MAPPING

INDIA

An insiders guide to Indian

architecture, design and fashion

commissioned by
Dutch Design Fashion Architecture

MAPPING
INDIA

An insiders guide to Indian

architecture, design and fashion

commissioned by
Dutch Design Fashion Architecture
June 2010

Contents
Foreword

04

Introduction

05

A Great Peep Show

07

ARCHITECTURE by Anand Patel

Architecture & Urban Planning in India

11

Introduction

11

The Architecture and Urban Design Field in India

12

Architecture in India: Perspective

14

Contemporary Architecture in India

The State of Architecture in India

15

Education

16

Economy

18

Professional Organizations

19

Government policy

20

Key Players in Architecture & Urban Planning in India

22

India and The Netherlands

23

Architecture Events: India The Netherlands

25

Growth Prospects

26

Awards

29

Journals, Blogs

29

References

29

DESIGN by Hrridaysh Despande

30

Introduction

30

History

30

Context

31

Design in India Today and Tomorrow

31

Education

32

Organizations

34

Government

35

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion

37

India Design Council

37

Ministry of MSME

38

Key players

38

Trade and Industry

39

Geographical distribution of design industry

40

Design Users

41

Internationalization

42

Media, awards and exhibitions

42

Recent creative exchange between India and the Netherlands

43

Indian Design Industry- A SWOT Analysis

43

Main trends and prospects

44

Conclusion

46

FASHION by Harmeet Bajaj

47

Introduction

49

Educational Institutions

49

Leading Institutes of Fashion Education

49

Organisations

51

Trade and industry

54

Designer wear market

55

Designers

55

The luxury brands

58

The big fat Indian wedding

58

The accessory market

59

Fashion jewelry

59

Key Professionals in the Fashion industry

61

Leading choreographers

63

Event companies

63

Leading set/exhibition designers

63

Media, Awards and Exhibitions

64

Media

64

Awards

65

Events and exhibitions

65

Government

67

Bi-lateral Trade Relations and Exchanges

67

Between India and other nations

67

Between India and the Netherlands

70

Potential areas for joint collaborations

70

Summary

71

Foreword
In the spring of 2010 three key persons in their field

Indian colleagues and counterparts, as well as for anyone

engaged in a mapping exercise of architecture, design

else wishing to engage with Dutch design.

and fashion in India, one of the largest and most

On behalf of the DutchDFA partners NAi, Premsela, BNO,

populated countries in the world. Brave enough to accept

BNA, BNI and Modint, I wish to thank Harmeet, Hrridaysh

this daunting assignment were architect Anand Patel,

and Anand for their invaluable contribution to a future

design professional Hrridaysh Despande and fashion guru

collaboration between India and the Netherlands.

Harmeet Bajaj. In the short time that was available to

Our gratitude also goes to Corien Beks, Theo Groothuizen,

them they collected a wealth of insightful data and

Rita van Hattum, Nannet van der Kleijn, Jorn Konijn and

information, but also took the trouble of explaining to us

Peter Kersten for reading and commenting on drafts of the

both the nature and the significance of the design

mapping. Dutch author and critic Gert Staal achieved the

profession in India, as well as providing us with insight into

remarkable feat of writing a summarizing introduction,

how its development interacts with the development of

whereas Gerrie van Noord as always was a fast and critical

Indian society. To all three I wish to express my profound

editor and translator. However, without the perseverance,

thanks for their generosity in sharing their knowledge and

charm and organisational skills of Mei-Lan Tjoa this

forbearance in dealing with our demands.

mapping would never have materialised. Thank you all.

The mapping was conducted in the context of the Dutch

Design Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA) programme,

Christine de Baan, programme director

which aims to strengthen the international position of the

Dutch Design Fashion Architecture

most prominent sectors of the Dutch creative industries

Rotterdam, June 2010

design, fashion and architecture through a joined-up

approach. This four-year strategic programme (20092012) takes place in a selection of focus countries (India,
China and Germany) and relates to topical issues and local
demands. The aim is to build long-lasting international
partnerships while addressing the issues facing todays
world through design.
Partnership, dialogue, exchange of ideas, collaboration,
trade, can only take place on the basis of mutual trust,
which in turn is founded on mutual knowledge. The DutchDFA programme is geared towards building relationships
step by step and this mapping exercise provides a crucial
stage in this process. The draft version of the mapping
was presented by its authors in Amsterdam on 15 June
2010 to an audience of Dutch design professionals and
administrators. On the invitation of DutchDFA, the mappers
were each accompanied by several key figures from their
field.
This group visited the Netherlands for a week, meeting
their counterparts in education, culture and business,
renewing old ties such as with the networks developed
between India and the Netherlands by BNO and NAi
and developing new acquaintances and even new friendships. New ideas for collaboration arose along the way
and will be reflected in the DutchDFA programme of the
coming years. At the same time DutchDFA has pledged to
create an online mapping of the Netherlands for our

Introduction
Introductory remarks by Gert Staal, author and design critic in the Netherlands

The turbulent growth of Indias economy has led to a

great opportunities for the use of Dutch design expertise.

significant shift in how the country is perceived within a

But before that can be applied, local governments need to

short amount of time both within India itself, but certainly

be convinced of the necessity of central planning. And,

also elsewhere. Although not all parts of the country, and

after the frustrating experiences with the English colonial

certainly not all layers of its population benefit equally

mode of city planning, they subsequently need to be made

from its growing welfare, progress is visible through

aware of the added value of what the Netherlands have to

factors such as increase in income, expansion of the real

offer.

estate market, the job market and for instance the growth

What also has to be taken into account is that the Indian

of the retail sector.

appreciation for the design qualities that especially

Especially in cities, growth has become the default

Europe and Japan can bring to the table, will always be

condition. India currently has 42 cities with over a million

mirrored by a strong sense of national consciousness.

inhabitants. Within 20 years this number will increase to

In fact, on the basis of its historically grown creative ability

68. In the meantime, Mumbai and Delhi have passed the

and the increase in quality of its education, India sees

10 million mark; Kolkata and Bangalore are on the verge

itself as the Asian design factory of the near future.

of following in their footsteps.

