making their dreams come true, as well as questions to all those strugglers who left their homes to pursue their dreams if they have chosen the right path. This report describes the design process involved in the creation of the graphic novel.

This Film tells about a person who is a remarkable woman who faced numerous challenges in her life. She lived on a footpath for a long time until the government intervened and rehabilitated her. Despite the difficulties she faced, she never lost her spirit and remained committed to her goal of serving society. She became an inspiration to many, proving that it is possible to turn your life around with the right mindset and support. Through her work, she continues to make a significant impact and inspire others to overcome adversity and work for the betterment of society.

As a kid, I was very attracted to storytelling, comic books, and illustrations. I still remember the storyline and plot of “Merchant of Venice,” an English prose story written by William Shakespeare and taught to us in school. Stories of Shivaji Maharaj fighting Mughals and the fight of India for independence against the Britishers were my favourite topics in school. When I read books, I was always curious to know what happens next, what the other character is thinking, how the sequence of the story goes, and how come small actions taken by some people decide the fate of many. Many times I tried reimagining some stories from different points of view, and the activity kept me busy for multiple hours. I also enjoyed drawing moustaches and funny expressions on the portraits of famous personalities made in our textbooks.

At the start one might feel that a very small change does not make a huge difference. But as time goes on, the seemingly small change makes a very small difference. And then it slowly leads to bigger differences. And then it slowly leads to bigger differences. The theory of the butterfly effect is what gives us the hope that any small attempt by us will carry the potential to eventually impact society. My final project for the semester is inspired by the current scenario in the education system of the country. And I have utilised this opportunity to bring a small change to this seemingly vast system.

­This project focusses on creating anthropomorphic characters by studying the famous symbols of Indian states, which will later be used to teach how to develop such anthropomorphic characters by converting them into a guidebook that explains the step-by-step process of anthropomorphic character creation to the students who are interested in character and mascot design. ­The concept of anthropomorphic characters is very popular and widespread in other countries like the USA, Germany, Sweden, Japan, China, etc., where they use the same approach of character design in mascot design not only to represent a brand but also to represent TV shows, events, cities, states, and even countries. Where an anthropomorphised character becomes the face of that subject (an event, brand, city, state, country, etc.), But the culture of mascots is very limited when it comes to India. Most of the iconic mascots that we have seen in India that represent a brand or a service (Bholu the elephant, MoneyKumar mascot for RBI, Amul girl, Chintamani, Maharaja, etc.) are all used for commercial purposes only. ­There is no such representative character of Indian states that will act as a mascot. ­This is where my project topic comes in. I will be working on the creation of anthropomorphic characters, which will serve as mascots for the Indian states, which can represent a particular state for which it is most popular for. Also, another benefit of these characters is that they can be used later in a variety of other applications, like in sports events, or Jhaki on 15 August, or to promote tourism in the state, etc.

I discovered that the traditional card game of ganjifa was at risk of being forgotten. ­This realisation inspired me to find a solution to revive this beautiful, hand-painted card game in India. As my project progressed, I decided to focus on creating a design solution that would make Ganjifa gameplay more accessible so that more people can play it. Because the best way to revive a game is to play it. However, one major obstacle with the ganjifa card game was that very few people actually knew how to play it. Fortunately, I was able to connect with Jue Taware, a researcher at INTACH in Pune, who helped me understand the gameplay better. After much consideration, I decided to create a video to help provide games rules for Ganjifa in India.

Change is a web graphic novel that captures the essence of what Vijayan has left behind with Mohana. Vijayan and Mohana are a couple of tea shop owners from Kochi, Kerala. Until their late 60s, they travelled the world to around 26 countries. The story attempts to portray the influence their journeys had on them, their family, and also the people around them. The narrative tells the story from Mohana’s point of view to show how the journeys changed her as a person who had never travelled until she met Vijayan.

The southern Indian state of Kerala is well known for its vibrant and rich culture, which is rooted in customs, greenery, festivals, legacy, history, architecture, mythology, and legends. The state is home to a wide variety of people, each of whom has their own distinctive customs and practices, adding to the state’s rich cultural legacy. The state is also renowned for its colourful celebrations, such as Onam, which is widely observed throughout the state. Beautiful historical landmarks like the Mattancherry Palace and the Padmanabhapuram Palace, which offer a look into the state’s illustrious past, can be found in Kerala. A number of historic temples, churches, and mosques that display the artistry and ability of the state’s craftspeople are among the state’s remarkable architectural structures. Several fascinating tales that have been passed down through the decades may be found in Kerala, which is also rich in myths and legends. Kerala is a wonderfully unique and intriguing place to visit and explore because of all of these factors. I could go on and on about how rich the culture is.

Govandi Arts Festival as a DES project was a group project; volunteering for the festival was conducted for the artistic awakening of the youngsters and kids of Natwarparekh Compound, Govandi, Chembur, Mumbai. Eight students from IDC, IITB, volunteered for the same. My project was to work under the co-curator of the Govandi Arts Festival, Natasha Sharma. I dealt with the making and in charge of the festival tote bags, badges, certificates, T-shirts, stamps, flags, and mementos. Mostly all these wanted materials were bought and made within 5 km of the happening place at Govandi. The Govandi Arts Festival is a community-based initiative led by the Community Design Agency (CDA), Mumbai. This initiative aims to break the existing negative bias towards this place and people by giving them a platform for their artistic expression: theatre, rapping, photography, filmmaking, and public art, respectively. In this exploratory project I got to work with designing and executing the merch (tote bags, clocks, T-shirts, and flags), along with badges, certificates, layout, and stamps.

This project is a humble attempt at bringing the visuals of the novel The Palace of Illusions to life through the same perspective the book is written in. This Novel is the Mahabharata told from the perspective of Draupadi. Although the intent was to give visuals to the novel, along the process, the project developed into a standalone set of illustration cards specifically showing what Draupadi, the central woman character of the Mahabharata, felt and went through.

Churul Chronicles is a graphic novel about a girl’s hair and its journey towards self-acceptance. Before curly hair became trendy/pretty enough for the mainstream, most of the curly heads dreaded their hair because of its lack of acceptance for its unruly nature. Stories of their ridicule, unsolicited advice on hair straightening, hacks, and tricks that failed terribly to have society-approved ‘beautiful’ hair came together to weave a story about two individuals: a girl and her hair, where the hair transforms from society-approved ‘beautiful’ hair to unruly, wild, curly hair when she hits puberty, and their journey to make peace with the new change. The visual narrative follows two characters’ worlds, one inside and through the frames, and the other running around and outside the frames. They also coincide, meet, or switch places at certain points as per the demand of the story. This project is an attempt at story writing and visual narrative design in static visual storytelling.

Is there anyone who has not fallen in love? Many who did are fortunate enough to be with their special person. At the same time, many others, including me, have to live our lives counting days until the next time we get to meet each other, since our life decisions have brought about a geographical separation between us. Long-distance romantic relationships pose their own challenges, mostly caused by the various miscommunications that may happen between the individuals as well as other hurdles that they need to fight against and overcome almost on a daily basis to keep their relationship together and strengthen their bond. The narrative here shares the story and experiences of a couple (me and my special person) who have been in a long-distance relationship for over 3 years, ever since they committed to it. The content does not intend to be a guide on how to lead a long-distance relationship or to give tips on the same. What the content intends to do is to create a moment of retrospection for the reader, to think about their own relationship, one in the past or one they are currently going through, and cherish the memories. If the relationship did not work out for them, think for oneself about what went wrong. Even if not these, if the content makes a person who comes across it think about their special someone, it is serving a purpose.

Unhealthy habits at workspaces could lead to a lot of physical and mental exhaustion. Desk work that demands people to sit in one place, working on a desktop or a laptop for a prolonged period, could cause so much strain that it, in turn, affects their productivity. Overexertion at work without giving proper care to one’s health could end up being more counterproductive, even when the intention was otherwise. It is important to take timely breaks at regular intervals, in between work, to relax and refresh the body and mind that has been working continuously to keep you going. This project explores the possibilities of reducing health hazards from fatigue caused by unhealthy habits built specifically around desk work by giving constant nudges and visual cues that would remind people to care for their health as well as suggest how to do the same by providing relevant information on how to act upon and avoid them.

This project is a documentation of an illustrated book of poems on endangered animals, traversing the theme of wildlife conservation. The book is an anthology documenting the story of 10 threatened species indigenous to India. Each book spread captures a distinct species whose story is depicted in a short poem and an illustration of the creature. The narrative thread charted across the book is human encroachment. Human involvement, direct or indirect, is consistently the leading factor in ecological disruptions. In writing, I leverage a tone of macabre humour to depict the grim reality of the state of each species. The concluding poem depicts humans themselves as one of the animals that face extinction, thus rounding out the narrative, which starts with human interference and ends with our demise. This project is motivated by my drive towards wildlife conservation. I wish to serve the cause as best as possible with my skill set while still pushing myself to learn new things.

Accidents that take place in the world of modern aviation are among the most catastrophic of all possible occurrences in the case of various transportational accidents. These mishaps not only result in the death of people and the destruction of property, but they also have far-reaching repercussions for families, communities, and even entire industries. In light of the significance of aviation to both the global economy and our way of fast-paced life, it is of the utmost importance that these accidents be investigated in great detail in order to ascertain the underlying reason for them and to prevent future incidents of a similar nature. The crash of Air India 1344, the flight plummeting down the Calicut airport’s tabletop runway on August 7, 2020, was a terrible event that sent shock waves through the aviation industry. This graphic-illustrated book tries to explain, from a human factors point of view, storytelling, that glance through the chain of events that led to this terrible accident. With the help of pictures and easy-to-understand language, readers can learn more about the contributory factors that led to this tragic accident. This book initiates discussions on the human factors and socio-technical aspects behind the contributory factors that led to the accident. This book thereby becomes an essential read for the people linked to the aviation industry; at the same time, it is curated to also cater to the general public who are curious to know more about the accident dynamics behind the incident.

“PECULIAR WORLD OF CHARLES BONNET SYNDROME” is a ground breaking 360-degree VR film that provides an immersive journey into the mind of a 70-year-old person suffering from Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS). Utilising cutting-edge technology like Twinmotion 2022 and Da Vinci Studio, the project crafts a narrative-driven experience guided by retrospective voice-over. It recounts the detailed hallucinations and how they affect the subject’s mental health, creating a bridge of understanding and empathy between the viewer and the condition. The film represents an evolution from an initial concept of an AI-generated graphic novel to a more powerful and impactful VR experience. It aims to enlighten families of CBS patients and the broader audience about this rare medical condition, providing insights that transcend clinical explanations. Its innovative approach sets new benchmarks in medical education, combining technological prowess with artistic storytelling. The project demonstrates the potential of VR in fostering human connections and empathy, opening doors for future explorations in healthcare, technology, and education.

An innovative approach aimed towards aviation accident investigation training through the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) training module. This project specifically focusses on the Air India 1344 aircraft accident that occurred in Calicut in 2020, recreating the incident in a VR environment to enhance learning and understanding of accident dynamics. The primary objective of this project is to leverage the immersive and interactive capabilities of VR technology to simulate real-world accident scenarios of the Calicut tabletop runway crash and plummeting down the tabletop of Air India 1344.To curate and create an impactful training module for aviation accident investigators. By doing so, the project seeks to offer a comprehensive, experiential training solution that goes beyond traditional learning methods. The VR module encompasses several key features, with overarching chapters with a narrative structure in the form of three virtual reality doorway journeys: Investigate AXB 1344, Explore AXB 1344, and Understand AXB 1344. This experience includes a realistic 3D environment replicating the accident site, interactive investigation procedures, and immediate feedback mechanisms and an interactive graphic novel unveiling that can deepen the understanding of the user about the events that led to the accident. The training module is designed to improve the problem-solving skills of aviation professionals, enhance their decision-making abilities under stress, and better prepare them for real-world accident investigations with a better understanding of human factors and sociotechnical system factors linked to the Air India 1344 accident.

Natwar Parekh Compound (henceforth referred to as NPC) is home to over 10,000 people residing in 53 buildings. It hosts a diverse population of people rehabilitated from all over Mumbai and is among the most marginalised in the city. These people are involved in various vocations for their daily bread. It comes as little surprise then that NPC is also home to people with varied skill sets and those who have mastered unique crafts. While a majority of people are involved in basic, easy-to-learn but in-demand skills such as sewing, a craft mapping of the area (carried out by Shireen and Shahista, volunteers from the community) reveals a number of people who have developed and are masters at rare skills and crafts. An emerging pattern across the skills within the community is that it is very evidently subject to the circumstances of the smaller cultural and social subgroups within the larger network that makes up the community. For instance, almost all of the women who are mehendi artists are Muslim. Or that most people involved in sewing or beadwork are women.

Forced Displacement or Forced Migration is an involuntary or coerced movement of a person or people away from their home or home region. But the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) puts it more accurately as (people or communities) displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, generalised violence, or human rights violations. Forced displacement is not a concept that is alien to the Adivasis, the indigenous communities of India. In fact, having to deal with land alienation, being outcasted—treated as literal aliens in rehabilitated land, loss of access to and control over forests—is still very prevalent in our country to this day. One of the major causes of enforced migration is development and resource extraction projects. These vulnerable adivasi populations who have lived in the forests are traditionally dependent on forest resources for their subsistence, and displacement impacts their life and health and, most importantly, uproots their identities, much like the trees of their forests are in the case of many of these development projects.

Crumbling Mountains, Mighty Women - A Tale of Sisterhood from the Sinking City of Joshimath—is a 15-minute documentary film that tries to capture the human story of the native pahadi women of Joshimath who are facing eviction from their homes due to the threat to their lives imposed by the unstable lands of which they are inhabitants. While a lot of the sinking of Joshimath is attributed to it being located on a seismically active zone, it is said to have been further accelerated in recent years due to unchecked, extractive human activities in the region, such as tunnel boring for mega power projects. The brunt of this is borne, as per usual, by the most marginalised of people in the region, the indigenous pahadis. The documentary is an attempt at making the mainstream discourse revolving around the topics of extractivism, climate change, etc., inclusive of the people directly affected (and how it affects them exponentially more than those who stand to gain from extractive activities).

