The Guiding Lights: Designs, Practices and the Published Collections of S Balaram
As a student and later as the educator, he has constantly strived to acquire professional design skills that would integrate design, liberal arts, humanities, science and culture. Before the NID, liberal arts had no place in education related to applied sciences such as engineering In India— Rabindranath Tagore's Viswabharati (1919) being the only exception. The design projects by Balaram showcase how the psychology, habits and the cultural needs of a target audience get fulfilled in form of unique propositions through designs. His underlying rationale for products that he has designed unify the modern design principles of functionality, ergonomics and aesthetics with the product mechanizations in India in those times. Some of his early projects of the Bullock-cart and other harvesting implements; revolutionised architecture for common man with the heightened use of Indian Aesthetics. For instance, Balaram along with his batchmates did a group design project of a ‘the seed drill’ unifying the modern design principles with the grassroot needs of farmers to benefit through agricultural quipments designed for them [5] , [11].
Similar professional practice-projects by him at NID and under Ford foundation grant scheme project with the RCA; led the design students at NID in India those times to practice as well as reinterpret the ‘learning by doing’ principle of the Bauhaus as ‘learning to know and learning to do’ in order to allow learning of the design process that aids designs for real-time needs of the people [11].
Another practice-based development concern that Balaram’s works and the efforts of students and faculty members together in those times at NID – raised good no of significant questions with respect to the geographical as well as cultural identity of India [11], few of them as follows:
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Why would a poor country with millions of starving people need design?
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How is Design relevant to the India of today and the India for tomorrow?
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How is Design different from Craft?
The journey of developing these practices and pedagogies further bloomed and formatively dissected their significance and implications as part of few other human-centered industrial products that Balaram gave to the India; during his learning years at the RCA.
Balaram has shared that he has always wanted to work for society and hence was always more inclined to design trains or cycles as it benefited more people. The Sind cycle addressed the need of a personal vehicle in India that had to be affordable, sturdy and comfortable. This prototype was brought back to India, which was replicated with the help of a small-scale industry [5].
The legendary cycle designed by him for India at RCA in those times communicated revised and revamped meaning of Universal Design in context of traditional and cultural context of India. This, Balaram shares in form of detailed analysis of the context-to-process approach on the basis of people and the objects they use are the codes / affordances that the design language of his products aimed for - to fulfill the living needs, conditions and the lifestyles that re-formed the universal design interventions for them [12], [13].
“India has the marvellous tradition of wearning unstitched, uncut garments which continues even today in the new millenium and is certain to continue in the future. These designs have reached perfection in designs and have become timeless classics. For instance, the lower body garment:
dhoti worn by men versus the traditional Indian saree (upper and lower grament) worn by women – both are flexible, elegant and versatile enough to be worn while being in a farm, a religious ceremony or a social function (such as a marriage), etc” [13].
He further lays emphasis that future designs and designers must seize the opportunities in Universal Design and contribute through mainly these areas of design interventions: Societal attitudes, Educating for the Future, Positive Thinking by the User groups, Networking and Increasing Usability Range [13].
As per Balaram’s practice approach, ‘selection of project’ matters and is evidence of both spontaneous as well as long-term project based learning outcomes – that students as design experts in their practice areas should develop for their future professional practice. For him, this selection basis was rooted in his choice to design critical ordinary/everyday objects for the masses in India. For instance, he designed a gas stove with the Indian Oil Corporation and the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehra Dun. In his words, Balarm explains, “This stove gives 50% higher efficiency by controlling air intake for maximizing combustion. It was designed for production via small-scale industries. This multi-wick stove has a square fuel tank with increased capacity of 2.24 liters thus reducing number of fuel fillings, reducing the tedium of using the stove as well the wastage involved. It has features incorporated in it that prevents misalignment of sleeves, adjustable wick length and an oil level indicator. With adjustable vessel supports it could handle a wide range of vessels for purposes of boiling large volumes of water to melting small portions of butter. It is known now as the ‘Nutan Wick Stove’ [2], [5].
Another landmark project of his was the design of a gas stove for the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Prof Balram developed stove design concepts for IOC based on his analysis using a minimalist design approach, thus maximizing benefits for the user at low materials and process consumption [2], [5].
The project also involved modularity in the stoves to accommodate the expanding nature of an individual’s household from bachelor to married and then household with children, giving a good training to confront different user age groups with different needs [2], [5].