The ambition is for international clients to come and buy in

their design services. If foreign parties want to operate

Virtually every number highlighted in Mapping India

successfully within the Indian design market, they will at

indicates the acceleration that characterises the countrys

least have to show understanding for the specifically

current development. This speed is accompanied by a

Indian sensibility, and preferably incorporate it within their

growing awareness of the significance that the design

projects through collaboration with Indian designers and

disciplines have for the countrys future. Especially

architects.

because the rapid changes also reveal structural lacks,

the answer is being sought in designing solutions:
interventions in the areas of infrastructure, health care,
planning, education etc. to which designers can
contribute. At the same time the numbers show the

Breakthrough

countrys unprecedented potential (when it comes to

Research in the architecture, fashion and design sectors

production capacity and consumer urge), as well as its

all seems to point in the same direction: Dutch designers,

boundless needs.

and specifically those agencies with a strong, professional

work method, will mainly be able to get a foot in the door

Self-consciousness

through collaboration with Indian partners. Indian

companies here have a clear goal: they want to
professionalise and (eventually) internationalise their own
design practices through their partners.

It would be painting too simple a picture to assume that

Although developments in both architecture and in various

the Netherlands, with its knowledge and experience in

design sectors happen quickly (education improves,

urban planning, architecture, design and fashion, would

governments takes on a more proactive role and

find its bed readily made in India. First of all, across the

companies focus on innovation and expansion) an actual

countrys various regions, social classes and urban and

breakthrough is still due.

rural areas this market is incredibly diverse. Moreover, the

interest in design expertise is clearly articulated in certain
sectors (like in IT, automotive industries), while it is only

Education

partially or under-developed in others. The cities thus far

Professional education for architects and designers can

unplanned growth clearly demonstrates the dilemma.

benefit from collaboration with Dutch institutions in areas

There are many urgent issues (slum development,

like design thinking, professionalisation and knowledge of

sustainability, transport, economic development) that offer

international markets. The demand for architects and

designers is substantially bigger than the capacity that the

existing institutions can deliver. The current number of

Active Alliances

5,000 new architects a year for instance is far too low to

It goes without saying that the Netherlands will continue to

be able to meet the actual need. This shortage also

build on the steadily improving relationships between the

seems to exist within other design education, which is

two countries. Government bodies and professional

often modelled after the example of several well-

organisations have laid the groundwork for collaboration,

established schools in India, such as the National Institute

especially in the area of education and consultancy in

of Design in Ahmedabad. There are opportunities for

relation to the professionalisation of the design sectors.

Dutch educational institutions to feed new courses in India

The Netherlands has, alongside England and Japan,

with curriculums that have proven their quality in the

gained prominence as a consultancy partner for the Indian

Netherlands.

design sector in the fields of graphic design and product

design.
There also seem to be options for the export of goods and

Government

for investments. When it comes to active alliances, several

Through collaboration with Indian and Dutch designers

matchmaking programmes have been launched and there

the government could develop more policy related insight

are opportunities specifically for collaborations with

in designers fields of operation and the application of

young, emerging agencies. They are eager to grow and

strategic design processes. Especially with regards to

learn, and offer a useful point of access to the local

communication, public space and infrastructure there is

market.

an unmistakable market for the integration of Dutch

Fairs, conferences and trade events (like Kyoorius

knowledge and experience. However, Indian government

DesignYatra Mumbai and LAKME Fashion Week in Delhi)

culture differs significantly from ours and is certainly

are important starting points for an exploration of

substantially more bureaucratic.

opportunities. Travelling exhibitions also seem to provide

Nehrus legacy, which married a capitalist system with a

a useful platform. Important is always an understanding

form of state-led economy, shaped after Russias, has lost

for the Indian context, whether its defined as commercial

its relevance in contemporary India, but its conceptual

market, or the social-cultural contexts in which architects

framework hasnt vanished yet. The introduction of the

and designers operate. It seems obvious to establish, but

National Design Policy in 2007 offers an important

is essential to emphasise that India is purely looking for

backdrop for Dutch designers who want to get a sense of

connections that stimulate its own professional activity,

whats possible in India. The plan aims to establish a

enhance the quality of life of its own citizens and the

brand image for Indian design, for which the use of

viability of its own industry. Who dares to make the leap

foreign knowledge is indispensable. A similarly ambitious

from the Netherlands will have to realise one thing, using

plan from 2005 (JNNURM) is aimed at producing

the words of one of Mapping Indias authors: Designers

regeneration in over 60 Indian cities, paying special

need to display sensitivity to the real needs of people and

attention to infrastructure, service provision for the poor,

also sensitize clients accordingly.

and a reform of urban facilities.

Gert Staal

Industry
The use of design in the industrial sector is mainly limited
to large (multinational) companies. Thus far there is little
evidence of knowledge of design management among the
many more mid-range and small companies, and
therefore of their appreciation for this level of expertise.

A Great Peep Show

Excerpts from Whitewash by Gautam Bhatia, with thanks to Anand Patel

The government line is unity in diversity, of secularism, of

would be needed to rise to Indias 21st century ideal:

religious faith and personal beliefs, something that also

Hindu, Brahmin Male, urban dweller, young, fair, moneyed.

includes the freedom to practice idiosyncratic whims,

fiscal fraud, nepotism and perverse deceptions.

To survive is to stick together, and also remain apart from

others. Journalists acquire land and live together in a

It is said that the 20th century was the most creative period

landlocked subdivision called Press Enclave, lawyers in

of human history; its 100 years saw changes in

Niti Bagh, Punjabis in Punjabi Bagh, Bengalis in

governance, politics, social behaviour, art and science

Chittaranjan Park, Jews in Cochin, dwindling to a few

that had not been witnessed in the last thousand. Equally,

hundred, in Jewtown. Cooperation has come to mean

it is said of India, that the last decade of the 20th century

cooperating with people whose close proximity is unlikely

was more destructive than the thousand years that

to produce cultural, economic and ethnic ripples.

preceded it. Floods, cyclones, famines and other natural

A married, orthodox, Bengali Muslim chartered accountant

disasters aside, India saw the calculated demolition of a

with two children, and employed by a multinational

mosque; it experienced rioting on a monumental scale.

company, is not likely to live next to a South Indian lesbian

Political assassinations, insecurity, terrorism and fear

couple with an adopted Sikkimese baby. It is a much safer

became the order of the day. But with political ambitions

bet living with a neighbour who is racially, morally,

and party loyalties at stake, India chose to ignore it all,

sexually, spiritually and economically your equal, than

hoping it would go away. When a train fell into a gorge

attempting to savour the uncertain benefits of diversity.

killing 800, the India-Pakistan Cricket Match made a

better viewing option than dead bodies on muddy ground.