The design of a graphical sign involves its creation by the designer followed by testing for its interpretability using established testing methods.But the results of these tests can be misleading due to inexplicable factors like cultural knowledge, immediate environment, and ability to process information at the user’s end, and thus they can demonstrate agreement even for ambiguous signs. This points out another problem in the test results: they do not guarantee the quality of the sign. Signs that aim to become international standards, especially, should achieve maximum possible clarity in their message and quality in their design. which is also why it’s important to ensure that the sign submitted for testing represents the designer’s finest work. This study further investigates the designer’s process of creating a sign and presents a method to achieve a reasonable level of confidence in the designer of its comprehensibility. Then, additional testing of such a sign will be necessary to verify the designer’s prediction.

Urban planning is a complicated, comprehensive process that necessitates a thorough grasp of a space’s ecology, history, and cultural importance. The precise integration of these factors is required to define not just a region’s physical environment but also its cultural fabric. Nestled upon Malabar Hill, the Banganga tank stands as a testament to the intricate interplay between nature’s embrace and the enduring legacy of human heritage. A symbol of historical significance predating the city itself, this venerable landmark whispers tales of a bygone era. The serene surroundings of this hallowed sanctuary, however, are on the verge of extinction as irrational concrete surges out, indifferent to the delicate web constructed within the ecology. A link, an unseen tie, exists under the surface between the reclamation effort and the natural spring that gives life to this holy ground. A delicate equilibrium teeters on the brink of collapse as waters pour down the shore, replenishing the Banganga tank. The natural spring’s voice may soon be muffled, as its flow is obstructed by the continuous march of reclamation. The state must recognise and value this delicate balance between a location’s physical and cultural traits, and it must take an integrated approach towards urban development. A long-term and deliberate approach may preserve a place’s past while addressing the needs of a rising population, assuring a brighter future for everybody.

Through this project, I intend to narrate the life experience of an individual brought up by a single parent. I aim to touch upon the issues faced, psychological coping mechanisms, and changes in mannerisms. Establish an emotional connection towards the single-parent child life and sensitise the readers towards single-parent children missing out on particular niches of skills generally learnt by observing parental figures in their life. The outcome of this project is a graphic novel with black-and-white, detailed, and stylised illustrations with selective colour pages. This book is divided into three chapters, each dealing with different issues faced in childhood, the teenage years, and the adulthood of a single-parent child's life. As the book focuses on single-parent children with an absent parent, I've decided to use a black-and-white colour palette reflecting the "present" and "absent" reality of the protagonist's parent.

“While walking down the road the other day, I heard a thumping noise and a rattling of ghoongroos. Instantly, I knew he was patrolling his village, and I dared not cross his path,” the person recounted. “He’s 10 feet tall and would squish anyone walking on his route with his long legs.” Another individual shared a contrasting experience: “He helped me reach home. I thought he was someone from the village.” They described a recent incident: “The other day, I was extremely drunk and passed out. I remember someone lifting me and dropping me at my house.” Rakhandar, the mythical protective spirit of the area, demonstrates a fascinating duality in its identity. It can be mischievous, unforgiving, or fiercely protective towards the region’s residents. This multi-faceted nature adds depth and intrigue to the legends surrounding Rakhandar, making it an enigmatic figure in local folklore. This project aims to bring the rich folklore and mythology of the Konkan region to a broader audience, focussing on the fascinating and enigmatic figure known by various names such as Rakhan dar, Rakhnau, Naas, Rakhno, Devchar, Daivata, and more. These names represent a consistent spirit god believed to patrol villages, protect their inhabitants, and assist those in need. The project seeks to create an interactive and immersive environment that transports users to rural Konkan, with abundant coconut trees, shimmering springs, and numerous Rakhandar shrines. By sharing these local stories on a broader platform, the project aims to preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage of the Konkan region while fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of its mythology and traditions.

This project aimed to ignite children's curiosity and boost their confidence in art, especially in an area like 3D object rendering. Perspective drawing is a tricky subject for newcomers, particularly those between ages 13 and above, since they just begin to learn complex problems that require spatial visualisation at that stage of their educational journey. This project addressed this by making the perspective drawing instruction and learning more engaging, interesting, interactive, and easy to be taught in a school setup.

This project is a proposal for introducing same-language karaoke-based subtitles for all the videos within YouTube to facilitate effective and engaging reading activity for the viewers. The objective for this project is to alleviate the English learning experiences, build confidence, and create positive change by improving English literacy skills in Indian citizens and cultivating a culture of lifelong learning. This project helps build conducive learning for everyone irrespective of their exposure and access to printed reading materials. Post re-affirming the problem space by doing a pilot interview with four adults and several ideations for sustainable solutions, this project is situated to use the findings from Brij Kothari’s research on Same Language Subtitling as a jump start and explore the kind of interventions that can be deployed. A literature review is done as part of secondary research that introduces the topic and situates this project. Qualitative research is done to understand how Indian users, specifically women, face challenges while learning the language and whether the proposed design interventions will lead to desired outcomes. The report includes a summary of the ideas generated and the iterative process to create the layouts with feedback from different stakeholders. And it is concluded with feedback from the learners and experts on the prototype along with future steps for evaluation and web integrations.

This project explores the complex relationships individuals have with their screens in the age of the internet and social media. AI and machine learning techniques are used to curate personalised content for users, resulting in varied effects of mindless browsing on different individuals. Through interviews with 20 individuals of diverse age, profession, and demographics, 8 unique personas were identified. Their stories were then transformed into illustrations that depict the emotions and relationships they have with social media. The project utilises conversations and a satirical visual approach to portray the chaotic emotions they experience on a daily basis. The project's findings shed light on the negative impacts of social media on individuals, including feelings of isolation, anxiety, and addiction. The illustrations created for this project aim to capture those implications and concerns in a humorous and thought-provoking manner. The project also captures behavioural insights from their social media usage patterns that may be helpful in exploring digital wellbeing strategies to help people address problematic digital behaviours, manage distractions, and improve their autonomy around how they spend their time.

An imbalance can be seen in the availability of fonts for the Devanagari script as compared to the Latin script. The disparity increases when we narrow this down to display fonts. It is essential to create newer fonts specifically for the Indian context so that the script can win the graphic design community and meet the demand for creative type design applications in a native script. We can observe a gap in the typefaces used by newspapers for their headlines, where a space-efficient font can help with the layout and other needs of publication houses, as pointed out by Prof. G. V. Sreekumar. This project aims to create an open-source Devanagari display typeface for the primary application in newspaper headlines.

Amidst the vast expanse of our oceans, where mysterious depths await exploration, there exists a realm of wonder hidden within our reach—the enigmatic shores. These coastal realms, brimming with life, offer a gateway to the extraordinary. Yet, in the urban tapestry of Mumbai, we often overlook their allure, blind to the treasures they hold. Such is the grandeur of our coastal ecosystems that goes unrecognised, and this effort seeks to put light on this exquisite domain. Shore is a location-based AR app that aims to increase awareness of coastal biodiversity while also luring individuals to see these lifeforms for themselves. The app presents users with a thrilling journey of exploration, with narratives and assistance, by fusing the digital and physical worlds. This initiative not only showcases Ar's potential as a digital activism tool, but it also emphasises the need for increased awareness and action to conserve our fragile marine ecosystems.

This report examines the depiction of cattle in Indian art over various periods, from the Indus Valley civilisation to the colonial era. The portrayal of cattle in Indian art is an important aspect of the country’s cultural heritage, as cows have been a symbol of wealth, fertility, and agricultural abundance in Indian society for centuries. The report delves into the different styles and techniques used to represent cattle in art during different time periods, such as the stylised and geometric depictions in the Indus Valley civilisation and the more realistic and detailed representations in Mughal art. It also discusses the religious and social significance of cattle in Indian society and how this is reflected in their portrayal in art. Finally, the report examines how the depiction of cattle changed during the colonial era, as Western influences began to shape Indian art. Overall, this report provides a comprehensive overview of the representation of cattle in Indian art and its evolution over time, offering valuable insights into the cultural and historical significance of these depictions.

The project explores the relationships between stray animals, people, and their spaces. Through storytelling, we spread awareness about caring for street animals and showcase the beauty of animal-human coexistence in cities. This children’s book features three captivating stories, blending photographs and illustrations to engage young readers. The first story captures the bond between humans and community animals, highlighting the joy of harmonious living. The second tale emphasises the importance of compassionately caring for injured animals, inspiring children to handle and interact with them with kindness. Lastly, the power of adoption takes centre stage, showcasing the transformative journey of a stray finding a loving home. As strays become part of our communities, it is essential, especially for children, to learn how to coexist with them. Join us on this captivating journey where photographs and illustrations weave stories promoting empathy, kindness, and the well-being of street animals. Together, let’s create a world where every animal is cherished and cared for.

This report delves into the fascinating world of Awadhi cuisine, unravelling its rich history, cultural significance, and unique flavors. The project aimed to generate interest and appreciation for Awadhi cuisine by presenting it through various mediums, including animations, visuals, and storytelling. By exploring iconic dishes such as Dumpakht, Dum Biryani, Nihari, and Tundey Kabab, the project aimed to showcase the culinary heritage of Awadh. Overall, this project serves as a testament to the vibrancy and allure of Awadhi cuisine. By capturing its essence through visual mediums and storytelling, it endeavours to preserve and promote the culinary heritage of Awadh for future generations to cherish and explore.

Every second person is, in today's time, in some way or the other, connected with creativity, but what sets all of us apart are our unique stories. Whether you're an art lover or simply curious about the people behind what they do, "Kalacast" offers something for everyone. It is a celebration of diverse and multi-talented artists who exist among us or can be found hustling, creating, and passionately working around us. Every episode takes a deep dive into these creative individuals' personal paths and hard work, delving into their artistic journeys, inspirations, drive, and experiences that are moulding them into becoming even more accomplished and distinctive humans of tomorrow. Kala means ART, and we cast artists in this podcast. For this project series, Kala Cast, which focuses on musicians who come from totally different backgrounds, provides the introduction to diverse artists whose stories should be heard.

India has a great tradition of making toys with wood. And this toy making is a skillful craft. Especially for the children, these toys help a lot to children with playing different play objects and they completely live in a different world with different traditional toys. Toys are used as decorative elements in Indian houses. Most of the houses will have the showcase with various toys in Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra Pradesh apart from Nirmal there are other places also do these toys such as Etikoppaka and Kondapally. I went to know the toy making in Nirmal, which are traditional wooden toys and beautifully carved by craftsmen. During this project I have learned how the craftsmen make the toys from wood to final shape.

"I wanted to work with PG Vinda, Director and Cinematographer who is the great skilled and dedicated cinematographer from Hyderabad. Vinda’s work for Grahanam received major attention and a National Award nomination for Cinematography. Vinda earned a distinction of master of digital format in Telugu cinema. Many critics appreciated his works. Now PG Vanda engaged with three to four Telugu films. PG Vinda made a film “Lotus Pond” as a writer, director and Cinematographer. I got an opportunity to work with PG Vinda for couple of Telugu films. “Aa Aiduguru” and “Anthaku Mundu Aa Tharvatha” . I got an apportunity to explore and observe and learnt so many things in cinematography in all aspects like easthetics, creating lighting and the process of film making."

This project is about women’s traditional wear, "the bangle," and its making process in the Laad bazaar in Hyderabad. In this documentary project, I attempted to investigate various aspects of Bangles, such as how they are made, where they are made, what their circumstances and working conditions are, the bangle market, people in that market, various communities involved in making and purchasing bangles, and the Bangle-making tradition in Hyderabad. The aim of this documentary is to communicate the working conditions, the skill of the bangle-making craftsmen, the process of that bangle-making, and the ambience of Laad Bazaar, which is the place the bangles are made. I have tried to communicate the bangle-making process to people in the Laad bazaar. How they bargain with the sellers and how the bangle market looks like In order to communicate all these elements, I have used the required camera techniques and other equipment to capture the visuals and the sound. I had explored the techniques and aesthetics of visual grammar, like exposures and points of interest, by pulling focus, using the required depth of field, and maintaining continuity in the actions. In some places, I wanted to emphasise the visuals, whereas the craftsmen embellishing the stones on the bangle and selecting the stones I used the reversal lens technique to achieve the macro lens effect; additionally, for sound recording, I used a Zoom H1 recorder, which is an external recorder for recording Foley sounds from the locations. In order to communicate the visuals about the bangle making, the Laad bazaar, and the people, in this film there are 5 chunks, which are the Hyderabad introduction by establishing wide shots of the Charminar and Golkonda fort, and the Laad bazaar ambience through the market and the people visuals, Since I have seen three different bangle making processes in the Laad bazaar, I have shot and presented those three processes separately in the film. Then the second chunk of visuals is process number 1, which is the heating of the lacquer and the process of making lacquer ready for the bangles, as well as bangle making. Then there's the third chunk, which is a completely different process than the first. Then the fourth chunk is also another process, which is the old process of using pot. Then the fifth chunk is the Laad Bazaar, with people and the ambience of the night. Because lacquer bangles are well-known for bridal bangles, I attempted to connect the film with a bangle being made in stages and a bride being decorated with suggestive shots. 

"Balram, Short Film" is a project about treasure hunters and their beliefs about treasures. In this narrative fiction project, I attempted to investigate various aspects of visual storytelling and filmmaking, such as preproduction, production, and postproduction. I have made this short film based on news from various places in India and experiences from my village. In this story, Balram is the main character who believes in the treasures and wants to earn money through shortcuts. Though I have drawn inspiration from the real events in my village, I have also added fictional characters to this film. How the Balram fell into the treasure-hunting trap—in the process of rescuing his friend—and finally, he drags his son into the treasure hunt. The aim of this short film is to communicate Balram's character and the journey towards the treasure.

