I am posting on the blog after a long period of absence and introspection. I was invited by the Torrent Group in Ahmedabad to make a presentation on organisational sustainability based on my reading of major events and key highlights from the NID history of the past 50 years at a conclave for their senior managers at Ranikhet. The text below is the thumbnail outline for my lecture and it sums up my readings from the events that I have listed. The visual presentation titled "Lessons from NID History: Reflections on Institution Building for India" can be downloaded from this link below:
Download visual presentation as 12 mb pdf file Lessons from NID History: Reflections on Institution Building for India
Download text of the summary as 80 kb pdf file Timeline Lessons from NID History: Key Highlights and Insights
Download Full Text of Lecture at Ranikhet as a 120 kb pdf file Full Text_Lessons from NID History
Timeline Lessons from NID History: Key Highlights and Insights
M P Ranjan
Design Thinker and
Author of blog – www.DesignForIndia.com
Chairman of The Governing Councils at NID
1. Gautam Sarabhai - Oct 1961 to Feb 1974
2. Pupul Jayakar – March 1974 to June 1978
3. B G Verghese – July 1978 to June 1981
4. Shrenik K Lalbhai – July 1981 to June 1984
5. Prof. Yash Pal – July 1984 to June 1990
6. H Y Sharada Prasad – July 1991 to July 1994
7. Hasmukh Shah – August 1994 to June 2005
8. Ajai Dua (IAS) – January 2006 to February 2007
9. Salman Haider – March 2007 to January 2012
10. Anand Mahindra – January 2012 to date
The Inception: 1955 to 1961
* MOMA exhibit for SSI travels to India
* Pupul Jayakar meets Charles Eames
* Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru invites Charles and Ray Eames
* The India Report by the Eameses
* Ford Foundation and Rockfeller Foundation support
* Memorandum of Association
* Society Registration
* Establishment of NID
The Formative Years: 1961 to 1970
* Gautam Sarabhai and Gira Sarabhai as leaders
* Established at Sanskar Kendra
* Management structure: Governing Council and Internal Management/ Executive Board
* Early Faculty: Dashrath Patel / H Kumar Vyas / P B Bhagawat / R K Bannerjee / W M Date
* Establishment of Post Graduate Programmes: Graphic Design / Product Design / Textile Design / Furniture Design and Ceramic Design / Animation / Film Making / Photography / Typography
* Establishment of Library and Workshops with Ford Foundation funds
* Visiting Faculty: Eminent Designers with Ford Foundation funding
* Ford Foundation Project Funding and first round of Faculty Development and international training
* Publishing of NID Documentation 1964 to 1969
* Learning by Doing – as slogan for project based learning
The Crisis Years: 1970 to 1980
* Induction of first Executive Director: Vice Admiral Soman
* Falling out with Chairman Governing Council and trial by media.
* Launching of Undergraduate Programme – SLPEP
* Establishment of internal student consultative processes – Consultative Forum and Discipline Meetings
* Structure Culture Document
* Internal Management Executive Board with Prof H Kumar Vyas as Acting Director
* Departure of Gautam and Gira Sarabhai
* Pupul Jayakar as second Chairman of Governing Council
* Wanchoo Committee Report
* Thappar Committee Report
* Induction of Ashoke Chatterjee as second Executive Director
* New Evaluation Systems for NID Faculty and Staff
* Labour unrest of workshop staff
* Floods of 1973 – Inundation of entire ground floor facilities
* Commencement of Institutional Building processes
* Design of Systems for internal management
* Rotating responsibilities for Faculty and departments
* Creation of Faculty Forum and internal processes of consultation
* IIMA Faculty as management consultants – Pulin Garg and others in Admissions and evaluation systems
* Ravi J Matthai as advisor to Executive Director and Governing Council
* UNIDO-ICSID conference on Design for Development – New Ideological perspectives for Design education to look at neglected sectors and new areas of application.