Wherever you go, every turn or incident or meeting

When a killer earthquake hit Gujarat and people lay dying

reinforces your position, and you are reminded of your

under the weight of illegally conceived high rises, a

deprivations, your opportunities. In your sightline is

German relief supply plane stood for nine hours at the

someone worthy of emulation, someone else in a state of

airport awaiting customs clearance. When a Union

humiliation, another in desperation. The proximity of such

Minister, caught with cash stuffed in sofas and beds was

reminders baffle; and make you acutely aware of all the

re-elected instead of being jailed, it spoke of a new order

social, political, and economic collisions that are waiting to

in the making. In the riots that engulfed the nation and

happen to you in your life, in the life of India.

absorbed the elite in intellectual, often ineffectual, debate,

in fodder scams of criminal scale in drought afflicted

Yet places in the city radiate the genial signs of shared

areas, in water riots in places where Ministers cars were

tolerances. There is an Islamic tomb in the old neighbour

washed twice daily, was the first sign that human life came

hood; a Hindu temple is quietly being `regularized down

a distant second to religious, political, caste, gender, and

the road; a delegation of Buddhist monks is attending a

personal ideals.

peace conference at the international centre. The day-today signals are those of a country tolerant in mind, where

Housing for the Economically Weaker Sections, LIG, Low

an unwritten code of religious and social conduct governs

Income Group. Build for Work Program, Nirman Yojna,

the passing of each day. But passive individuals given to

Work for Food Program, Karya Yojna. Euphemism upon

the rituals of secularism in their own life, become rapidly

euphemism. Every official act of magnanimity was tinged

fanatical when part of the larger collective of their own

with political ill will and doomed to failure. The poor in

community. The community provides the platform for

India were different in far too many ways to ever overcome

action, the political party the credo of hate. Every bit of

their handicaps. To be saddled by poverty, to live in the

pious rhetoric invariably has undertones of violence.

village, to be a Muslim or Christian or tribal; to be a

woman, unmarried; to be dark, was the ultimate

Contradictory signs are everywhere. Doordarshan will

humiliation in 18th century India.. Nothing has changed in

transmit a commercial for a refrigerator across the land.

21st century India. Several lifetimes and good karmas

The fridge is laden with chicken, milk, fruit juices, eggs

and ham. But the ad is imbibed by a bonded labourer in

with activity, thirsting for things that once belonged only to

drought-ridden Bihar. A political leader still maintains his

another world. After half a century of sustained denial, the

links with Gandhi by dressing in a similar fashion; only the

thirst is endless. But turn into the side road and the scene

shawl is of pure silk, the dhoti of terrycloth.

changes. Drive along this dirt track for thousands of miles

and the scene refuses to change. Mile upon relentless

India allows everything to coexist; mineral water and

mile, a primitive land unmade in any physical way

cholera, the personal computer and the hand plough,

stretches on, a lone tree in the distance, a charpai and a

lesbianism and arranged marriages. But what appears

mud hut. Talk to an old woman trying to sell a heap of

sad and funny and stupid at times is only the sad and

garlic in the emptiness; tell her about the new economic

funny irony of such juxtaposition. A towering, five-storied

order, the high Forex reserves and job outsourcing.

mansion, slapped with an expensive stone veneer and

Tell her about the worlds fastest growing economy after

flouting every building bylaw, becomes delightfully funny,

China, and watch the faded eyes light up. There is change

extravagant and sad when viewed across a grim cityscape

in the v illage: Sure, theres been a six year drought, and

of mud shanties with a single water source and open

the only well has dried up. But Maggi Noodle packets are

sewage. That the residents of these mud shanties have

now available in the ration shop, and Bisleri mineral water

helped build the mansions, and survive by their

in plastic bottles. Theres no caste rivalry anymore; the

construction, only makes the irony sadder and funnier.

Dalits have relocated to a separate village, nearer to the

Dalit well. Whats more, her husband has a steady job as

In India the desperation of daily urban life is in perpetual

a bonded labourer; even the children have work in the

conflict with the 21st century itch to become the worlds

matchstick factory. Sure theres not enough to eat, but

most notorious consumers. Setting an unfamiliar course

food isnt everything. Things are looking up.

on the path of perennially increasing gross domestic

product, the new Indian has learnt to make his own

Outside the village, dried by famine, the billionaire

substantial contribution to the annual growth rate. Flatron

industrialist looks blankly at the gnarled face; past her

TVs, stainless steel fridges, call centers, cell phones with

shriveled skin, he sees the remote village wall. He knows,

cameras, Baroque houses with cupids pissing into Italian

behind it are other unimaginable states of malnourishment,

fountains, pool-side barbeque grilles, vacations in Brazil,

infant mortality rates that defy all norms, and many lives

Corinthian columned housing called Malibu Heights, plate

lived on only twenty rupees a day. Less than the cost of

glass malls, BMWs - all vie for space on the credit card.

pissing in a London pay-toilet. But he smiles. Inequality is

Risen from the ashes its owner is now in stiff competition

only an indicator of a thriving economy, he tells himself. In

for global goods and services - unsettled and unsettling, a

so formidable a divide, no unrest is possible.

mercenary, setting American standards of consumption

and obligation. Defending the new gods of NASDAQ, he is

That two centuries can exist in such appallingly close

often consumed by middle-class guilt and returns to

proximity without even affecting each other is a surprise

desecrate old temple walls. He belongs at once to the new

that India offers all the time. If there is dissatisfaction in

India, brash and arrogant, relentless in his persuit to

the village, it rarely spills into the fancy farmhouse next

become someone else, but unable to shed the

door. If industrial workers die of chemical waste pollutants

undiscovered values of the old India, an imaginary

from their own factory, the owner simply hires new

Gandhian utopia. Outside his hermetically sealed malls

workers. As long as the boundary walls are high, the

and farmhouses, this other India awaits admission. The

fences electrified, as long as profits and dividends stay

pi-dog sniffs turd on an unfinished road. Citizens reel and

within the family compound, life is OK. Hyper-reality.

shuffle about in unhealthy purposelessness, filling forms

Against the denuded backdrop of fallow dry fields,

in triplicate with mothers maiden name, clubbing

California houses huddle, embarrassed in their lushness,

daughters-in-law to death, exchanging packets of notes in

a little uncomfortable in the Indian sunshine.

darkened halls. Theatrical scenes in discordant play.