With an academic background in mass communication and professional experience in the news and consumer research domains, I was keen that I acquire a new skill during the internship; more importantly, a skill that would add up to my professional objectives. Though I have wandered along different paths, one thing has always remained common. It was my interest in observation of social behaviour and using visual methods to capture that to be able to tell the story vividly. A medium like TV news demands the storytelling to be pithy and lucid, and the production time available is very limited. Though this is a very effective way of communicating information in packages, it leaves little scope for reading between the lines and expressing complex ideas like human emotions. This is where I felt the need to break free. I wanted to understand the cinematic style of storytelling and fuse it with the non-fiction work that I am interested in to make it engaging. I believe that storytelling becomes effective when it is experiential and one makes the most of the medium of communication. Filmmaking has the potential to transport the viewer into the world of images and sounds and create a real experience.

This project was inspired by the travel accounts of ancient travellers like Marco Polo, Xuan Zhang, and Ibn Battuta, etc., who travelled to new lands and wrote vivid accounts of their experiences. These travelogues became bodies of knowledge pertaining to the regions explored and were important exploratory ventures for the countries these travellers represented. Burton Holmes, who is credited with coining the term "travelogue," monetized his skills by conducting travel lectures. These travellers satiated the curiosity of their countrymen about the new cultures they visited. Today, these documents are landmark reference points for exploring the cultural history of the regions these travellers explored. I intend to create a visual travelogue that presents a point-of-view account of my experiences in the land of the morning calm. The travel writings of noted Marathi writer P. L. Deshpande are known for his deep cultural and behavioural observations. Whether he travelled within India or abroad, his writings described the cultural landscape as well as interesting personalities within these contexts. I wanted to "see things differently," and P. L. Deshpande was an important reference point for me. Any comprehensive ethnographic project requires much longer fieldwork as well as familiarity with the language. These two qualities are critical to gaining ethnographic authority. My project is an exploratory first step that borrows from concepts of visual anthropology in order to break the mould of structured journalistic methodology and see beyond what travel guides tell you. This would require focusing on visual culture, interactions, and going off the beaten track. As a designer, I would like to create a tool that can use cameras as a research tool to unravel cultural insights. I want to present my travel experiences and stories with dual temporality. While the book sums up the experience of travelling across South Korea and living there as a student, the blog would be a collection of images where each experience in South Korea has its own unique perspective. The book is a picture story that gives a holistic description of what South Korea was like for me. On the other hand, the blog viewer can enjoy each image separately as a work of art or design. It allows the photographer in me to present stories of journeys within a journey. I have explored the duality in the photo-word relationship as well. In book form, my notes supplement my images, allowing me to say exactly what I want to say and elaborate with precision. In the blog, words are kept to a minimum, and I expect the viewer to interpret and react.

It is a film about dreamers! It is about the lives of people who are not afraid of going against the flow, norms and chase their dreams. Though the inspiration for my film came from my passion for hockey; this film is not about the game. It is about the mad zeal with which hockey aficionados like Andrea Thumshirn work relentlessly to realize their dreams in foreign land full of challenges. Hockey is merely the turf on which the story unfolds. The film aims to peek into lives of people at the hockey village who have come together, woven their dreams together and trying to work towards a common goal in spite of socio-cultural differences. Their dreams, aspirations are completely different but what brings them together is the hunger to make things happen against the tide. Stick to Dreams seeks to use cinema verite approach to peek into the lives of these dreamers with an aim to understand them in an engaging yet empathetic manner. While the mainstream media regularly produces feel good stories about such dreamers; it seldom has the patience and wherewithal to go beyond the headlines. My curiosity about the process of social change juxtaposed with individual motivation to see things differently motivated me to make this film.

The stated purpose of a summer internship at IDC was to expose oneself to different design firms in rural and urban sections of society and to understand how design can intervene to bring about constructive changes as per the socioeconomic and cultural context. As a Visual Communication student, I wanted to work with an organisation that is motivated to work for society and uses design intervention to change lives and make a positive social impact rather than just for commercial gain. Working as a designer in the past, I have often been exposed to several Indian crafts and folk arts and have had the privilege of working with them, even on small projects. Ever since, I have been really keen on learning more about them. I wanted to use this internship as a chance to explore this possibility as well. Happy Hands Foundation and The People's Project brilliantly combined these two interests and requirements, while also meeting IDC's criteria.

Abstract art, which people would perhaps consider the most emotionally subjective form of art, is actually completely objective. The emotional objectivity of abstract art lies in the characteristics of the colours and their interactions with one another. To know what kind of colour palette can express the chosen emotions and to substantiate the reason for using movement in colours, as well as to understand which elements of art or visuals play a vital role in evoking emotions in the viewers, I created a survey. The inferences were made from 50 complete responses and around 76 partial surveys, where 16 of the surveys had data for 6 or more than 6 questions and thus were considered in the inferences.

India is a country that was known for agriculture, but after industrial development, maximum employment depends on industries, and industries depend on manpower. But the manpower that is required for the jobs also requires proper education. Accidents are more likely if proper safety education and training are not provided. Government industrial organisations and public-sector companies are making lots of effort to minimise occupational accidents. But existing awareness materials such as safety posters, stickers, banners, and informative messages are not as effective. Technology has brought enough advancement into the life of the common man. One of the major benefits of information technology is computer graphic animation. The industrial environment is dangerous, and safety is a major concern. Animation generated information can explain scenarios before and after accidents and prevent employees from experiencing similar incidents in the future. Animation can help to understand safe procedures for handling hazards operation Education and training are the keys to maintaining a healthy atmosphere at any hazardous workplace. There are many ways to educate workers in the workplace, such as the display of safety posters, safety messages at factory entrances, canteens, work floors, and worker gathering areas. It’s important that workers fully understand the potential health effects that may occur after a long period of time. Maintaining safety awareness among workers is the key to controlling accidents at the workplace. Safety awareness is critical in many hazardous work environments.

The report presents the understanding constructive approach of Devanagari Calligraphy, basic fundas of the script, proportion and character of the alphabets, such tasks completed during summer internship. Devanagari Calligraphy is highly appreciated in the history of writing. Imitating historical handwriting is a wide, well-lit highway to calligraphic success. Learning historical hands is a method of training the hand and eye, rather than a final destination in calligraphy. I tried to understand of the writing sequence of Devanagari calligraphy, analysis of Devanagari letter design. The graphic scrutiny of the Devanagari letters will bring out important aspects of the letter design.

The report presents the importance of Devanagari Calligraphy, basic writing sequence of the script, proportion and character of the alphabets. Devanagari Calligraphy is highly appreciated in the history of writing. Learning historical hands is a method of training the hand and eye, rather than a final destination in calligraphy. This study is especially made for the undergraduate students of art and design field. I tried to explain the writing sequence of Devanagari calligraphy, analysis of Devanagari letter design. The graphic scrutiny of the Devanagari letters will bring out important aspects of the letter design. The content of the report provides the perfect start for your journey into the field of calligraphy, with everything from the history of this art form to in-depth instructions on creating each letter of each featured alphabet makes the process of learning Devanagari calligraphy easy simple and enjoyable for aspiring artist, designers and other all interested students in the field art and design.

Accidents are a major cause of death for people working in construction sites. It is an urgent need to address these issues for the betterment of safety workplace. Poor education, lack of proper training and knowledge about workplace safety issues are some of the main causes for construction accidents. This project aims to create safety awareness among workers using animation videos. These videos can be effectively used by the Safety Manager to provide an appetiser to safety through the engaging characters, amusing story line, and a humorous approach. These videos are designed for less literates and are free of language and culture barriers, keeping in mind the wide and diverse audience. Visual safety awareness material can be used, but due to low education levels of the workers it is difficult to communicate at diverse languages. Therefore wordless animated videos have the potential to make safety education more attractive and enjoyable can solve this problem. Issues like ladder safety, working at height, object falling from height, material handling, and their prevention have been communicated through this project. Safe workplaces are vital to the well-being of workers and the strength of economy of an industry or a nation. Thus, to promote safety education, I have decided to contribute as a designer, to improve safety on the job by preventing workplace injuries and illnesses of the worker.

With an academic background in mass communication and professional experience in the news and consumer research domains, I was keen that I acquire a new skill during the internship; more importantly, a skill that would add up to my professional objectives. Though I have wandered along different paths, one thing has always remained common. It was my interest in observation of social behaviour and using visual methods to capture that to be able to tell the story vividly. A medium like TV news demands the storytelling to be pithy and lucid, and the production time available is very limited. Though this is a very effective way of communicating information in packages, it leaves little scope for reading between the lines and expressing complex ideas like human emotions. This is where I felt the need to break free. I wanted to understand the cinematic style of storytelling and fuse it with the non-fiction work that I am interested in to make it engaging. I believe that storytelling becomes effective when it is experiential and one makes the most of the medium of communication. Filmmaking has the potential to transport the viewer into the world of images and sounds and create a real experience. Company is a creative house founded by KB Vinod and Bhupal Ramnathkar in February, 2012. It is a design and advertising agency based in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Comapny believes in honesty, transparency, simplicity and originality. They are a team passionate and obsessive about quality and creativity. Some of their clients include Fashion Big Bazaar, Caprese, Holii and Malabar Gold.

DIVING INTO IMAGES ~ SETTING AN OBJECTIVE Where all do we encounter images and how do we make sense of them? Images have made a journey from the age-old Lascaux’s paintings to the contemporary media images. But there arises a question to reflect upon: what are images and what are the contemporary changes? These questions often hover my mind and I am compelled to ask: What is my role as a visual communicator? How do I express? In my view, the most challenging task for a visual communicator is being able to communicate visually. Good images have the power to stay silent, yet convey so much. "The design is an expression of the purpose. It may (if it is good enough) later be judged as art"- Charles Eames. My objective thus becomes, to bring in images of art and make a study of images relevant to our current times. There is a need to realise the thought of what the purpose of an image is. THE FUTURE OF THE IMAGE The title is borrowed from the book, The Future Of The Image by Jaques Ranciere. The study of visual imagery in our times needs to take into account the diverse nature of images encountered today. We come across imagery in various forms like mobile imagery, Internet content (YouTube, TED, etc.), television, film, animation, advertisements (print, television, internet); illustration, painting, printmaking and sculpture. In these times where media throws a tsunami of images, there arises a question as to what relationship do we have with a still image? For example, people watch television till late in the night where images change at the rate of 24fps. What is the future of a still image in this tsunami of images?

People often talk in generalities about the youth, having positive hopes in some sense as well as a few complaints against them. But what are the young people of India doing in reality? Why are they doing what they are doing, and what keeps them at it? These questions made me think that it would be interesting to talk to the young faces of my time and learn about their journeys. Looking at what others did in the past, in their youth, would allow me to reflect and understand in some way how we are all connected and how we have conversations, between "then" and "now," with a thread that binds us all together. The title of the project, "Young India: Then and Now," has somehow emerged from Gandhi’s "Young India." This Young India was a journal that had thoughts and opinions that inspired many people. It was focused on addressing various problems of those times, during the pre-independence era, and contained highly motivating views and messages from people who believed in their mission and worked actively towards it. Thus, my journey with this project began with what was happening "then" amongst the Indian youth. The questions about the youth "now" that were yet to be answered had their roots in the past, and thus, the journey of this project in itself became "Young India: Then and Now." Through this project, I wish to bring out the essence of these experiences through storytelling. The goal is to bring in my own image and text in an interesting way to give out the message in a richer form while maintaining the traditional strengths.

The world around visually impaired person is drastically different from the experience of a person with normal vision. Very few skilled and explored people can achieved the environment around them to some extent. Every time when we go to any new place we create mental map of that place with the help of various visual clues and if someone asked you about that place then you prefer to give him/ her illustrated hand drawn map. Blind people lack this visual information and they face great difficulties in generating efficient mental maps of spaces and therefore find difficult to navigating efficiently in these spaces. Here we describe how blind people perform with haptic devices and understand the task given to them with minimum support. The project went through multiple experiments with blinds and we found out interacting with them is the best possible way to understand them better.

The key challenge for today’s marketers is to provide the right message at the right time through the right channel. Maintaining brand consistency, coordinating with multiple internal and external service providers, developing actionable insights that reflect a complete and accurate understanding of the customers, and speed-to-market are clear challenges. My project was to create a digital identity for Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS’) Connected Marketing Solutions (CMS) group to showcase their portfolio. By attempting this intranet portal, we are trying to bridge the gap between customers and CMS Group, which will provide design solutions and strategy. Here, we are achieving it by following current design trends to make it a user-centred design. The project's aim was to showcase their portfolio in a creative way, which would feature their strengths, capabilities, team, and work. We achieved it by following current design trends and making a user-centred design. Our approach was to solve the problem through interactive infographics. I was working with a team of two visual designers and one usability analyst for a period of 47 days. The initial task was to create visuals based on the existing wireframes provided by TCS’ CMS group, which were simple and didn’t have anything that showed the creative process, services, or portfolio of the company. After we had a review of the provided wireframe, we suggested some changes and applied them. We then created two different visuals for that wireframe. The team had a discussion and debate on the wireframe and visual design, through which we came to the conclusion that we should change the overall approach of the portal. Because it was difficult to comprehend complex data or analyse a large amount of information using words or texts, the new approach was to solve the problem using interactive infographics. Infographics make it easy to understand and navigate the complex world of facts, figures, and directions to finish a task, solve a problem, or meet a need. The objective was to create a design that had different layers of information, and each layer could have multiple hierarchies. This was a completely new concept. We started working on this new concept with a comparative analysis of various company portfolio websites, many interactive websites, and infographic websites. We received various inputs and inspirations, as well as insight into the latest design trends and their various effects, and how we could use them smartly in our portal to communicate better with customers, through comparative analysis. The problem definition was to create a wireframe that had a proper content flow, was interactive, guided the user to navigate through the entire portal easily, and also created and developed two different visual design concepts. After creating two different visual designs for the basic four pages, the team had a discussion, and with the concoction of the two visual designs, we created one single final design that served all the purposes. Later, the design was sent to the user interface developers for further processing. Working in a company like TCS, which has an excellent group of people who all have deep knowledge in digital media, was a great experience, also equally challenging and exciting to work with a completely new medium and learn from the basics. As a visual designer from IDC at IIT Bombay, their expectations from us were really high. They immensely appreciated our work, our work process, and our design style. Not only are most of the things new to us, but there were also many new things that they got to know from us. All in all, it was a good exchange of knowledge and experience.

