“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…