Considered together, they produce the schizophrenic

But not for long. Everyone knows that the artificial India is

character of the new India. An India of despotic and

the real India now. As Mahatma Gandhi once didnt say:

devious insanity that plays itself out daily through a cast of

The real India is not here, its in California.

shifty trustless accomplices - the new heroes.

Small town Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, is the largest
Along the new road, four-laned, with guard rails and green

manufacturer and exporter of brass objects in India, with

signage similar to any American highway, India bristles

an annual turnover of over 42 crore rupees. Despite its

supposed richness, in urban terms, Moradabad is truly the

For most people, born soon after partition and witnessing

armpit of the world. Squalid beyond belief, treeless, filled

something of the promise of Independence, India now

with rivulets of effluents, unmade roads, stagnant pools of

offered only a regressive refrain. Every shock of

water and with a roadside poverty to rival any of the small

communal violence, every message of narcissism and

towns of Bihar, in the public life of the city there is not a

greed in the papers, was a signal to retreat - to withdraw

hint of its industrial affluence. And yet, along its Eastern

behind high boundary walls; the only way of self

edge lies its only link to affluence -- the citys larger

preservation was through self-absorption and selfishness.

houses -- each displaying a level of ostentation in indirect

Social obligations and ambitions withered away and all

proportion to the surrounding blight. In such a setting, the

that remained was the cold hard truth: each man for

houses become nothing but the carefully preserved and

himself. The boat was sinking, and fast. Save yourself.

fenced bits of ornament in a sea of grime - petrified

statements of contrast.

I too learnt to survive in the only way possible. I became a

modern day hero - an Indian without obligation or ideal.

The irony hits you every day. A three-bedroom apartment

I learnt to cherish all that was of value to the new India;

across the Dharavi slum in Mumbai costs one million

Money, split air conditioning, microwaves and Haryanvi

dollars. And there are enough takers for it. As there are for

guards for the house - all the buttressings that recreated

the Neo-classical and pagoda-style houses of Amby

an image of myself as a promoter of my own middle-class

Valley, a leisure home reserve of artificial lakes, artificial

cause. There was no other way. It was more important to

ski slopes and artificial beach fronts, built north of the city.

earn even if in evil ways, than carry the mantle of some

And physically protected from the mess of India.

half-baked proposition into the uncertain arena of national

idealism. To save the countrys millions, to propose

But move higher up and away from the rarified ground

solutions for low cost shelters or do something as archaic

atmosphere of Amby Valley and include the perspective of

as believe in the country was an old Gandhian madness.

its surrounding countryside, a rawness hits the senses.

When viewed with the parched village ponds, the lakes

Sometimes it is difficult to live in the eternal overdose of

flicker in mock hyper-reality. Against the denuded backdrop

India; its daily message of violence, the generous hostility

of fallow dry fields, California houses huddle, embarrassed

of its ordinary life; the persistent symbols of piety and

in their lushness, a little uncomfortable in the Indian sunshine.

fanaticism. Yet, despite the despair, the daily embrace of

life also adds another dimension to the country. It provides

But not for long. Everyone knows that the artificial India is

the compassionate face of humanity in perpetual struggle.

the real India now. As Mahatma Gandhi once didnt say:

The real India is not here, its in California.

After 20 years of being back home, every day still affects

me profoundly; every sight fills me with new rage, tears,

Who cares about Gandhi anymore. From the heroism of

greater compassion, even love. How uncomplicated the

Independence, India had happily reduced the heroic act to

place was, I always thought, and how much everything

money matters and fiscal prowess, making as the new

was a reminder of life and death.

heroes of our times the Richest Indian, the fourth richest

Asian, the Most Affluent American of Indian origin, the

The book consequently is written with love. At the outset

only Indian in Fortune 500. The old heroes were still there,

this may not appear so, but, every aspect of derision and

but they were shelved and reduced to caricature.

despair has a corollary in affection. If I have hated and

Mahatma Gandhi, a distant guardian of Independence,

despised the happenings around me it is only because

CV Raman of science, Ramanathan Krishnan and

I have always thought of India as a welcoming family

MilkhaSingh of sport grinning down their respective

home full of cherished value and memory. Like a

shelves, a little weary, a little sad.

benevolent grand parent, happy in its poverty whose touch

and embrace were a measure of my own comfort and

The new heroes were ordinary money-grubbing parasites,

security. And it is with great sadness that I see the

whose sole ideal was to be a millionaire by the age of 30 or

grandparent suffering and dying.

grow their hair long for the Guinness Book. There where
no Mahatma Gandhi Margs, no New Jawaharlal Nehru

But among the unhoused millions, gas tragedies, thieving

Stadiums, no Satyajit Ray Chowks. Only Ansal Plazas and

bureaucrats, earthquake relief that never comes, large

Raheja Towers. Builders commemorating their own actions

scale urban despair and nuclear threats, the sadness is

in their own lifetime, to give you a taste of the new India.

naturally tinged with comedy. In India comic relief

becomes an effective tool to assuage collective guilt.

to stop laughing.

The daily quantum of human suffering, the weight of public

expectation in helping to alleviate that suffering and, the

But there was another reason. For some time now,

cartoon characters that pose as potential providers and

I realized how little I am affected by the day to day affairs

rulers, altogether rate India high as a setting of daily satire

of India, how little its public, political and social life

and parody. The largest number of forest management

interests me. Even the daily news seems unreal -- like

and research institutes thrive when twenty thousand

narcissistic messages from some distant unstable planet.

hectares of wilderness is being eroded every day.

The aspects of India that enrich my personal life belong at

A railway tout encourages you to limp on the train so as to

divergent ends of the spectrum; sometimes the daily

take advantage of the quota for the handicapped. Six

offering is close to the meditative - the sight of the

grown men with doctoral degrees sit together in a train

sweeper womans movements across the floor, a lone

compartment and conduct a deep, heartfelt, debate on the

figure doing yoga under a tree; more often, it is in the

shunting schedule of the 242 Down Passenger train from

realm of the mundane - the daily march of children

Mehsana, a widely acclaimed book, Trains at a Glance, in

heading to school, the vegetable vendors chant.

hand. Where would this happen but in India.