This project aims to create a sensory experience for children who are visually impaired. Over time, children with visual impairments slowly become more acute in their other sensesver time, children with visual impairments slowly become more acute in their other senses. The lack of one sense increases the importance of the remaining ones. They become more sensitive to touch, smell, sound, etc. They use their fingers to understand a text written in Braille, remember people or places through fragrances, and understand the space around them through sound. The world around visually impaired children is drastically different from the experience of a person with normal vision. When a person with vision experiences the world, it is primarily through "what they see," but for the visually impaired, "what they touch, smell, and hear is what they experience." This project is concerned with visually impaired children of the pre-Braille class (5 to 10 years old) who stay in residential blind schools. There are a considerable number of students who remain in the same class for years due to hampered growth. Also, children are in a completely different environment when they go home during the weekends. This problem is widely known, yet very little attention is paid to it. My project aims to engage students in physical and mental activity when they are at home. At the same time, this activity will help them to improve their sensory coordination because knowledge of Braille demands sensitive hands, fingers, and coordination between sounds (ear) and touch (hands). The research led to prototypes aimed at engaging visually impaired children in active play. The goal of the designs is to create an aid that empowers children to build cognitive, social, and physical skills. The project will identify these abilities, teach them how to use them effectively, and assist them in learning about Braille. The idea is to make them physically and mentally strong, which will help them with pre-Braille development and at the same time make their sensory experience richer.

Pune was the cycle city of India, but now it is the motor cycle city of India. Pune has the highest percentage of two-wheelers in the state. Other than autos, bus transit is one of the major public transports Puneites use. Pune’s bus routes and services are very chaotic. There is literally no connection between buses and schedules. One of the common scenarios you will notice at any Pune city bus stand is that people are running here and there and asking everyone which bus goes where. or a particular bus number or route? Any new traveller who wants to travel from destination A to destination B needs to find the correct bus that goes to his destination. Also, there are various buses that go to the same destination but take a different route. The project aims to design a bus transit map that will explain routes and focus on 20 major stations in Pune city. To avoid confusion, this map will show you the shortest as well as all possible bus routes. This will provide the best possible service to the greatest number of people within the governing economic constraints. The route structure will be clear, requiring the user to spend the least amount of time understanding it. Because bus transit is such an important part of public transportation, bus lines should complement rather than compete with other modes of transportation, allowing each mode to be used to its full potential. People should interact with the route map in terms of comprehension and use, which will make their life easy in terms of bus travel.

The main objective of the project was to analyze and understand the Responsive design strategies in web design. This project focuses on the need for responsive web design for a wide variety of users looking at the mobile usage in the current day scenario. With increasing trends in the use of smart phones and tablets of different screen size, it became difficult and complex to maintain the website that fits best on different screen sizes. Responsive Web Design (RWD) is found to be an effective way of solving the issue of site management for different end users. As the name suggests, RWD is a conceptual design of website with the properties of liquid, which occupies the shape of a container without losing its properties. RWD conceptualizes on three main fundamental blocks of website construction. Which are Media queries, Fluid grids and Flexible images.

I worked at Bharathi Rural Development Society (BIRDS) for a summer internship Allagadda, BIRDS is an NGO working in and around four states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, and Kerala. BIRDS vision is "a world where all its inhabitants live in complete harmony with each other to maintain and benefit from balanced eco-systems." BIRDS mission is to create a platform for people from all walks of life so that they are able to take necessary action for ensuring ecological stability, safeguarding human rights, eradicating poverty, ensuring a minimum standard of living, and bringing in social justice (on account of differences based on gender, disability, social and economic marginalization, and displacement). BIRDS will work only for the furtherance of its vision, mission, and objectives. BIRDS recognise that they are only a part of a bigger movement to ensure environmental stability and in the fight against poverty. Therefore, it tries to establish linkages at the organisation and community levels with different strategic developmental players (governmental and non-governmental).

This project is aimed at improving the learning and communication of hearing impaired children aged 4-7 years. Hearing impairment is a major setback as the child loses the chance to learn language and speech at this precious age. Added to this, the parents do not know how to teach new things to the child for basic communication. These children require a special learning method after proper treatment through hearing aid with Cochlear implants. Specially trained teachers of Auditory Verbal Therapy (AVT) are very instrumental in improving their auditory, speech and language skills as regular teachers don’t spend enough time teaching these children or parents remove the cochlear implants. I have designed an interactive learning method designed for solving auditory & language problems which can used at home with help of parents as well.

This project aims at paying a visual tribute to the art, culture and architecture of the Kakatiya Dynasty in Andhra Pradesh - such as the Warangal Fort, the Thousand Pillar Temple and the Ramappa Temple. The finely sculpted dancers, beautiful flowers, aesthetically carved Prakaras or Gopuras says a lot about our ancient art and culture. This project takes the shape of a pictorial book that communicates the essence of Kakatiya art and architecture. Through this project I have tried to improve my understanding of photography, communication design and visual design.

Branding and identity are very powerful tools of communication that make a first impression, whether in business or in personal life. It represents the company's profile and existence. It helps people to recall some brands with just a little glimpse. I have never done branding before in my design education or career. I am always fascinated by simple, minimalistic symbolic identities that attract millions of people at a single glance. So I decided to explore the most basic and serious subjects of design. I start working on a hypothetical brand, which lets me think about all the processes of establishing a brand and identity. I start working on the most important element of identity, which is the logo, to make other collaterals on the basis of that. I came up with many ideas and processes between the idea and the final output. This time I worked only on the basics of branding, which can later be added to other things required for promotion and establishment. I decided to do the branding of a flower delivery and purchase company that would be international. I explored some initial options, which I later elaborated on in my own style of illustration, as I am also interested in illustration.

Images are an important source of our lives. From morning till night we see thousands of images on our smart phone; on television; on computer screen; magazines ; news paper and road side hoardings. Images keep coming at us many mediums and have become an very important source of our knowledge, entertainment and information. As a designer I creating images in many forms like illustration, photography, logosymbols and posters etc. This project has been an attempt to understand the process of image making, more critically. My previous approaches in image creation have been intuitive. While such an an approach continues to be important. In this project I have tried to understand the sources and the content and the formal aspects of visual language more carefully. As I explored different ideas many images comes to my mind before. A concrete image appears as a final thing. One important myth that I questioned during this project was my belief that image should always be pretty. There are many things around us that are not always pretty. I understood that sometimes images that depict our environment as its can be like mirror that reflect our world accurately. So in my project “Exploration In Image Making” I will create images of things that are often unnoticed by people.

A timeline is a display of events in an order that exhibits prominent trends and helps understand the reason for such occurrences. There have been several timelines available for art movements and design. However, most of these are meant to document the history that art and design charted in the West. There wasn’t a cohesive timeline to display the evolution of design in India. The aim of the project was to create a design timeline emphasizing on the evolution of design in India. However, it still tries to fulfill the key moments from the History of Design in the West in order to serve as a holistic reference for any design student in India. It focuses on typography and graphic design while covering the scientific, socio-economic, political, and art influences.

I took this project as a challenge to myself. I had never worked in a Corporate IT Company. So, to learn their work culture, methodology in how they apply things and come to a conclusion were all into my learnings. My project was for total 45 days in which we had created digital identity for TATA Consultancy Services’ (TCS’) Connected Marketing Solutions (CMS) group. They will be showing their portfolio work through this website. Here, we have achieved this by following current design trends to make it user centred design. I found out, working in specific time constrains, with limited sources, how to come out with a completely new solution. By designing this website we were trying to bridge a gap between customers and CMS group which would provide design solutions and strategy. Visual designs for old wire-frame was dome initially. Then new concept with new wire-frame was designed. Visual design for new concept was done and after that one final concept was completed with combination of two designs.

India is a country rich with 22 official spoken languages, 13 official and 10 major scripts. In a multilingual environment like India, people travel from one state to another in a couple of hours. When one travels to a different state, there is a new language spoken and a new script used for reading and writing. But one is unable to identify these scripts. Apart from the languages and scripts taught in school, there is no exposure to a new language or script. Many times, people speak the language, but the associated script is not recognised. It would be beneficial if one could recognise at least one new script apart from what is taught academically (in schools and colleges). Previous researchers have shown that the best age for learning new things is early childhood. A new script will be taught based on the Devanagari script as the users' native script. This project aims to provide a solution for easy learning through a touch-based game for the recognition of Gujarati script. Users will be between the ages of 7-9 years old and will be familiar with the Devanagari script. My current goal is to concentrate on the recognition of vowels, consonants, and numbers in the Gujarati script rather than conjuncts or script writing.

India is a country rich with 22 official spoken languages, 13 official and 10 major scripts. In a multilingual environment like India, people travel from one state to another in a couple of hours. When one travels to a different state, there is a new language spoken and a new script used for reading and writing. But one is unable to identify these scripts. Apart from the languages and scripts taught in school, there is no exposure to a new language or script. Many times, people speak the language, but the associated script is not recognised. It would be beneficial if one could recognise at least one new script apart from what is taught academically (in schools and colleges). Previous researchers have shown that the best age for learning new things is early childhood. A new script will be taught based on the Devanagari script as the users' native script. This project aims to provide a solution for easy learning through a touch-based game for the recognition of Gujarati script. Users will be between the ages of 7-9 years old and will be familiar with the Devanagari script. My current goal is to concentrate on the recognition of vowels, consonants, and numbers in the Gujarati script rather than conjuncts or script writing.

The elephant-headed god, Lord Ganesha, is one of the most beloved and revered amongst the Indian deities. Every year, we celebrate the ten-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festival in his honour. In the western states of India, particularly Maharashtra, families welcome the god by installing Ganesh murtis (idols) in their homes and setting up pandals in public places. Traditionally made with clay, and now PoP (Plaster of Paris), they come in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs. But little do we know about the 'murtikars', the people responsible for crafting these beautiful idols. My curiosity to learn more took me to the small town of Pen in Maharashtra, home to the traditional Ganesha idol making industry. All year around, the murtikars here work in their karkhanas and mass produce the idols that are then sold in metro cities. During my visit to Pen, I was exposed to the various processes of idol making and got a peek into the life of the murtikar for whom the traditional art form has evolved into a year round occupation.

A celebration of all things beautiful, Good Earth is India’s leading lifestyle and luxury decor brand. As a part of my internship programme, I had the delightful opportunity to work with them on conceptualising and visualising merchandising ideas for their upcoming collection (2015-2016). The following report describes my journey as I undertook unique projects that challenged & heightened my design sensibilities; and contributed to my understanding of the impact of visual communication on society. I have presented my design outcomes in form of tasks, each of which describe the objectives of the project, my role and involvement in the development, the challenges I faced along the way, and how I overcame them to come up with suitable solutions. These tasks ranged from visual merchandising to designing wall collages, all revolving around the theme of Benares & its cultural confluence for the 2015-2016 collection.

The Indian LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) community have for long struggled for their legal rights and acceptance, in a society deeply entrenched in homophobia. With the reinstatement of sec 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises homosexual behaviour, it has led to further discrimination of the community. It is evident, that we, as a society are conditioned since childhood to conform to certain gender roles and sexual identity. As we grow up, this need to 'otherise' ideas we don't understand takes over and homophobia raises its ugly head. It is the need of the hour to break this cycle and educate our future generations on this much existent reality of our times. The resources available to achieve this are minimal and for children, quite rare. The mainstream has shied away from accurate representation and often the depictions have been cruel and downright homophobic. The project is an effort to add towards the positive representation of the LGBT community through the medium of storytelling. Ritu & Chandni's story (& struggle) in the form of an Illustrated Storybook for Children - Ritu weds Chandi is the outcome of this effort. Little Ayesha observes, questions and tries to make sense of the resistance and stigma faced by her cousin's same-sex wedding, in this tale on how love overcomes all odds. The following report describes my journey as I broaden my understanding of the LGBT community and subject; and arrive at a design solution that allows me to contribute with the best of my abilities as a visual communicator in a meaningful way to the same.

History is a vast subject and is often dreaded by both students and adults alike. The aim of this project is to generate a healthy curiosity towards Indian History and make learning a richer and memorable experience. The project began as an exercise in creating visual aids to facilitate understanding for middle schoolchildren. However, after assessing the subject I realised that my own understanding of history was inadequate and thus began the process of re-learning. In addition to exploring the various reading materials and media resources available on Mughal History, I also undertook various activities which made my own learning experience enjoyable and fun. 'The Mughal History Project' - story kit is the outcome of this effort. The resulting story kit is a bundle of my own experiences that aims to make history less intimidating for casual readers through the medium of storytelling and activity. It explores the A to Z of Mughal Social Life, right from the Atelier to the Zenana; sharing nuggets of information on the larger-than-life personalities of the Emperor and his wives, their grand and opulent lifestyles, the court politics and not to forget the indelible mark they left on Indian art & architecture, which is reflected in the Miniature Painting style approach of the design. The following report describes my approach towards re-learning and understanding of Mughal History; and arriving at a design solution that captures my own experiences and present it with the best of my abilities as a visual communicator in a meaningful way to the same.

Gadia Lohars (also known as Gaduliya Lohars) are a nomadic community of Rajasthan, India. They are lohar (ironsmith) by profession who move from place to place on bullock carts. These carts in Hindi are called gadi, hence the name ‘Gadia Lohar’. As they have been on a constant move since many years, they are found in other parts of the country too. They generally camp in the outskirts of city for few weeks or months, temporarily establishing work place and selling their in the markets of nearby city. Their current economic status is not good and they are in constant struggle for political rights since they have been on a constant move from place to place since many years. This report is about one such group settled in the outskirts of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. It is the account of an attempt that has been made to study the lifestyle of this ethnic group.

A project by IDC, IITB, and RSK (Rajya Shiksha Kendra) for government schools in Madhya Pradesh involves the creation of supplementary material that is game-based and interactive in order to enhance the quality of learning in primary schools across the state. (In classes 1–5, particularly in subjects like mathematics and languages English and Hindi), The workshop was conducted at IDC, IIT Bombay, and included students from the National Institute of Design, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the Design Department at IIT Guwahati, and IDC, IIT Bombay.

