UNDERSTANDING, ACCEPTING OUR ROOTS AND AN INCLUSIVE MINDSET.
(My understanding of ‘Design’ as a means for development, for the future of India)
Design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process, or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process.”[1] Design has always been seen as a means to add aesthetic value to objects and spaces. It’s perceived as an effort put together to make something look good, but there is more to design. It is a process that helps us connect with others, understand them, empathize, and create something effective. Design brings us together as well as helps to fulfill our individual needs. It makes one realize the impact of simplicity, the beauty of lines and connections, and the joy of making. Many may say design doesn’t play a very important role. Surprisingly we do apply design principles in our everyday life. From making a schedule to arranging tables and spaces. We do the above to better our efficiency and productivity. The aesthetics don’t directly affect us physically but they do have a mental effect. Making us feel peaceful or at times even mindful.
“Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change, or the addition of physical, economic, environmental, social, and demographic components.” [2] Development can also be described as an effort made to improve the quality of life for all. It also includes the creation, expansion of local regional opportunities without exhausting our resources. Development is usually visible and helps in growth but it’s not necessarily an immediate change. While one ponders about how can we grow or in other words develop? One should never forget that it’s not an individual phenomenon.
India has and is developing every day. We have grown stronger in multiple sectors from agriculture to industrialization, infrastructure to taking a step towards sustainable living. In the process of growth and the desperation to survive, we did accept and adapt to different cultures and their principles. For example, the westernization of our education system, industries, mass production mentality, etc. These have their own pros and cons, it helped us to rise and improve our stander of living, to get an identity in an international platform, but somewhere we forgot our root, our culture, values, our learning. We hesitate to accept and be proud of our past and this is the side effect of the above. I am not implementing that one should only grow by sticking to their culture but implying that one has to maintain balance.
One can explore and understand the Indian value system and culture by just glancing through our history of music, architecture, paintings, writings, systems, textiles, etc. We have multiple fascinating customs, stories, that teach us not only about our roots but they talk about our principles. For example, Indian textiles, we have been working with textiles for ages. Be it the industrially produced cloth or handwoven. We have excelled in both. However, our culture in terms of textiles is different from the others. We don’t see a piece of cloth only as a wearable or a decorative piece. We see it as a canvas that can tell stories, skills, can be an inheritance. Banarsi sarees, Zardozi work, Chanderi all are just a few examples of what we have to offer. There are sarees that are handwoven with gold and silver threads. In our culture sarees are passed down from generation to generation adding an emotional value and narrating the richness of our culture.
My understanding of ‘Design’ as a means for development, for the future of India; is directly propionate to Indian cultural, value systems and to maintain a balance between the usage of our adaptation and inheritance. Textiles were not an example to promote our culture but, to make one realize the importance of the pieces we are leaving behind, the handy craft communities. We are a country that has a vast variety of handy craft that is fully developed in terms of skills and quality. We have excluded them from our plans as we adapted the western culture. Forgetting that we grow/develop when every one of us is involved in the process. The handy craft communities can help us build and become a brand for India. The formula of a developed India is: understanding and using Indian culture, collaborating, and uplifting our communities to build a better stander of living for all. This is where design comes in, filling in the gap that creates the divide. Design will help us connect the dots and bring us together.
To achieve something big we need to start small. An inclusive attitude will help us grow stronger and better. Getting aware of our roots and appreciating will help us create something unique. “Reaching the goal of a completely developed country but by leaving our roots and our pieces behind will lead to an incomplete development”