Whatever it is, people, places and landscapes move me

profoundly. But the middle ground, the India of daily squalor

Whitewash satirizes the medium of the newspaper as well

and dormant prejudices, is always hard to accept. In that

- its known personalities, advertising, classified ads, tenders,

world, I am not a player, just a viewer in the back row,

obituaries, and hue and cry notices. Film stars, politicians,

watching the audience with as much interest as the play.

cricket players - animated but in recognizable form - engage

in fictitious interviews and scenarios. In attempting to poke

I suppose in every society the middle class bears the

fun at the current state of affairs within the country the

burden of dysfunction. People belong out of human need,

newspaper format of the book examines issues, persona

inadequacies. People of my background - privileged and

lities, people and ideas in a way that is wholly idiosyncratic

pretentious, a little aloof, and always judgmental - are

- at times, projecting the current image of India, at other

easily unhinged in an untamed country. Without the daily

times, an India that once was, and yet others, an India that

crossfire of survival and aspiration to occupy you, India is

may never be, and perhaps, should never be.

an inadequate ally, just an indulgence. A great peep show.

In so doing, it is meant to act as a form of corrective

Whitewash is therefore, not an objective book. No book on

measure to the real India, offering a set of unintellectual

India can be. It is a prejudiced work filled with love and

lenses behind which lies something of todays morality.

hate and despair; by exaggerating and fictionalizing

known events, personalities and situations, the book

Thieving forests officials, presidents, WMDs, dowry

I hope will caution against the excesses of our time and

deaths, adulterated foods, newly wed housewives,

act as warning for the future. By extrapolating the

crashed trains, striking airline pilots are all mixed and

madness of the present, the writing is meant to stir the

matched in the unstructured way it is possible only in

reader against complacency. Moreover the book is written

India. In Whitewash their actions are further embellished

about India from my personal viewpoint. It encompasses

to represent a grossly magnified picture of the world - an

thoughts, historical data, contemporary references and

exaggerated picture of people driven to grotesque levels

ideas, expressed from the vantage point of an ordinary

of greed, and indulging in heinous acts of depravity and

middle-class urban life. It may be chronologically and

barbarism.

historically an unconventional view, but, for a place which

follows no established convention, I think it is the only

The more I wrote, the more I realized that it was not

perspective possible.

possible to exaggerate Indian reality. From my narrow

middle-class cocooned perspective, self-conscious and

Gautam Bhatia is one of the most famous architecture authors in

self-serving, everything was an exaggeration. India

India. He has written Punjabi Baroque and Comic Century. He is

loomed as large as an untamable beast, baring its fangs

based in New Delhi. As a critic and satirist, he writes columns for

with such regularity, that it left me reeling in retreat. Life

Outlook magazine and Indian Express newspapers, and his

beyond the boundary wall had become a matter of such

columns have also appeared in New York Times.

serious - almost criminal - tragedy, that it was now a very

highly developed form of comedy. At one time it was
possible to laugh and cry at the same time. Now its hard

10

http://www.architexturez.net/+/subject-listing/000058.shtml

Architecture

Architecture & Urban Planning in India

Prepared by: Anand Patel, architect

Introduction
India will have more than 590 million people living in

The Architecture and

Urban Design Field in India

urbanized areas by 2030. 70% of new employment will be

generated in cities. 700 to 900 million square meters of

Architecture in India carries a difficult burden. In a country,

new residential and commercial development needs to be

where situations and problems achieve a despairing

built every year (an entire new Chicago!) along with

magnitude, is there a way of thinking of architecture, other

2.5 billion square meters of roads to be paved in order to

than as mere problem solving? Should architecture even

accommodate this anticipated growth in the next 20 years.

innovate towards problems? Should it remit to finding

68 cities will have a population of above 1 million

solutions to the Bhopal Gas tragedy? Should artistic effort

inhabitants. About 1.2 trillion US dollars are required to

be directed towards making, not just adequate, but

meet this demand to rejuvenate and build Indian cities.

thoughtfully imaginative houses for those who need

Thus, cities will be central to Indias economic future.

shelter from a cyclone in Orissa?

Among all the States and Union territories, the National

Let us extrapolate.

Capital Territory of Delhi is most urbanized with 93 percent

urban population followed by Union territory of Chandigarh

For an architect, architecture is a kind of memoir. A piece

(89.8 percent) and Pondicherry (66.6 percent).

of construction, the making of a building, even the viewing

of a monument, is a form of autobiography; as personal an

Among the major States, Tamil Nadu is the most

autobiography as an architect can write. It carries notions

urbanized state with 43.9 percent of the population living

of professed aims and ideas influenced too by the people

in urban areas followed by Maharashtra (42.4 percent)

who build them, and those who live in them. Seen through

and Gujarat (37.4 percent). The proportion of urban

the architects eye buildings express the architects own

population is the lowest in Himachal Pradesh with 9.8%

perceptions of a place - the way he would make it for

followed by Bihar with 10.5 percent, Assam (12.7 percent)

himself, the way he would occupy it. And, to that degree,

and Orissa

architecture becomes a canvas of confession. Since

(14.9 percent).

architecture is such a conspicuous, immensely physical

object in space, its presence in fact, influences everyone.

In terms of absolute number of persons living in urban

The presence of building around us provides a persistent

areas, Maharashtra leads with 41 million persons, which is

frame of reference - as permanent as roads or fields -

14 percent of the total population of the country. Uttar

from which there is no escape. Buildings are explicit, big,

Pradesh accounts for about 35 million followed by Tamil

always visible. They line the street, they are at the end of

Nadu 27 million.

the road, they make the town. The final products of a

difficult endeavor, they involve questions of aesthetics,

It is within this framework that we are looking at the

design, construction, layout, structure, materials, details,

emerging trends and demands in the architectural and

ornamentation, personal likes and public taste - all things

urban design practice in India, especially through its cities

that can be individually identified to convey the way a

and new towns.

building is made. Through them, architecture becomes a

treasure trove of unfolding links and discoveries, connecting
histories of culture to expressions of style and personal
histories, making the past visible in the present.