The project is about understanding what is happening to some traditions practiced in rural areas of India in this an age where ‘development’ often assumes an aggressive approach. This will be done through the context of Chadar Badar- a puppetry craft of the Santals. The project began with wanting to understand reasons for its decline, its relevance in the current times and the desire to preserve or recover this practice. Questions that arose after understanding a field trip led to a closer scrutiny of assumptions underlaying the urge to ‘preserve’ this tradition. The project seeks to express dilemmas faced both personally and collectively as our societies attempt development. This will be done in the form of a picture book.

Within the framework of the current education system, there is little conversation between teachers and students outside of the curriculum. Teachers and students do not take time or effort to discuss the importance of what is being taught or the methodology being used to do so. The project aims to understand the reasons for this. Talking more often and more freely about course content and projects can lead to better performance and fewer complaints on both sides. But it is apparent that this does not happen. To bridge this gap, solutions will be looked at that will help students speak freely about (a) each other’s work and (b) the course being taught, as well as help teachers analyse if what they want to convey is being understood by students or not. The project shall not suggest a new academic system but rather find opportunities within the current system that will cater to the stated problem.

This report documents hand painted street signage in some parts of New Delhi and analyses the visual design decisions made by the artists. As graphic design students, an understanding of visual communication principles is critical for enhanced design choices. Observing the same choices as made by untrained artists and the impact of their decisions give us a more appreciative view of their craft. Some examples of interesting signage and beautiful technique are presented in this report, as well as insights from an interview with a practicing, established signboard painter in Chawri Bazaar, an area of Old Delhi. This project was undertaken at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay in December 2015 and was guided by Prof. G V Sreekumar.

Bira91 is a recently launched indigenous craft beer, currently retailing in Delhi & Bengaluru. The parent company, Cerana Beverages, approached DKMD in March 2015 with the brief of designing Bira’s identity, right from its logo and surrounding brand language but also its vision and strategic plans for the future to expand Bira’s loyal fanbase and build a brand banking on goodwill and cheer. The project covers contributions to Bira’s web & print presence as well as concepts for image-building events that will strengthen Bira’s recall.

This project documents a series of workshops conducted to teach children between the ages of 10 & 12 Devanagari calligraphy with the intent to sensitize them to the art of calligraphy and writing beautiful letterforms as well as generate awareness about calligraphy not just as a hobby or craft activity but also a creative process of expression. I created a 3 workshop structure wherein I designed activities & tasks that would aid their understanding of Devanagari and help them learn calligraphy using a structured, step-by-step process. The activities begin with an introduction to basic strokes and then move on to more complex and technical aspects of calligraphy. the children responded well to more traditional and basic tools and tasks rather than abstracted versions of the same activities.

Magazines are a powerful tool to promote an ideology or way of thinking. However, in the current scenario, magazines are finding it difficult to sustain themselves without the support of advertisements as readership is dwindling due to the slow rise of the digital reading audience. I propose to create a design magazine, published by IDC and targeted at young, aspiring design students, that talks about not just design studios and important people in design in the country but also about larger aspects of design and displays a nuanced view of design as a field or study. A magazine is a perfect vehicle to propagate the design message, in that it not only provides information but is itself a canvas. Since there is no commercial motive behind this magazine, it will be able to disseminate a more holistic design ethos and thinking, which can be part of an evolving design pedagogy. I also aim to create a structure within which the magazine is able to sustain itself without having to restrict any aspect of its being in order to retain readership.

Images and text create a dynamic relation which when unravelled creates several questions. One might say that images signify by virtue of resemblance or imitation, words by contrast are arbitrary signs, part of a language that signify by virtue of custom or convention. Simply saying that images are resemblance may not be sufficient for sometimes they resemble other images, illusions, imaginations and creations. Be as that may, an image also signifies something because of a social agreement or convention, an intersection with language, not just by virtue of resemblance. The relationship becomes more intertwined and playful when storytelling becomes a factor. The project is a way to gather a better understanding of this relationship through the lens of stories, especially those in the curriculum of CBSE. A personal motivation comes from the standpoint of being an illustrator and storyteller myself. When does an image supplement, contradict or simply gets along with text. Are their ways to objectively look at images and their relation with words. Moreover the involvement of children allows for a fresher perspective, garnering ways of seeing an image when there exists familiarity with the text. A simple match between text and image may never be enough, far from ideal, they may complement each other, help push the message through contradiction or encourage discovery. A viewer’s relation with the two and the way in which she participated (or doesn’t) affects the relationship as well. These questions are complex. Storytelling through the interplay or word-image may demand fulfilment of some factors as well. Discovering the same is attempted.

Agastya International Foundation is a Bangalore based non-profit educational trust that seeks to transform and stimulate the thinking of economically disadvantaged children. Agastya does this by bringing innovative science education to the doorsteps of government schools in various states in India. Ms. Latkar, Ms. Shah, and I went to the Agastya Foundation in Kuppam in order to understand the way this incredible foundation works as well as to conduct some workshops. Agastya brings students from schools in the vicinity and exposes them to technology, art, and multiple perspectives. I got the opportunity to carry out a shoe art workshop with nine girls from an all-girl residential school in Kuppam. Children were asked to make things that they loved, which in some ways defined them. Students used some incredible colour combinations and learned to use textures and patterns to aid their design. It was a fun-filled activity that gave me insights into organising workshops better.

The word ‘Queer’ is an umbrella term for sexual and gendered minorities. This community has borne the brunt of intolerance and rejection from the Indian society for a long time. The project attempts to understand the nature of these oppressions that they face, bringing out their voices to lead to a better understanding of them. To translate the ‘them’ into ‘us’. It does so by bringing in the perspectives, life experiences and opinions of not only the queer community but also of everyone on this sliding scale of sexuality including heterosexuals. Stories of these people existed before the retrogressive act of 377 came into being, criminalizing homosexual behavior in India. How has it affected these people? What are the prejudices that they face (if any) and is their a way to bridge this gap of our ignorance? These are some of the questions the project attempts to answer. The project ‘Queer Voices’ drives its force from people and their stories, complex multi-layered identities and their tryst with sexuality.

The project aims at facilitating English language learning in resource constrained environments. It aims at making the language more familiar in a context where it is largely alien and enables an engagement with it outside the ‘English classroom’. One of the key ideas is to improve engagement through content that reflects and is sensitive to the socio-cultural and geographical landscape of the said environment. This is done through games and stories that reinforce vocabulary and alphabet recognition.

Powai is a suburban neighbourhood located in northeast Mumbai. Now a days known as ‘Powai valley’ because of startup which is making this particular area as a Mumbai’s most upmarket commercial and residential hub. This project is based on the journey of startup guys in the form of graphic novel. This graphic novel will try to express the thought of shaping the idea into reality as well as the emotional journey to becoming an entrepreneur.

The design brief was to redesign the logo for Info Edge India Limited. Infoedge is an online company, so they were keen to add some tech meaning to it. During the process, the brief changed from time to time. After the first presentation at Info Edge brief, identity can be derived from key words. After the second presentation, the brief was to come up with the initials of infoedge (I&E). The brief was to connect the pillars of the company with some tech meaning to it. Some memorable symbols It's easy to forget.

Deafness at birth or in early childhood has disastrous effects on the child’s overall development. In a country with millions of people, that amounts to a huge number. Language and communication unites as well as divides the diverse groups of people here. One such group is the hearing impaired(mute and deaf). This project traces an attempt to encourage and motivate hearing impaired people to chase their dreams, provide a glimpse of the world from the view point of hearing impaired people, provide examples of success stories of people who fought their disabilities and achieved their goals and encourage the society to accept and acknowledge people with disability.

History implies that the smallest of thought has led to the greatest transformation. But that noble act of change that generates from the simple thought of doing good must start from within ourselves first. And then to the society we live and grow, and ultimately to the whole world. Journey of this project starts from solving the educational problems being faced by the young minds in a place called Jharia, of the Jharkhand state. It focuses on the understanding of problem within the rural society of the state, and therefore it’s necessary to have an understanding of the subject that would lead us to a good solution. Education is a very broad term and hence this journey will give me an understanding towards the real meaning of education. Which will allow me to be able to define the framework for the good education.

My journey began with lot of excitement in my heart, a chance to meet the people who are famous for their politeness and humbleness. I had lived the state of Uttar Pradesh for more than 18 years, and visited Lucknow on several occasions. This state is divided in 75 district, but there is nothing like Lucknow it has its own culture to appreciate people and it can be seen through generations. Lucknow is the second happiest city of India after Chandigarh according to a survey done LG electronics and IMRB International. Here life runs at its own pace. We may hear a lot of stories of Nawabs of Lucknow, but this city has remained beautiful because of its people. Pahle aap, pahle aap story may be famous because of Nawabs but one can still feel the same politeness from Lucknow residents. People will have a lot of time to talk to you, if they are not in real hurry. There is so much to talk about this city whether it art, drama, poetry, music, dance, food, clothing and the people. Chikan-Kari although introduced by Mughals but Nawabs made it the legacy, and it still continues. Some say it traveled from Persia to India along with Nur Jahan, the begum of Badshah Jahangir. Some references say it had been here since 300 B.C. by Megasthenes, who mentioned the work of white embroidery on whote muslin. Whatever it was but it is here today, an embroidery which remained exclusive for this particular city has become the identity of the Lucknow

This project gamification of education was organized by RSK (Rajya Shiksha Kendra), Govt of Madhya Pradesh and conducted by IDC, IIT Bombay. This project focuses on providing supplementary material for government schools of Madhya Pradesh. Prime objective of this project was to explore off-line as well as on-line/ digital medium and design/gamify the course content which is being taught in the schools. Studies suggest that reading, writing or arithmetic has not improved or gone down, at the same time rate of enrollment in private schools gone up as compared to government school in recent years. RSK realized the need of better study material which can improve the learning process and make it more engaging than mere textbooks. Idea of this project is project to make learning more engaging and light hearted so that they can meet other challenges which these schools are facing over several years. It needs to be addressed that there are abundant material already available in this domain, but not reaching to the children of these school.

Every person in this world aspires to live a better life than he/she is current state. It had been a human tendency to look around for a better opportunity for their living and strive for it. Industrialization has opened the doors for people who lived at villages and can get a chance to move to urban settings. Industrialization had brought urbanization, as a number of people traveled from a different place and they needed a place to stay. Urban places got the chance to develop and various facilities like school, healthcare, administration, transportation were more accessible. Education (school education) as a tool helped many of the people to meet their dreams. They had been migrating since ages and everyone has evolved through it. On one side, there were people from privileged society who had financial support to back them up, while on the other side there were people from underprivileged society. Talking of the privileged people, are the people those who get secondary level education or graduate level education which helps them to work in urban areas as Engineers, Doctors,Lawyers, Banks, Corporates, whereas there are people who don’t get proper education and forced to work as taxi-driver, domestic help, housekeeping, construction workers etc. Civil societies have tried to help the second type of migrants in several ways. Providing education to the children of these people, so that they can get better opportunity to find a job and living This project is an attempt to understand how this civil society had tried to help the children of these migrants. Were these efforts helpful to, if yes then how and if not how it could be made better?Aman Day Care Centre was one of such opportunity to understand this scenario, and how it is different from the other institution for children of the people who didn’t migrate to the urban settings.

If you play, you will get spoiled, to become a king you must study hard. Well, these were the lines which I used to hear in my childhood. As like many of the children, I never questioned why I should only focus on studies and not to play. An aspiration which they were trying to build in me was to become and engineer or an IAS officer since my childhood. I always wanted to join the Air Force and yes, my parents accepted this fact because I was not deviating myself from studies.Performance in the academics was the only parameter at which we used to get evaluated, and many a times we were compared with others as how well they are performing. If a child is not getting good marks, he/she is sent for tuitions and may be asked to an extra hour of study to improve. To earn a good livelihood and lifestyle, it is assumed a person must be good at studies else he/she may not have a great career ahead. At the end it is all about money to be earned. If we discuss about today’s scenario, there is a lot of opportunity apart from traditional profession. A person can be good at various other skills apart from academics where he/she can build his/her career. The reason I am discussing about all this is because I used to love sports. At one point of time I had an opportunity to give it a try but did not know how to convince my parents. When you are good at something, and it gets appreciated, it motivates you to do more and better in that field. It is the story of thousands of people in the country. People are good at sports, but many a times they do not get support.One of the most important factors is the lack of awareness towards new and upcoming opportunities not only in the field of sports, but many other fields too. For the last 12-15 years, it has been noticed that Indian athletes have been performing in various events like Archery, Shooting, Wrestling, Boxing etc. and winning medals. It is important to appreciate and acknowledge their and efforts, and first and foremost important things is to know about them.

Beaten brass vessels especially Ghaagars and Handas are a very famous part of Barshi, a town in Maharashtra which also is my hometown. These vessels have been a part of childhood and growing up years. We use these to store water till date. This project gave me an opportunity to look into the making of these Ghaagars. I was lucky enough to be hosted by a wonderful family by the name of Gore who have been providing these vessels to my family shop for more than five decades now. I learnt about the entire process of making the Ghaagar. And also about a life very different than mine.Visual ethnography was a completely new field for me. With the excitement of a new subject and an age old tradition to explore I embarked on this journey of understanding the ‘Thokyachi Ghaagar’.

The project undertaken at Ek Type was an attempt to realise the nuances of type design in regional scripts. The project I worked on was to code and develop the Ek Gujarati font. Ek Gujarati is a humanist monolinear typeface that is part of the Ek multiscript family. I worked on the regular and extrabold weights of Ek Gujarati. Gujarati script is quite similar to Devanagari script, minus the shirorekha. It has a distant feature that differentiates it from other Indian scripts, and that is the 'vanak'. With its differences came different challenges in coding. During the course of my internship, I learned how to use the software and programmes needed to code and develop an open-type font. The tools used during this project were FontLab Studio 5.1, Adobe Font Development Kit (afdko), and MakeOTF. MakeOTF requires one to have certain text files apart from a ttf font to develop an open-type font. There are certain specific commands that make these codes work. These included substitution rules, glyph positioning rules, defining glyphs, kerning, contextual substitution, et al. We followed a specific way of naming the glyphs, which helped us maintain consistency in coding. This will also make life easier for anyone who works on this font later. After a lot of trial and error, some serious and some silly, the font was successfully generated. The final part of this was to test the font to see if it worked. And it did.

