About two weeks ago I was approached by the Association of Designers of India (ADI) to help organize an opening event for the 15th Pune Design Festival, befitting its theme: “NOW”. The conference theme evoked an immediate visceral reaction in me. I was inspired to translate that feeling into a poem. I suggested to the ADI that my friend and the CEO of the Sea Change Design institute Lauralee Alben and I would take our ongoing dialogue of the past several months about the intersection of poetry and design to the opening event. …
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” E F Schumacher.
This story is a perfect example of how a simple design artifact helped me unload my foolishness of the past two decades.
Almost three weeks ago a designer friend from Canada Renn Scott posted an announcement that Daily Goods Design Labs had produced simple and innovative bags to support mobility within workplaces.
“The original idea (behind this design) was for people to move btwn mtgs from space…
Obsession about the future has in the past kept us from getting the most out of the present. The pandemic has opened a small window of opportunity for us to expand our consciousness and learn to engage meaningfully with the “Now”.
How might we use “Now” as the center from which to expand our sense of connection to the universe with curiosity, compassion and creativity?
These and more questions will be addressed at the Pune Design Festival (PDF). The event will provoke conversations about the paradigm shifts taking place around us. …
Preserving your inner child
If only we could preserve our inner child we would not let education and growing up get in the way of evolving into curious, compassionate and creative human beings.
This thought. has been on top of my mind since my professor in design school set a goal for us to “reclaim our childlike freshness” through the design foundation program. Several decades later my understanding of what it means to preserve my inner child became clearer when I heard Sir Ken Robinson say,
“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it’s the one…
At the onset let me give you an overview of my thinking. I believe that today there is a need to address the issue of evolving identities in intercultural communities in a constructive way.
We need to train our future generations to harness the resources of intercultural communities with curiosity, compassion and creativity.
Now let me elaborate. I begin my comment with a basic belief ingrained in me during my early years. That my motherland India is a diverse country and “Unity in Diversity” is our moto for progress and prosperity. …
last night
my friend said to me
“now tell me your story
does it begin with the sky
or the universe
or your own soul?”
well, it depends
on who is telling the story
and to what purpose
is my story
my pitch
a biography
an autobiography
a resume
or a part of
someone else’ story?
is my story
a dream
a discovery
a memory
or is it a
lingering sensation
for those
whose lives
I have touched?
my story is
a story of
aspirations
adventures
struggles
wins and losses
and foolishness
we all experience
It is a story of
…
Platonic Love
when I stand there
staring at the sky
I feel I am conducting
a concert
and that.
the changing colors
of the sky
is my orchestra
the exchange
of energy
between the sky
and me is
symbiotic
the interplay of
colors of the sky
and my emotions
has synchronicity
when I feel cosy
the sky feels like
a star studded blanket
when I feel philosophical
the sky feels like
a container
that envelops
my soul
when I feel sad
It feels like
a warm hug
when I feel Inspired
the sky feels like
a palette of colors
that…
This year has provided us the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be human:
To me being human is about nurturing relationships. Building relationships is about creating a common ground for coexistence. Creating a common ground is about finding a common purpose. Finding a common purpose is about building a community.
Designing communities will be a new frontier for designers in the post lockdown future. The isolation and suffering of the past year have forced us to reflect and reimagine how we want to live. The process of reflection has brought into our awareness of the artificial boundaries…
What I can do during the pandemic
Nobody knows how long our fight against Covid will continue. There is a news from UK today that a deadly mutation of Covid is now spreading in the UK forcing the government to impose a stricter shut down. European countries are imposing travel ban for people traveling from the UK.
In the US California is emerging as the new hot zone of Covid. The worst is yet to come, even though vaccine is creating hope. According to Dr Fauci “Until 65% of population is vaccinated, herd immunity will not kick in. “
What…
For many of my friends, 2020 was a time of struggle, pain, and suffering. For me, it was a time for reflection. I see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity; to look away from the distractions that surround me and to look inwards. It was an unsettling year that reminded me that my feeling of vulnerability is an invitation to rediscover my priorities in life.
I have learned that by embracing pain and suffering rather than fighting it, I can become more resilient–that the feeling of vulnerability opens my mind to explore possibilities that in normal times I…