11

Architecture in India: Perspective

contemporary Europeans were engaged in most

progressive thinking in architecture, Sir Edward Lutyens

No doubt we have a great architectural heritage of

was a masterpiece in high renaissance architecture, the

temples, mosques, palaces and forts. So much so that

result of a way of thinking typical of the early nineteenth

whenever architecture is thought of in conjunction with

century in Europe. It is interesting to note that at the same

India, images of the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and South

time as the construction of Delhi, Europe was having the

Indian temples are conjured up in our minds.

period of modern architecture movement in such schools

as the Bauhaus.

Do we have anything today as representative of Modern

Architecture, which could be compared with our old

Independence woke us to a changed situation. Time had

buildings? Or in even simpler terms - what represents

moved on. In place of religion or royal concern with

Modern Architecture in India?

architectural immortality, this situation demanded attention

to those problems that had so far been ruthlessly

The answer to this question also depends on the spirit

neglected. The ordinary man, his environment and needs

behind it. If the curiosity behind the question concerns the

became the centre of attention. Demand for low cost

quantum of construction done in post-independence years,

housing became urgent.

the answer can be one impressive list of statistical figures,

a fine achievement for building science and technology.

Industrialism that was to follow in India spawned its own

problems of townships and civic amenities for workers.

But, if on the other hand the questioning mind is concerned

Fresh migration from rural areas to existing cities also

about new architectural and planning thought generated in

strained already, meager housing capacities of existing

the same post-independence years, which have resulted

cities. The very scale of the problem was and still is

in buildings and cities suited to our socio-economic,

unnerving. 8,37,00,000 dwelling units needed throughout

cultural and climatic circumstances, our achievements are

the country and the demand rises annually at the rate of

not very impressive so far. But considering the fact that

17,000 dwelling units, not to mention rural housing.

formation of thoughts and ideas, in this relatively young

To face staggering problems of such magnitude, twenty-

field, has been going for only the last quarter of century

five years ago, there were few Indian architects in the

and with the limited resources that we have, it is evident

country and practically no planners. There was only one

that we are on the verge of making a break-through.

school of architecture in Bombay. But there was the will to

build, with the limited resources and technological know-

Architecture traditionally, i.e., before the arrival of British

how at our disposal.

on the Indian soil, was from the social point of view, a

creation of spectacular sculptural forms hewn out of stone.

We marched ahead and built an impressive number of

Architectural material was stone; tools, chisel and

houses and other buildings of utilisation nature. In the

hammer, and the aim was glorification. In contrast, the

process we made mistakes and learnt from them.

every-day needs of a common man were ruthlessly

Each fresh attempt was a step closer to building of forms

neglected. Then the British arrived on the scene, it was

more suitable for the Indian climate and socio-economic

through them that the first introduction to elementary

conditions. In this process, architects also became aware

modern building construction and planning was introduced

of the need for a certain amount of research work in new

into India. Their aim, however, was to house their

ways of building and planning if we were to face the

organisations, and their people and whatever was

problem squarely as they say. Since government was the

necessary to control an empire as big as India. Apart from

agency with the largest resource, it had to carry the

self-serving military cantonments and civil lines, they also

heaviest responsibility for construction. Need for various

left the basic p

roblems well alone. It was no intention of

kinds of organisation on the national and regional level

the British to educate Indians in the art and science of

was felt. Following is the list of governmental bodies that

architecture. Consequently Indian minds, during the

we have today, which in some way or the other are

British reign, were completely out of touch with the

responsible for building industry in India.

progressive thinking taking place in the rest of the world.

The most significant architectural phenomenon that took

(1) CENTRAL PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT (C.P.W.D.)

place during the first half of this century in this country

(2) TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ORGANISATION

was building of Imperial Delhi. This was an anachronism

(3) HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

of the highest order, b

ecause, while at that time

(4) CENTRAL BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

12

(5) NATIONAL BUILDING ORGANISATION

adopted in India. Some realized that concrete and plastic

(6) HINDUSTAN HOUSING FACTORY

forms were after all not the solution for all Indian

(7) STATE HOUSING BOARDS & DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITIES

architectural problems, howsoever sensational they

might be.

Apart from all these, are state housing boards in all the
mentioned above bodies which are responsible for

There was another parallel phenomenon going on at the

implementation and designing of the housing needs, and

same time, which was to influence the course of modern

general controlled growth of the existing cities according

architecture in India to come. Indian architects were going

to drawn up master-plans for development. For financial

to Europe and America to seek higher education and

help they depend on agencies like HUDCO.

cultural inspiration. The Indian architectural community

took its inspiration from ideas developed in the western

Together with the help of the entire organisations, by no

world. During the sixties these architects who received

means an exhaustive list, government performs various

their education in the western countries commanded high

roles, from public works to deployment of financial resour

positions as professionals as well as teachers. They

ces, from research to distribution of funding to building

taught, practiced and experimented with what they had

industry. Much has been done much remains to be done.

learnt in the west against the harsh realities of India. The

process of fermentation of ideas was turned on. There

On the architectural horizon today find us with a new

were many realizations that were to form the rational basis

generation of architects and planners. Today we have

for architecture to come.

nearby fifteen architectural schools throughout the country

and certain equipment and knowhow of naturalized

First of these realizations was that if we have to do

building science and technology and a growing

anything worthwhile in India for Indians under Indian

experience with new material and methods and large

socio-economic and climatic conditions, the west was no

scale planning. All this had not been easy.

place to look for inspirations or solutions. We will have to

evolve our own patterns of development and physical

However, it was not huge, building institutions, but

growth, our own methods and materials of construction

individuals that have been responsible for evolving a new

and our own expression of foregoing. This realisation

aesthetics bridging the hiatus between traditionalism and

created a sense of vaccum and because of the poignancy

modernism. Painstakingly these individuals have worked,

of the feeling of vaccum, the search began, and architects

over the years, learning both from abroad and our

started looking in different directions for various answers.

experiences with traditional architecture, to bring about

In each direction partial perception of truth was declared

various schools of thought responsible for the spirit of

as the total truth. The fact however, remains that in each

modern Indian architecture. The emphasis now lies not on

direction we have moved closer to the rational basis of

awesome monumentality, but factionalism with

modern architecture. One of the first places where Indian

accompanying virtues of economy, simplicity and utility.