India, unlike other countries hasn’t addressed the issues of accessibility for people with disabilities quite well. Navigational systems that are built for people with vision usually work for people with hearing impairment and other disabilities. India has the largest blind population in the world. And these blind people face multiple issues in navigation. They depend highly on others for basic tasks like travelling to work everyday. Commuting to a new place is filled with a number of difficulties even for a person with vision. In a city like Mumbai where there are multiple modes of transport and the population so large, anxiety only builds up for a person trying to travel. For a person without vision this only multiplies. Mumbai’s rail network is extremely complex and one of the busiest in the world. There is no system in place that helps the blind understand this network and thus commute independently. And since the railways are one of the most prefered and important modes of transport in Mumbai, it becomes very important to understand it. This project is an attempt to aid the blind people in understanding this network better by using a map and making them independent while travelling on the trains.

Jains are statistically a very progressive community. They are highly educated, they have made their mark in almost every walk of life. They live comfortable lives and a have a high standard of living. Even the women in the community have a very high literacy rate. But despite all the prosperity, Jainism cannot boast of treating its women right. Jainism is a patriarchal religion like most other religions in the country, And through the years, women in Jainism have had a secondary status. Examples of this can be seen in the stories, scriptures and general hierarchy in the society. This has percolated in the society that we live in today. Not just the lay women, but also the nuns are given a secondary status in the community. Despite being educated, most women do not stand up against the prejudices and the injustice that happens in everyday life. This project is an attempt at questioning these everyday practices and starting a dialogue in the community

“For many millions of people, often living in rural areas of developing countries, herbal medicines, traditional treatments and traditional practitioners are the main – sometimes the only – source of healthcare. This is care that is close to homes, accessible and affordable.” Margaret Chan Director General World Health Organisation Chronic diseases and poverty work in a vicious cycle where they feed off each other. In such a situation providing quality medical care is more than a basic right. The physical well being of low income group and providing basic healthcare facilities becomes an important tool in fighting poverty in our country. One of biggest issues in developing nations like India is how they deal with Non Communicable Diseases. Diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and chronic lung disease, kill more than 36 million people million people each year and account for 80% deaths in low- and mid-income countries. This is is furthered by the escalating cost of allopathic drugs which poses a huge challenge for our country. A large population of India still doesn’t have access to proper healthcare facilities. Traditional or local medical practices try to fill these gaps in our society. One can find them in tents or temporary setups across a lot of Indian cities. They have no professional degrees to follow their names. They boast of no palatial or air conditioned buildings as their clinics. Nor do they have any modern laboratories or sophisticated equipment to aid and assist them in the work of diagnosing their patients. All these constraints notwithstanding, these wayside doctors claim to cure almost all maladies of the human body. These medicine men work outside the purview of organizations controlling the medical system in India. They are considered outlaws in a rationalistic society which demands proof for everything. It’s a complex issue which sometimes runs head on with superstition. Through my brief study of roadside dawakhanas I tried to develop my understanding of the place of traditional methods in the current society.. For a majority of the population this is the care that is accessible and affordable..

Landor Associates is one of the world’s leading strategic brand consulting and design firms. Founded by Walter Landor in 1941, Landor pioneered many of the research, design, and consulting methods that are now standard in the branding industry. Partnering with clients, Landor drives business transformation and performance by creating brands that are more innovative, progressive, and dynamic than their competitors. Landor’s holistic approach to branding is a balance of rigorous, business-driven thinking and exceptional creativity. Its work spans the full breadth of branding services, including brand research and valuation, brand positioning and architecture, naming and writing, corporate identity and consumer packaging design, branded experience, brand equity management, brand engagement, and digital branding.Five years in India and Landor Mumbai is now a multidisciplinary, full-service consultancy providing branding, design, and digital services. Some of our clients include Cafe Coffee Day, Delhi International Airport, ICICI Bank, Mahindra, Taj, Tata Global Beverages, The Park Hotels, Titan, and Usha Martin. The Landor 369 Studio specializes in fashion, food, and wine clients such as Anita Dongre, Busaba, and Charosa Wineries. Branding is a larger strategy of how the perception of consumers is changed and evolved over a long period of time. The design process while being important and being the face of the brand evolves out of the larger umbrella of brand strategy and brand positioning. These tried and tested strategies and methodologies have a fantastic potential to be used in taking design strategies and positioning to craftsmen and businesses who cannot generally afford design agencies.

Films have been using typefaces the same way they have been using music, sound, colours, editing, and lighting to complement and construct the narrative as a whole. They evoke a certain feeling, they subtly suggest what is about to unfold and at times they put you in a mood to laugh, cry or be gripped with fear of something. Typefaces in films along with the other elements are invested with the responsibility of expressing and taking the narrative forward and hence the fonts used in films are an excellent place to delve in to while looking for expressive typefaces. Lettering used in films was specific to the films they were meant for and that way it was unique. Our goal in this project was to put to use the uniqueness and use this inspiration as a base for the project. We have focused primarily on the pre-digital era movie titles which were crafted by hand. Pre-digital era movie titles carry the aesthetics of a bygone era and represent the then prevalent culture. The lettering used in movies were never intended to be carried on to any large scale reproduction and printing. Painters/designers of movie titles could dip into their long years of training in traditional hand lettering and the craft has evolved and refined seamlessly through the ages. That in itself makes film titles an invaluable source for type design. It is difficult to reproduce the same style consistently if we are forced to recreating fonts manually. Our attempt was to transition the hand lettering in the titles by extracting their values and re interpreting them to make a font that contextualizes it for the current times.

India today is plagued by superstitious and irrational religious practices. Only three states in India have laws specifically targeting these practices. Over the past four decades there are many rationalists organisations in India which have successfully targeted internationally popular “god men” who boast a following of millions, exposing their activities as nothing but “well-packaged gimmickry”. In a bid to debunk belief in miracles, palmistry and astrology in the countryside, where the majority of people are illiterate and believe in the supernatural, there are several organisations which hold regular workshops and street plays. These organisations have been trying to pass laws which prohibit godmen from perpetuating these superstitions which hasn’t found a lot of takers. Yet we see religiosity declining in some factions of the society which makes us ask the question about the importance of beliefs and religiosity in today’s day and age. As much as they are considered foolish, superstitions do affect the society a lot. A large section of our society believes in superstition and blindly follow religious practices and therefore fall prey to conmen and godmen and it hinders social progress. Superstitions should not be confused with tradition and culture. Through this project we aim to look at how various groups in the society look at religions and what their belief systems are. Fiction and films influence public opinion, not by making political statements or attacking certain sections, but by the stories they tell and the way they tell them. I would like to stay away from the documentary format and focus towards a fictional film that addresses or asks these questions instead of a film that takes a stand disseminates information. The larger question of what beliefs are and why they are followed needs to be answered. Through this project I want to address the issues behind religion, belief, religiosity, tradition, culture and rationalism through a film

Amongst the various directional and shop signage, political graphics can be seen all over Tamil Nadu. Every election seems to paint the towns and cities afresh. Today however, there is a growing number of flex banners and printed paraphernalia. Rapidly advancing digitalization of visual space in India is replacing individual creative efforts. On the surface, due to the lack of a clear visual language, the sheer multitude of these signs create visual chaos more than they do order. Tamil characters are larger, rounder and wider than Latin letters, fitting the two together often compromises on legibility. However, on a functional level, do these signs still work? What do they add to the visual of their surroundings? Painting these signs is usually someone’s livelihood. Usually these hand skills are passed on from one generation to the other, along with their fresh and unique appeal and quirks. They are easily identifiable and are an important detail in the visual “brand” of any city—instantly recognizable anywhere. In the course of this project, I was fortunate enough to come across a sign painter and observe his skill. I was also able to identify certain styles or unique characteristics of the signages in and around my hometown, which I easily overlooked before, due to the chaos and visual clutter. This project proved to be a chance to document the sensitivity and fineness of indigenous typography. The locally originating character of marketplaces, hospitals, bus stands, etc.; from where these signs were collected brings forth the native nature of these hand-painted typographical expressions.

Tata Elxsi commenced its business on May 5th, 1989, headquartered in Bangalore, India, with a global network of offices in Dubai, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, UK, and USA, to develop and promote applications of electronics, embedded systems, and software. The service they provided in the areas of Service Design, Design Research, UI/UX, Product, Visual, and Automotive Design was exceptional. The Graphics team started as an auxiliary to the Product Design department, mostly to create standard packaging labels. Over 3,000 employees are working in the Design Factory. "(Brands are) a fascist state where we all salute the logo and have little opportunity for criticism because our newspapers, television stations, internet servers, streets, and retail spaces are all controlled by multinational corporate interests." Brands began not as a means for consumer exploitation but for consumer protection. In pre-industrial days, a brand provided a guarantee of reliability and quality. Its owner had a powerful incentive to ensure good products in order to persuade people to come back for more. Distance created a need for brands. In poor countries, the arrival of foreign brands points to an increase in competition.

The first stage of this project involved collection of data from various academic sources—papers, journals, blogs; my study relies on Bapurao Naik’s “Typography of Devanagari”—the book is comprehensive until a certain point in Devanagari’s time-line. After that, the guidance and works of Professor G V Sreekumar and Dr. Girish Dalvi, combined with references to reports by previous students at IDC that attempted to study various aspects of type-design brought to light newer perspectives and data. This data has been analyzed and sifted through, in order to create a perspective that is accurate and free from bias. Content was created with focus on the message, regardless of medium. A time-line was created for the script right from its evolution from Brahmi until the creation of modern day type foundries such as Ek Type and Indian Type Foundry. The History of Devanagari has been traced through inscriptions, first attempts at hot metal printing in India and overseas during the colonial era, until current day where it is designed on a computer. Filling the gaps in the information to create a concise output has been the greatest challenge of this project. In order to preserve the nuances of the script and not lose it to the constraints of technology, value has to be added to it by those who design. There is a dire need for designers in the field of script typeface design in this age of digitization and responsive web design. My project aims to inspire and provide a comprehensive reference point for such designers. The report concludes with a set of typographic panels, that can be displayed at academic institutes or design gatherings attended by students and professionals alike

Cycling and walking are two of the most prime methods of transport. Such modes of ‘Active Transport’ give us the most control over our movement. These are two activities that one can never forget, as it is so ingrained in our muscle memory. Why then, in a society that is increasingly health conscious, where medicine has made leaps and bounds to extend longevity, where fitness is not just a trend but a way of life, do we still not adopt these methods of basic human movement into our daily lives? The pollution from our vehicles causes our temperatures to rise, motorized transport strains all our resources and creates a looming mess that we can’t seem to clean up. We are a society bombarded with choices and advertorial messages all day, everyday; we have a world of knowledge at our fingertips, yet there is a requirement for an external stimuli that can make us reconsider our choices that we make in our daily lives. This project falls into a realm of work that provides this stimuli. An initial survey involved asking people their preferences and why they simply do not make a conscientious effort to contribute to the well-being of the planet though the means involves merely taking care of their own bodies. Understanding the problem, though it might seem like reinventing the wheel, is part of the process in order to understand and gain insights about this innate laziness that we as a generation seem to have so easily adapted to. Work done that is similar to this endeavor in other such situations around the world was studied as part of secondary research, wherever similar efforts to promote walking or cycling were taken. Much work has been done in glamorizing cycling as a sport and not enough promoting it as a means of transport. The most active cities in the world all have one obvious common quality of possessing the basic infrastructure needed to pursue such means of transport. Since that aspect is not under my control in the realm of a design project, I decided to dedicate my project to those who are already inclined to physical activity. My outcome is a piece of communication that recognizes the limitations of influencing opinion and serves as an aide to people who want to pursure exploring the city in an unusual manner. It is for those who want to see it through a more personal perspective and need an incentive to plan out their own adventures. This project is created for the love of being outdoors, be it in an urban landscape or to be a little closer to the strains of nature around us. It is an aide towards making a more conscientious and healthy choice.

While doing my undergraduate studies in Fashion, I was fascinated to learn about fashion subcultures ( e.g.: Goth, punk) and how they evolve. I began to wonder if India had any such street style subcultures and what are the factors which influence those. In India, there is an urban crowd with social media accounts, who is aware of global trends who makes very similar styling choices , there is another crowd influenced by bollywood and there is another set of people who are least aware of fashion or trends. This group of people, most of whom are rural sometimes come up with the most unique ways of dressing and have a very personal style. I have always been fascinated with the way women from North-east parts of India dress. Northeastersn traditional attires are quite elegant and unique. The women seems to have an effortless sense of style. So as a part of DRS, I would like to understand the factors which influence the way the women of Manipur chose clothing. Further, I would like to study how they balance traditional influences, global and local influences to alter the way they dress

This written submission of my summer internship includes an account of the different types of work I have done during the time I interned at Tantadan Design, Thane. I interned for a period of four weeks from the 1st of June, 2015 till the 30th. As a fresher to the graphic design industry, my primary aim was to understand the workflow, design process followed and to gain a first hand experience of the dynamics of working in a creative studio environment. I also wanted to strengthen my technical skills and gain an understanding of my strengths and weaknesses.

This project aims to understand food in the context of a country with a huge population & economic disparity and to learn about food and safe food in terms of what is being done & what could be done, what attitudes prevail. The world is anticipating a food security challenge due to the rise in global population and hence there are debates on whether industrial food system can meet the challenges while being ethically right and environmentally sustainable. Rethinking of how we approach everyday food behaviours that are more environmentally aware, socially inclusive, and healthier appears to be a particularly timely concern. The project aims to study ideas, behaviours, knowledge, practices and attitudes towards food within through a process of extended conversations with diverse people and to communicate them through an illustrated book.