The Culture Building Years: 1980 to 1990
* Systems building in education and formulation of teaching curriculum and syllabus
* Testing of educational processes that were unique to India and elsewhere
* No examiniation system of evaluation jury and qualitative assessment of students
* Professional Projects taken to classrooms and students work on live projects in the field
* Research projects in textiles and industrial design
* Social Communication projects in Communication Design
* Environmental Design projects for Tourism and Conservation of heritage
* Village studies through Special Projects and Extension Training in Crafts
* Focus on Quality and Delivery of results as new models for development
* Faculty Forum and Open Forum as a platform for planning and collective action
* International acclaim for development focus – ICSID Phillips Award
* International acclaim for Design Education – Sir Misha Black Award
* UNDP Project Funding and second round of Faculty Development and international training
* Induction of Vinay Jha as 3rd Executive Director: 1985 to 1989
* Ashoke Chatterjee as Faculty Emeritus and Advisor
* Decentralising of Administrative processes
* Liberalisation of Faculty engagement and work ethic
* Project focus and Institution building strengthened by decentralisation
* Outreach Programmes set up with Cells in Bangalore, Madras, Delhi and Calcutta
The Consolidation Years: 1989 to 2000
* Induction of Vikas Satwalekar as 4th Executive Director
* Consolidation of Education programmes and documentation of outcomes
* Young Designers Publications launched and sustained
* Diploma Projects of students as a barometer of connect with the National economy
* Major Professional Projects continue
* Publications Programmes established
* Outreach Programmes consolidated
* Consulting activities strengthened
* Major consolidation in education processes and quality focus
* New Curricullum developed and introduced at UG and PG levels
The Rapid Expansion Years 2000 to 2008
* Dr D O Koshy inducted as 5th Executive Director
* Numerous new initiatives launched on a daily basis
* New Centres set up in Bangalore and Gandhinagar
* New Disciplines launched at Paldi, Gandhinagar and Bangalore campuses
* Design projects outsourced and rapidly scaled up
* Disconnect from education and projects
* Educational processes undermined
* Pre-Diploma presentation abandoned
* NID in the news on daily basis
* CII-NID Design Summit series launched and sustained from 2001
* Many International linkages re-established under the MOU format
* Student and Faculty Exchange programmes formalised and expanded
* Government Funding for new facilities and campuses enhanced
* Quality erosion in education a source of concern internally
* NID workshops dismantled to make way for digital facilities
* National Design Policy launched
* Massive Computer infrastructure established with government funding
* Speed, Efficiency and Administrative controls centralised
* Research Focus as a new slogan to bring culture change
* Faculty induction with slant for PhD holders
* Student dissent on Gandhinagar and Bangalore campusses
* D O Koshy’s term extended in 2005 but suddenly ended in 2008
The Golden Jubillee Years; 2008 to 2012
* Akhil Succenna appointed as Acting Director.
* Status quo in education and institutional processes
* Pradyumna Vyas inducted as 6th Executive Director
* Consolidation of Education quality and processes announced
* Review of curriculum launched by faculty and alumni teams in each discipline
* Publication of NID History as a major project for Golden Jubilee
* MSME Project launched with massive funding from Government
* Faculty consulting scheme launched after much debate
* Institutional projects take a back-seat
* India Design Council Launched and new programmes for design promotion announced.
* Railway Minister allots Rs 10 Crores for a Railway Design Centre at NID campus in March 2012 budget speech.
Insights Lessons from NID History
A. Nature of Design
Complexity and Chaos
Systems Thinking
Wicked Problems
Value of Traditional Wisdom
Metaphor of Seed – Needs Nurture
Metaphor of Fire – Acts as a System
Metaphor of Iceberg – Only a part is visible
B. Nature of Education
Motivation and Ideology
Feeling Sensitivity (Empathy)
Tolerance to Ambiguity
C. Nature of Organisations
Resilience to Crisis
Flexible to Change
Systems for Routine Tasks
D. Nature of People
Leadership can Rally people to perform
Systems Values
“Power cannot be delegated, it can only be assumed” Ravi J Matthai.
E. Nature of Mission
Clarity of Goals
Structure of Opportunity
Mapping of Meaning
F. Nature of Knowledge
Deep Respect for Traditional Wisdom
Tolerence for Ambiguity
Prof M P Ranjan - Design for India