architects looked for inspiration for expression of total

architecture of India, is our own village and folk

It is relevant here to go into the development of these

architecture. Architects studied with keen interest the way

ideas. As a matter of fact some ideas of modern

people solved problems long before western influence

architecture were not to come to us until 1950, when Le

was felt in India. From desert settlements of Jaisalmer, to

Corbusier at that time was a leading figure in architectural

village developments of hills, plains and sea-coasts, all

circles c reated Chandigarh, one of his most ambitious

became the focus of study. Complex vernacular plans

projects. This had a tremendous impact on the mind of

were analysed and looked into for inspirations. It is the

Indian architects, who had so far only seen-either glorious

contention of these farsighted architects, with a hard

temples or forts of the past or the Imperial British capital

nosed realism, that in such kinds of dense developments,

of New Delhi in the name of modern architecture.

with simple methods of construction and conventional low

Overwhelmed, they found this expression of modern

cost materials, when laid out in a planned manner, that we

architecture quite acceptable. It was grand and sensational

will find the answer urban h

ousing for our really poor

and at the same time was based on rational basis of

masses. While some of these architects were busy

climatic analysis and planning freedom. In the years to

looking for answers in what we already have in our

follow, buildings spring up all over India, which had similar

traditional settlements, others were exploring how industry

expression and the same materials. But ideas of Le

can be made use of in solving the aspect of building

Corbusier had to be crystallized before they could be

problems. Prefabrication has potential in large scale

13

housing, large span structures and industrial buildings on

Walls have eyes

anywhere were repetitive units can be employed. But so

Auroville-based Anupama Kundoo is first on the list and it

far in India, industrialization of the building industry has

is her own residence that Shah holds up as an example of

not made great headway for lack of technological

the contemporary Indian, identifying it in her attention to

infrastructures to support it, therefore its influence is only

three areas: Eco-friendly building materials, alternative

limited to fascination of imagery. However, one aspect of

technology, and an architecture that is energy-efficient

technology that can be successfully applied in architecture

and climate-responsive. Called The Wall House,

is invention and manufacture of new building materials

Kundoos house is only 2.2 metres wide, made of exposed

from industrial waste to replace the traditional building

brick thats scaled down to the smaller proportions of the

materials like steel and cement of which there are

local achakal brick. Its most distinctive feature is a two-

tremendous shortages.

storey-high vaulted verandah at the entrance, made of

interlocking clay tubes, which is not just cheap, it is also

There is the growing realization among architects that just

great for insulation. Energy and costs have been further

to build visually beautiful buildings will be useless, unless

lowered by the use of solid stone and recycled wood.

it is backed by infrastructure of services, such as water

supply, electrical supply and communication system of

Modern temples

rapid mass transit, etc. In other words it is not an

Starkness of form ties in Kundoo with Bimal Patel. And

individual building but the total environment that matters.

Shah picks on three structures by the Ahmedabad-based

All this calls for serious attention on patterns of physical

architect, the most distinctive being the container

growth that will take care of layouts of all these services in

terminals operations centre in Chennai. A solid block

an organised manner.

oriented in east-west, the entire south facade of the

building is a plain, blank wall, the north being entirely of

Contemporary Architecture in India

glass, looking out over the containers stacked far into the
distance. This does not just reduce the energy
consumption, the blank wall also provides a space for a

Is there an architectural style that you can identify as

mural by Water DSouza a motif that fuses the industrial

contemporary Indian? Jagan Shah, architect and

with the spires of south Indian temples.

historian, feels there is and picks on 20 mid-career

architects he calls them the new moderns for an

See through

exposition of the contemporary Indian (Contemporary

In this line-up of architects, Kapil Gupta and Christopher

Indian Architecture, Roli Books).

Lee are probably the most international. Shah picks on

three of their much-acclaimed structures, including the

So what is the contemporary Indian? No, its not an

Jeweltech factory. From the outside the building looks like

architectural style that merely tacks on Indian motifs or

a solid square monolith, encased in glass. Inside, it is like

symbols to the structure, or mimics vernacular

a panopticon with a glass canyon, a reworking of the

architecture. No, in a globalised world, an architect cant

traditional Indian courtyard, running through the entire

simply get by on national identity.

height of the building. It serves as a surveillance devise

and also divides the factory floor and administrative

What ties together the architects Shah picks on are

sections.

multidisciplinary insights and a widening of respective

agendas to include concerns about climate, ecology and

Local touches

gender. It is through the description of structures by them

Shah holds up Rahul Mehrotras design for the TISS

that he comes to a definition of the contemporary Indian.

campus at Tuljapur as an example of how a structure can

Shah refers to two other vital issues which have had an

be traditional and native to a place and also incorporate

impact on creative expression the diminishing role of

modern needs. The campus is an undulating, low

the state in commissioning public buildings, and the fact

structure made of local stone. Full of open spaces

that with globalisation, architects are concentrating on

courtyards and terraces it fulfils the need for interactive

delivery schedules, quality, detailing, engineering and

spaces and also provides relief from the hot and humid

programming skill.

climate.

The Business Standard, March 29, 2008

14

The State of
Architecture in India

Nevertheless, their desire to incorporate new ideas was

evident even then, because the Handbook was updated
eight times in the 70 years before independence, with
each successive edition including the latest British

The modern practice of urban planning in India was

advances in urban planning practice. In all the decades

initiated after the War of 1857. The British realized that

since independence, however, the Indian PWD, the heir to

they had come within a hairs breadth of losing their

this legacy, re-published the Handbook only twice and did

empire in urban areas because their organic morphology

not attempt any major changes to its contents. Thus the

made them d
ifficult to control. There was a concerted

dated references to Ebenezer Howards Garden City and

effort thereafter to rebuild Indian towns on more familiar

the New Town plans developed in England between the

terms that they could understand. In her study of

two World Wars are retained as models for use in India.