The National Curriculum Framework 2005 envisions an education, where children are given a space to reflect, ask questions, wonder, and probe sources of knowledge outside the textbook. A lot of people in India have been working towards making this dream a reality. But even now history still remains a student’s nightmare in schools. The vastness of the subject adds to the drab of trying to learn it. But most of the time, it is also hard to relate to the lives of some King or Queen, living somewhere with life and culture too different from what a child knows. As of now, the school syllabus is largely centralised and hence cannot include local perceptions to a large extend. By enabling communities to include their local history and culture to be a part of education, we empower them and help us connect better to the nation. In this project I have attempted to aid this process of transforming history learning into a more palpable experience by creating resources to document and exhibit a student’s enquiry into his or her own history and share it with the world. This project’s initial goal was to create a set of learning and teaching material, specific to a locality to help students’ of that locality make sense of their identity in relation to individual and to the world. The locality I have focussed on is Kozhikode which used to be a part of Malabar. So I have learned about the history of Kerala, Malabar to build a knowledge base. My outcome is a crowdsourced web platform which can nudge the schools in Calicut to participate in contributing to the history of Kozhikode.

Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the most vibrant cities in India, and is among the top ten fastest growing non-major-metropolitan cities of India. Today’s Lucknow has a varied character, that boasts extravagant, pedantic recent architectural additions that lack ethos, a mixed cultural scenario, thriving commercial opportunities and a highly sought after active political arena. However, less than a hundred years back, it was primarily known as the leisure city, the cultural capital of the Awadh that thrived under the reign of the Nawabs, who left a cultural legacy of appreciation for food, music, dance and beauty. as well as a series of delicate, beautiful spaces and experiences that are faintly reminiscent of the rich Nawabi culture. Despite a rich former identity it held strongly in it’s historical background, the city has evolved through rapid globalisation and fast paced ways of new era. However, some of it’s past has managed to find a place in the lives of the contemporary population. Local food habits and demands in particular, seem to have been very accepting of the new additions while also being inclusive of the older ways, which is quite delightful an experience for the foodies who often wander into the city to try out the local delicacies. Had it not been for the immaculately ancient ways of the local natives, their longing for the past, and the brilliant old token heritage buildings, museums and music and dance schools, the cultural of the Nawab’s would have been almost mythical by now. Having had my own personal encounters with the Awadhi food culture, I took on this project out of sheer fascination, to understand the nuances of a culture which is till date celebrated for it’s delicate character. Visual ethnography, the chosen method of research proved to be a suitable tool during field work. The aim was to understand and effectively capture changes that were brought about in Awadhi culture and food over the years and what promise it holds for the future.

Indian education system has been lacking many appropriate and necessary resources and therefore, has failed to be effective, for a very long time. It has often been criticized for being too rigid and based on rote learning rather than problem solving. There is also an acute shortage of qualified Indians in Indian education system. Apart from the obvious issues, there are also many deeply embedded problems that need to be studied and worked upon, in order to improve the quality of education. ‘KHEL’ is an ambitious project aimed at improving the quality of education in the schools of Madhya Pradesh, and hence make a contribution to the betterment of the Indian education scenario, by generating supplementary material based on game-plays and activities. The opportunity to be a part of this project offered to encompassed many of aspects of quality education and learning based on thorough research and interactions, and resultantly provide us, participants, with an opportunity to contribute to the possibility of a better future for the underprivileged kids in Madhya Pradesh

In Mumbai, there are around two million stray. IIT Bombay, due to its proximity to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Powai Lake, itself houses many different kinds and species of stray and wild animals, which includes, stray dogs, cats, monkeys, snakes, leopards, etc. One of the major issues, as reported by the residents, is the presence of stray dogs and cats. For many years, the human residents of IITB have had a variety of responses on the situation. The community here is mostly divided on the issue, and, hence there is a dire need for a formal / informal, functional body or committee, with a vision based on compassions without bias, that could cater to the needs of the residents of the campus, both humans and animals. Through this project, I hope to understand the practical and ideological reasons responsible for the stray dog-human conflict at IITB and propose solutions that keep the relevant welfare of both people and stray dogs residing in the campus

Through this project, I have made an effort to understand the realm of old age and how it speaks to the younger generation. The project eventually culminates making a film which speaks of the struggles faced by the abandoned elderly and the caretakers in old age homes. The film aims at encouraging the younger generation to open their hearts to the struggles of the elderly, and take notice of the innocence that comes with old age, a quality which could eventually be a source of joy to many such people young people, who themselves are struggling through today’s fast paced ways of life with a hardened heart. At the core of this project, I have tried to re access the evolution of my relationship with my grandparents, take a closer look at similar experiences of my peers and the elderly themselves, and articulate the learnings either through personal or a third person’s point of view that could speak to one’s sensibilities

The pottery industry of Khurja makes a variety of ceramic goods such as flower vases, object d’art, crockery, industrial ceramics like chemical porcelain, ball mill linings and balls, electrical and electronic ceramics like low tension (L.I.) and high tension (H.T.) insulators, spark plugs, sanitary ware, stoneware jars, etc. Crockery and insulators account for the major share of what is produced in Khurja. Ceramic insulators and laboratory equipments are made directly by the big factories on special orders. And their production is totally dedicated to outside vendors and industries. But rest of the items can be found very easily in the local markets and Highway side emporiums. Fancy emporium is a famous emporium at Munda Kheda Chowk. There were several varieties of crockeries, vases, Chandeliers, ash trays etc

The first project handed over to me was Logo Design for a New Delhi based Start up by the name of The Flying Grocers. The Flying Grocers is a new online and offline grocery store which is entering into the business of online Grocery Store. It will have both online and offline grocery stores. One can order either online or can physically go to the nearby store to purchase grocery. Client gave a very clear brief that there company will claim to deliver fastest and at reasonable rates. Colours that will be used in should be cool colours and should go with the functionality of the company. The most important brief was that the company is going to start its new E-commerce business, the logo should look good and eye catchy on the screen. I started primary sketches on paper and after multiple iteration I finally reached the logo that client actually approved

Bhils being the third largest tribe of South Asia, have a population of over 25 million in India. Their art and culture has a big part in Indian tradition and folk art. Bhils have a lot of untapped and untold interesting stories and narratives that should be explored and put forward in front of large audiences. People nowadays are more inclined towards western culture, films, art and theatre etc. Although its a personal choice, we should also be sensitive towards our own art and cultural heritage. This project is to bring awareness among today’s fast moving tech savvy generation and give a totally new perspective towards Bhil art. Through the support of Tata Centre for Technology and Design, Prof. Nina Sabnani, IDC IIT Bombay took this great initiative and started the project ‘Telling it Together’. This project is concerned with the themes of craft development, education and technology. It brings together designers and craft communities to create media artifacts that enhance the reach through digital media and offer new opportunities for craft development and craft awareness. The objective is to engage and collaborate with the Bhil community of Madhya Pradesh that has its own unique form of painting and narratives that can be transformed into different artifacts, animated films and illustrated books

This project will be the next stage of my Academic Project 2 Participatory Design with Bhil Artists. In the previous phase (Project 2) the main focus was understanding the Bhils, their cultural values and their narrative paintings. The main goal of the project was to create a visibility for their art through game design. Thus the main focus was on understanding the community and then taking some aspects of their culture to conceptualize the game Bhagoria. The final output at this stage was the game play, graphic representations etc. Now, moving on to the next level of this project which is Project 3. I am taking the same game project Bhagoria to its implementation stage. In this stage, the focus would be on rectifying the feedbacks from previous stage, designing the game props, animations, sound effects, main and mid cutaway story animations, finalizing the game mechanics, coding of the game and finally packaging the whole game design into a working game application. And if possible I would like to test the game as well. This phase of the project would help me to understand and learn the game development process, which includes animation, sound effects and game mechanics: basically from the idea and concept stage to the final execution of the deliverable. The most important learning would be to understand how any digital design is likely to change and grow in its journey from concept to its final execution stage

This project, titled "Visual Dictionary: Folk Culture of Maharashtra", looks at the East Indian community of North Konkan in general and the Samvedi Christians of Vasai Taluka, Thane District in particular. What makes this community remarkable is that it did not evolve thus, naturally, but out of mass religious conversions. Several kingdoms ruled over the Vasai region, each one adding their own flavour to what already existed . Creating a cultural mosaic; a sort of mash-up of languages, music, food, rituals, and costume. Thus, a hybrid folklore has evolved. Today, the youth of Vasai are moving away from traditional jobs and lifestyles. Their urban white-collared jobs have not only brought them prosperity but also the notion that "traditional" is passe while "western" speaks of fine taste. Thus, the rich culture of Vasai stands at a crossroads. Having said that, self-reflexivity compels me to look at myself as I judge Vasaikars for letting their culture evaporate. Don’t most traditional cultures melt into cosmopolitia and die a natural death? So, on what basis should I insist that they preserve their traditions when I myself think in English rather than my mother tongue? This report is an account of journeys made to Vasai villages. It attempts to understand "folklore" and its context by looking at East Indian literature, music, and customs. The Visual Dictionary was done much later, almost as an afterthought. more out of curiosity about the place than as a pre-requisite for this special project.

Auroville (City of Dawn) is an ‘experimental’ township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Pondicherry in South India. Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity. Upasana Digital Studio was founded by Uma Prajapati, Upasana was born in 1997, originally with one table under a tree, as a garment design and manufacturing unit. Today it is a place where business, creativity, fashion, Indian Culture, design, social responsibility and spiritual progress all come together for a creative synthesis. Recognising the extensive litter plastic bags throughout India and the damage it was doing to our environment, the team at Upasana Design Studio set about creating a reusable cloth bag that could be conveniently packed and carried, eliminating the need to use plastic. This project aims to tackle large issues with small steps and move towards greater environmental and social awareness.

Modern design education in India began with the setting up of National Institute of Design (NID) in 1961 and Industrial Design Centre (IDC) in 1969. Much has happened since then. From the days of ‘License-Raj’ India has taken a path to liberalisation and opened its markets to the world. In the wake of all this and the shift from a social[1]ist outlook to a more capitalistic inclination, the role played by design schools needs to be reviewed and re-examined. This chapter is related to my readings and reflections on subject of design and design schools. I also look at Auroville (though not a design school) as it has an atmosphere conducive to growth and nourishment for creative spirits. Two other notions that offer interesting standpoints that can enrich educational approaches at IDC are liberal arts and self-reflexivity

Hopes to open up the world of a brass band owner to everyone and draw one into the culture, traditions, beliefs and aspirations of the Samvedi community to which the musicians belong. This film is about individuals who are musicians by passion and bankers, engineers, teachers etc by profession. This film is really about balancing passion & profession, making life meaningful, giving back to community and about individuals, pushing towards progress and taking everyone along. Jaihind Brass Band plays at weddings, communions etc in Vasai area. My personal journey of getting to know them unfolds through this film.

This project is directed to explore the possibilities and future of printmaking and setting up a fully functional printmaking setup in IDC, IIT Bombay in order to enable the enthusiasts to express themselves through the feeling of multitude, the core essence of printmaking. Going by the varieties of the printmaking techniques, the knowledgeble ones know that the technical possibilities are unbounded which includes, but not limited to etchings and woodcuts, vinyl graphics, linocuts, lithographs and complicated, conceptually driven projects intended to raise social consciousness. Philosophical questions remain. As new mediums proliferate and lines between genres dissolve, you may wonder if there is any value in maintaining printmaking as a separate artistic category. To answer this question, it is tried in this project to explore the realm of printmaking, as a separate genre of art and art history, as well as the medium through which the artist can probably vent out her/his long due frustration of unfruitful labor, as printmaking comes with the feeling of giving birth, a feeling of long overdue success, of engraving some permanent mark in the roof of the bulldozer of myriad expressions and tools of creativity.

Digital Picasso has been founded and is headed by Shahid Badshah, a JJ School Graduate with over 9 years’ of design excellence. This is an advertising and brand design agency. They think, They design. They fuse the science of strategy and the art of pixels. They create & offer creative communication solutions. Applying micro-thinking to macro levels. Just by thoughtful design. A small agency with big ideas. They are digitally related to Picasso. They are Digital Picasso. My main task was to re-design logo, back drop,posters, brochure. display design, packaging and survey for Sparkles diamond jewellery and design a brochure for Uniglo diamonds(Belgium). I worked on following topics: • Re-branding for sparkles diamond jewellery • Brochure design for Uniglo diamonds. This was a new apporch for me and was exciting as well as challenging, which allowed me to look at design from industry and user point of view.

The aim of this project is to understand the working system of Mirakle Courier and their employees as all the employe’s are speech and hearing disables. The project also aims at understanding the working of courier system and make changes in the existing system to make the work more efficient and fast. The target audience being the employees of mirakle courier, the project aimed at designing a working system for them which will include stationary design, design and redesign of various forms, computer base application etc. Which will make the working system of Mirakle Courier fast and efficient.

The project is an attempt to understand the possibilities of visual structure and composition of images photographed by the visually impaired. It also tries to understand the uncharacteristic shooting angles in addition to the objects and the subjects they choose to shoot- to open a window to their rich, fantastic visual world. The documentary film explores the various tactile, audio clues, visual memories of sight, the warmth of light and cognitive skills are used by the visually impaired to create “mental image” before they take judgment to take a picture. They use the camera as an extension of “self” to explore the visual world, gain deeper insight while recording their imagination and their point-of-view. Photography by the visually impaired reveals that a photograph can be made successfully in the mind as much as by the eyes, free from the techniques and rules followed by sighted photographers. It illuminates a new line of thought distinct from the way we approach photography and demands active mental participation of the sighted viewers to understand the experience of expressing a world that is not seen or limitedly seen.

The methodology of visual research has been challenging for the simple reason that it is difficult to be invisible in an environment and be observant at the same time. Since the most important aspect of visual ethnography is observation, an open mind and eyes are the most important tools while doing research. The stages of research of research have been: General observation and getting to know the place: this included just walking around the bazaar without any particular intention. This establishes a sense of the place and people around. The next stages involved close observation of people, products and shops. This included using media like sketches, notes and photographs to document the bazaar again with no particular focus. This helped lay a ground for study and reflection of the subject area. Once there was an established sense of the place the next stage has been to focus more into a particular area or person, learn and record more insights. The study thus starts from an overview of the bazaar. It then slowly enters a macro level where each aspect of study is carefully understood.

