Riding on numerous success stories, its reputation has travelled well beyond the country?s geographic boundaries. Often spoken of in the same breath as the IITs and the IIMs, it has always set the benchmark for design education in India and been a haven for the creative community. And when Darlie O. Koshy starts talking about the National Institute of Design, one knows why. ?Other institutes have a single unique selling point (USP), NID is a combination of several of them,? believes Dr Koshy, NID?s executive director. ?Commitment to excellence, multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary design education, systematic selection of students, motivated faculty, inspiring campus, a global context yet a local orientation ? all these are the USPs of NID,? she elucidates.

Culture of dynamism

NID was set up by the Government of India in 1961 with the help of renowned designers Charles and Ray Eames. Located in Ahmedabad under the ministry of industry and commerce, it is internationally acclaimed today as the foremost interdisciplinary institute for education, research, service and training in industrial design, textile and apparel design and communication design in India.

Koshy believes NID has been evolving over the years. ?If 1961-70 was the period when we trained trainers, the Seventies were the time when we introduced the undergraduate and outreach programmes. The focus during the Eighties was entirely on the NID curriculum and its international profile. And the Nineties were the time for transition. The period between 2000 and 2005 has seen accelerated growth towards the agenda for the 21st century,? Koshy asserts.

Steady ascent

Since its inception, NID has grown steadily. From one, the number of campuses has grown to three. Only an undergraduate course was on offer in its initial years, but today, the institute offers a wide variety of courses, both at the graduate and postgraduate levels. Courses range from industrial design to communication design, from textile and apparel design to exhibition design. A graduation course is an intensive four-year professional education programme whereas a postgraduate programme is for two-and-a-half years.

Admission announcements are issued in leading national dailies in the last week of September every year. Those eligible are called for an admission test which looks beyond academic excellence and takes into account the perception, attitude, aptitude and achievement motivation of a student.

Campus chronicle

On campus, students do a lot more than just study. An activity committee deals with the canteen, sports and entertainment and plans cultural events. The Monsoon Fest is a big hit as are the nine fun, music and dance-filled Navratri nights. Students also have access to a resource centre ? the Knowledge Management centre ? which houses a library, a research body and a digital services wing.

Besides, there is a special cell that handles placement activity. It also takes care of projects undertaken by the students, which expose them to industry demands. Students get jobs as designers, infographic artists, illustrators, cartoonists, photojournalists, art directors, industrial designers and visualisers.

However, there are some who believe that the institute is no longer what it used to be, owing to a dip in teaching standards. Koshy disagrees. ?NID's efforts have put design education in India on a different platform. All other institutes try to emulate us,? she says.

Either way, NID is all about creativity ? and creativity, they say, can?t be taught. As for the design, NID knows best.

RITAMBHARA MEHTA

Old memories

Graphic photographer Parthiv Shah on his grooming days at NID

NEARLY 20 YEARS after Parthiv Shah graduated, he still thinks his NID days are among the best in his life. The graphic photographer and director of the Delhi-based CMAC (Centre for Media and Alternative Communication) remembers the cosmopolitan campus. “The campus is built in a way that it encourages maximum interaction. You get to meet different people not only from India but also other countries, increasing your exposure and broadening your perspective,” he says.

Shah, who graduated in 1986 with a diploma in visual communication, stresses that design is a subject that cannot be studied in isolation. “It touches your life. NID provides you with an appropriate learning environment, which makes it one of its kind even when compared to institutes abroad.”

Ritambhara Meht