The project is an attempt of acquainting me to the field of type design and scripts in India. The format of the document is more like my learning diary where I have tried to put together the various facets of type design the way I have learnt them. ‘The process has been equally important to the end product’. The chapters progress in the same order as I have approached my project. The first two chapters speak briefly about the nature of work in CDAC in the field of font design and an account of the project initiated there. In the next two chapters I have tried to summarize very briefly the digitization in letter design pertaining to Indian scripts and standards and the study of devanagari script which is a prerequisite to developing further understanding. The further chapters extensively elaborate my project work and stages involved. It reflects my approach and methodology and the actual learning of the project and process of font design. Thus the document lays down the process of my summer internship, moreover the many various things I got to learn and see during the course of this project.

The increasing advent of globalization and technological advancements are taken to tell that we are living in an age of increasing sameness. The cultural diversity, once rich and abundant is being replaced by a global culture. This has had an effect on the visual culture of India. Regional dialects, languages and scripts have not escaped the consequences of ‘modernization’. The well painted billboards and shop signs have been replaced by massive in your face advertisements. The streets are full of panwalas and departmental stores wear the same huge red beverage advertisements on their heads. The devanagari script saw its peak in the times of letterpress, when elegant complex letterforms were cast and used widely in print and publication. The nature of Indian scripts being different than Roman or Latin, their digitization initially proved to be a tedious task that did not deliver the script in its totality. Recent developments in type digitization however have reached a stage where the script can be produced in its original richness of form and elements. There has been increasing demand for the digitization of Indian scripts to reach larger number of audiences via several media. In the print media, newspapers in Hindi boast more circulation than their english counterparts, proving that there is certainly demand. The digitization of Indian scripts however have brought in their wake alteration in form to suit the requirements of the technology available. Though reach of the scripts has widened, they propagated the spread of a deteriorated form. This forms the inspiration for undertaking the task to analyze the current type design scenario & thereafter design a new approach to designing typefaces to propagate the richness of a correct and complete script.

The devanagari script saw its peak in the times of letterpress, when elegant complex letterforms were cast and used widely in print and publication. The nature of Indian scripts being different than Roman or Latin, their digitization initially proved to be a tedious task that did not deliver the script in its totality. Recent developments in type digitization, open type font formats, web embedding has ensured the script to be produced in its original richness of form and elements. There has been increasing demand for the digitization of Indian scripts to reach larger number of audiences via several media.

This is a study of Marathi literature for children written in Devnagri script. I did a study of the technicalities of Marathi books from the point of view of illustrations, printing quality, layouts, and content. I have interviewed several authors, illustrators, publishers, school teachers, shopkeepers, and kids. I have done a comparative study of the present material available in the market and the older literature. The past and current trends in reading have been analyzed. The methods which can be employed to increase interest in reading Marathi books have been included in this project.

Synapse is an information agency that partners with clients to solve their business problems through information based initiatives. t the process of interacting with clients and delivery of work because unless we stand for something, how we will work. There are almost 40 people work there in different project group. The family members of Synapse are Visual juju, txtcontxt, dotahead, Zaki etc.. So there are like 8 sections. Which works unitedly and happily under one roof. In main Synapse office according to clients the project sections are divided, like Zaki works on creating paintings as they supply paintings as per the order. I was appointed in Project 3 where mainly they were working on HP printers, Microsoft, and Share Khan. For HP printers, the task was to create sale in electronic shop where other gadgets are available. We had to create idea for need of printers so that its selling rate increases and the market for printers rises. In the other projects of Microsoft and Share Khan I had to create comic illustration for their home purposes which were used within the office.

Fort is the business district of Mumbai. Once considered the heart of the city, this area is known for its side walks those are constantly filled with vendors selling books, music cassettes, CD, clothes, imported items etc. This area is also gifted with other gems include Bombay University, The High Court, the BMC Building and stately Horniman Circle. This area is jam-packed with visitors and commuters who came to experience this established commercial center of Mumbai. In addition of my personal experience of finding way to my desired destination had a dependency on street vendors and local people. I also found many other people like face similar problems and it was much greater for people from foreign land due to language barrier. I decided to work in this particular area in order to help the visitors to reach their desired destinations and also arouse my interest as a Visual Designer to take up this problem of helping tourists to explore this area by providing them with a visual Map.

The project is an attempt to understand my approach to painting. It began with a study of my earlier works that included textile motifs using forms from nature. During the project I explored using acrylic colours and creating images that were not entirely pre-meditated. As a painter to expresses his/her thoughts through paintings. As being a student on visual arts I was able to express myself through my paintings but it was very tough job writing about it. There may be many flaws in my writings. I am used to creating images from early times and I am confident of expressing it well but my writing, which I started few months back is not that good. So I have written this report in an question answer format, the question which I had asked during the process, so I feel that this process will be easy to understand for the reader to grasp.

This is a document of what I have seen, experienced and heard when I traveled on the No. 9 compartment of the Mumbai Local trains. There are many things about the Locals that surprise me every time I travel in one. There are so many interesting people that you meet in the compartment. They are friends who meet only in the locals, who share their lives for the time they travel together and then go their own way. There are many incidents that made me want to do visual ethnography such as experiencing a “bhajan” group (groups which sing religious songs) in a men’s compartment, hearing of groups of men who meet on the same local everyday so as to play cards, Women who have formed groups in the train and have kitty parties which are named after the time or number of the local trains etc. I wanted to see this different world and experience every bit of it. When I started going by train I realised that it was too vast a subject to cover so I started concentrating on the women’s compartment only and that’s when I realised that its a small world in itself and had many kinds of incidents that I could write on.

In the year 1949, the great humanitarian Baba Amte being moved to the core by the physical trauma and social stigma of leprosy afflicted people, set up the Maharogi Sewa Samiti on a piece of 50 acres of uninhabited, barren and rocky land in Warora, Chandrapur District, Maharashtra. The initially the activities were limited to the medical treatment, training and rehabilitation of the leprosy stricken. However, due to the unique nature of services rendered, over the years, it grew to such heights as to embrace within its ambit a wide spectrum of downtrodden and marginalized people as the physically challenged, the deaf-mute, the blind, orphans, tribal people etc. Muralidhar Devidas Amte was born at Hinganghat in Central India, on the 26th of December 1914. As the eldest son of a wealthy Brahmin landowner, Muralidhar was protected from any material deprivation. His enormous energy was happily absorbed in an idyllic childhood with long hours of play, pranks and wrestling with other boys.

Storytelling or the verbal narration is an art that makes stories more immediate. Storytelling is an oral tradition. It is known to use several media such as painted scrolls etc. to enhance the telling. However the control still stays with the teller. I wanted to add one more dimension to the already existing art of storytelling i.e. to make it more tangible in the physical sense of the word and a personal experience. I also wanted to let the child learn storytelling and use the same tangible characters to create multiple narratives. Stories and Storytelling have always fascinated me. As a child I always loved to listen to various stories told by my grandmother and my mother. Also I used to love making up stories with the innumerable toys that I had. Remembering my days of wild imagination I wanted to create a similar platform for children that could allow their thoughts and imagination to be free.

“Exploring innovative approaches and techniques in Macro Photography” is a project in which I will be exploring and learning the different facets of macro photography. I will be exploring techniques used to do macro photography and present the images in a novel way. In doing so I will increase my knowledge and enhance my skills of macro photography. At a later stage I will be combining Macro photography techniques with time lapse photography to give the project a whole new dimension.

Lucknow has been famous for its various handicrafts for as long as anyone can remember. Zardozi is one of the most exquisite ones. It is extensively practised in Old Lucknow where a lot of craftsmen live and work. I visited one of the add as where it is done and in no time made a bond with them. This project is an attempt to understand the nuances of the craft and its people, get a glimpse of their life and know them better. Each day marks a different experience, a stronger bond and a deeper layer of insight. In the course of this visual ethnographic study, I begin to enjoy the rhythm of everyday activities and evolve in a way that is intangible.

“Pottery is not just an art form, it is a therapy.” An AIFACS awardee, Meena Vohra believes “Its never too late to learn.” She had her first brush with clay at the age of 50. She has had a journey through its realms and has carved a niche for herself. She had been a school teacher for 13 years but was always interested in art. Pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln to induce reactions that lead to permanent changes, including increasing their strength, hardening and setting their shape.

I love clay. In it I feel seeds of growth that I can nurture with my hands. Pots are like babies and pottery a bliss. Every pot is a projection of myself but it has a language that is beyond the grammar of written words. It is like a conversation that happens between clay and fingers, the former almost commanding the latter how to move in a certain rhythm and create the form. It is challenging yet simple, it is primordial yet playful, it is formless but creates the form and it is full of surprises. Goals for the current project: * To demonstrate the ability to create a set of identical pots to the extent to which the effortless ease of production pottery has been internalized. * To evolve my own aesthetics of form and glazing. * To develop a clarity with regards to repositioning of a craft. * To explore pot-making. * To follow the bliss.

People across the globe are bothered about the future of the planet, a future that none of us have any answers to. With a hope that the generations to come will save the world, both outside them and within, alternate and non-traditional models of education have to be explored. A holistic education of the child is necessary to find an answer to that question. That is what sketches the outline of my project this semester. Goals for the current project: * To attempt an understanding of how children behave in a given environment. * To observe their responses to materials and learning through art. * To document the Free Progress education model followed in Deepanam School, Auroville, in the form of a book. * To explore book-design.

Indian music and visual communication has developed through ages. It always incorporated western and technological influences to create new forms. Similarly, with the rise of information technology and knowledge sharing at the speed of lightening, the new forms are emerging. The idea is to look into the mentioned fields in the present scenario, cumulatively and then simultaneously. The contemporary music scene in India is an ocean itself. The rock music has also found its way and scope within a larger domain of “music from India”. The musicians are attempting to communicate not just musically but also visually. So, the research attempts to understand the philosophy of contemporary Indian Rock Bands through their Visual Identity and Representations.

The UNESCO New Delhi Office’ Social and Human Sciences Sector has commissioned an Indian adaptation of the generic Guide, Historic Districts for All – a Social and Human approach for Urban Actors The generic guide is the result of the work carried out at UNESCO between 1997 and 2007 and has been produced as a teaching tool to address the pressing need of local decision makers in large and medium sized cities, and to strengthen the capacities of city professionals, architects and urban planners across the world. Considering the specifity of the Indian Urban context, UNESCO has decided to develop a Guide for Urban Actors in India that reflects the country’s complex urban scenarios, the structure of local governance, the decision making chain and the urban reform currently underway through the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission ( JNNURM). An official interview was taken on 7th May 2009 by Ms. Marina Faetanini, Programme Specialist , Social and Human Sciences Sector. A Current Project, Historic District for All – India, was explained by her. After learning the internship duration is just a month, she insisted that I should stay at the organization as much as possible. A City Walk invitation by a private NGO, Salaam Baalak, to slums and grey areas near the New Delhi Railway Station was an eye opener. The Constraints in which people live and their will not just to survive but also to excel was inspiring. This City Walk had a different flavour to offer from the Traditional Heritage City Walks in different cities around the World.

Today, when the western images dominate design and architecture students’ minds, they become disassociated with indigenous practices. With a jargonized consciousness around, the inspirations need to come from the self. Especially, when there is a wave of sustainability in design environment, and complex facial approaches towards it, there is a need to come up with relevant and simple methods. Architect Laurie Baker’s work lies in the relevant domain of indigenous geniuses. His wide variety of works handled with not so common ‘common sense’ is boon for this century. Being an architecture and design student, I always heard and acknowledged Laurie Baker’s work, but never realised the strength of his way of building, which lie in the power of simplicity. So, I see this project as an opportunity to present, to our generation, a relevant philosophy towards design and life.

Being old is a tough truth of life. It is inevitable. One cannot avoid it, but one can definitely live it! The silvering of life can make people lose their contact with their internal and external world, as there is a gradual deterioration in the mind-body coordination. The physiological strength declines with time, which most of the times effects the overall psychology and vice-versa. Whereas, if one attempts to keep the mind engaged in creative pursuits, the deteriorating nature can be neutralized. A good mind, therefore can help in maintaining a good physique. Eventually, the state of wellbeing is the most important factor towards, living it! When in my first year of studies, the project “Design for Elderly” was introduced, I had hazy ideas about the approaches towards the subject. I was not clear how will I really contribute. With time as I discovered the general process of user specific design, I realised one can really attempt towards designing for this newly emerging segment. Initially, I was trying to relate only with physiological problems. Later, I realized my scope of work is more toward the psychological aspect. The boundaries are thin, and one needs to walk over them cautiously. One really needs to understand, what this user group really would like to have. Not a radical change, which makes the benefits them to a level of isolation, and not the same pulp which makes them struggle for finding the context and association. Just a balance, a design, which makes them feel special.

In the Summer Internship project in Lotus, I got opportunity to work on ACEAGRO project under Omkar Mulgund. It is an India based Agricultural company which is famous for its export quality organic products. There were different projects executed by me as a part of this training which ranged from CIP (Corporate identity programme) for Natural Sweetener which is Aceagro’s total organic substitution for sugar, Cat[1]egorization of Information and designing for web designing and Informative show reel of company for Aceagro. While working in summer internship project I learnt other related areas of design such as handling corporate clients and their comments, and giving my best in deadlines.

The earth has its own system of balancing its environment. The cycle of balance is going on from so many years. Now this cyclic process of balancing is facing numerous problems. These problems are slowly affecting the whole planet and ultimately, us. There are many organizations working on environmental issues to spread this awareness. This message needs to reach to every level, so the needed change in human behavior and habits can be motivated. In India where not everyone is literate and not everyone has access to technology, this message need to find its way to all. I am trying to convey this concern for environment in a manner, which is highly accessible though simplified. For this purpose, I am working on a theme, which is close to a large part of Indian society, who can easily relate to the way it is made. I am using a traditional way of entertainment, education and communication to convey my thoughts about environment, which is mythology.

Mr. S. D. Phadnis is a renowned cartoonist and an illustrator, working for almost six decades. He has carved a niche for himself in the field of humorous illustrations. The simplicity in his work brings out the humor in the day-to-day life. His outstanding illustrations in the Maths textbooks (1st/2nd std) for school children, introduced me to the splendid art of illustrations at a very early age. His illustrations made learning Maths more fun and easy. Thanks to my documentary film project, for my Masters, I got an opportunity to meet him personally and understand his perspective towards work.