Lucknow, Veena Talwar Oldenburg compellingly

demonstrates this imperialist logic underlying our legacy

While it is possible that the irrelevance of the Handbooks

of modern urban planning and, indeed, by extension, of

contents has led to its recent neglect, it is clear that its

modernity itself.

ideas have fundamentally moulded the imagination of the

Indian urban planner. In fact, its lingering presence in

Arindam Dutta makes another crucial point, arguing that

current practice illustrates two debilitating characteristics

the process of making a plan or designing a solution is

of urban planning in India: first, the unthinking acceptance

already predetermined by the architect or urban planner

of foreign models to serve local purposes; and second,

before understanding the specifics of the problem at

the inability or unwillingness among professionals to

hand.3 Not surprisingly, such plans fail to meet the

update their knowledge base and intellectually engage

actual needs of society and are frequently resisted,

with the specific complexity of Indian urbanism both as a

subconsciously or explicitly, by local inhabitants who must

sociocultural construct and as a technical entity.

bear the brunt of these ill-conceived solutions. In order to

establish the authority of its master plans then, the

Instead, contemporary local urban planners ape the

government today has to deploy the police powers of the

colonial British in their desire to protect empire by

state to enlighten society, compel its acquiescence and

disciplining urban space and punishing its disorderly

ensure that solutions are duly implemented.

manifestations assumed to be the expressions of a

rebellious populace. So deeply embedded is this punitive

Duttas argument helps explain the process of sealings

vision that the notion of a planning model that mediates

and demolitions imposed on Delhi in the recent past.

and facilitates a necessarily chaotic urbanization, and that

The destruction is rationalized by urban planners (who

is sensitive to the needs of vast swathes of disadvantaged

created the problem) and bolstered by the judiciary (who

inhabitants, becomes tragically inconceivable.

refuse to know better) as a cost that society must bear in

order to institutionalize urban planning practice. As Dutta

This failure is not a new malaise. As far back as 1924,

says, It is because the origins of modernity in the colony

government records about the construction of New Delhi

are... tied up with the ends of imperialism that its outlines

identified the problem of local developments not following

operate as a historical teleology in reverse: first the

the Master Plan formulated by Edwin Lutyens. As Stephen

institutions and then the enlightenment.

Legg observes in his study of Delhis post-colonial

development, the would-be panopticism of the imperial

To institutionalize the modern process of planning, the

city became impossible to regulate from the very

Public Works Department published The Handbook on

beginning. 5 A 1939 report that Legg cites reproduced the

Town Planning in 1876.4 The Handbook contained

1914 sanctioned layout of New Delhi a map of stark and

guidelines for undertaking urban development projects all

clearly defined functional zones and contrasted it,

over the country and it is easy to trace the origins of many

equally starkly, with a map of the actual layout of New

current professional philosophies and practices to this

Delhi which, by 1938, illustrated a dazzling array of

book. These guidelines were formulated at a time when

mixed land-uses and what to the official gaze were

the British had begun systematic efforts to ensure civic

haphazard developments.

health and hygiene in their own cities at home, so they

merely transferred the models they had developed for

Even then the problem then was not identified as one of

those cities to the colonies.

supply and demand or of needing to understand local

characteristics of urban living; then, as today, it was

15

understood to be one of the lack of strict regulation. Thus

Clearly, there is an urgent case to be made for changing

the main r ecommendations of official reports invariably

the way urban planners conceive urban space. This, in

reinforce the imperative to regulate development such that

turn, requires a comprehensive re-formulation of our

it conforms to official plans. In subsequent post-

disciplinary assumptions and pedagogic practices.

independence government policies, stricter enforcement

At present our academic institutions emphasize the rote

of the law remained the leitmotif of recommendations to

transmission of received knowledge and routine methods

solve the persistent problems of illegal development.

for minimally informed and vocational ends. Unsurprisingly,

Indeed, this collective fixation with enforcement on the

there is little or no local theorizing of the urban planning

part of both urban planners and government policy-makers

experience in India. By habit and circumstance, local

so that the issue becomes one of law and order rather

urban planners have accepted images of cities derived

than that of inadequacies in the planning process itself

from cultural, s ocial and economic contexts different from

is arguably the most significant obstacle to contemporary

theirs and recycled them into teaching curricula.

India urban planning.

This situation cannot change unless practitioners
Legg identifies another significant dimension of the

undertake focused studies of Indian cities based on

problem of urban planning in India: urban planners deal

innovative hypotheses that challenge received wisdom.

with the city as an abstract entity rather than as a living

Such research would enable urban planners to conceive

organism. Consequently, there is no intellectual or moral

Indian cities in indigenous terms in order to incorporate

commitment to the plans that they make merely a feeling

the c ulturally plural, socially evolving and economically

of victimization when inhabitants do not follow their

constrained characteristics of Indian society. We must

prescriptive abstractions. Perhaps this professional

critically interrogate the mentality represented by the PWD

indifference to the socio-spatial consequences of their

Handbook in order to decolonize our own concepts of

policies is also rooted in the Nehruvian development

Indian cities.

paradigm that sought to combine the existing capitalist

system with a Soviet-inspired model of centralized

As we begin to analyze the intellectual and socio-political

economic planning.

history of urban planning and chart thoughtful parameters

for contemporary practice, we would do well to regard

In the Nehruvian paradigm, planning was a scientific

cities as human spaces in which we live and participate

process, the domain of objective experts, its goal the

rather than as alien and unruly objects, which we seek to

furtherance of national interests (which, presumably,

tame with our objective expertise. Instead of perennially

would trickle down as local benefits). The aim was to rule

viewing what exists locally in negative terms and using

from a distance by targeting supposedly discrete, self-

western standards as positive, we must understand that

contained and static objects such as an economy or a

our inherited and supposedly neutral urban planning

population. Post-independence urban planning also fell

practice is driven by a logic of aggressive and purposive

under the sway of such planning from a distance.

control of the population.7 Our vision must be one that

fosters social welfare rather than one which relies on

Regrettably, urban planners seem to be the last to realize

punitive sanctions in single-minded service of the abstract

that cities are neither abstract nor static entities and that

patterns on paper which we call master plans. Our current

unless they seriously engage with the specific ground

historical condition demands that the existing planning

realities of Indian urbanism, the profession will not be able

paradigm be cast aside; changing the way planners

to cope with the fact and type of contemporary

conceive the city is an important beginning in this

developments documented in the ACHR report. The force

process.

of this tragedy is coming to the fore in the preparations for

the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi in 2010.
With a view to impressing the world, the government has

Education

embarked on a series of ill-advised, costly and

unsustainable projects such as urbanizing the ecologically

The Built Environment Design professions are inclusive of

fragile flood plains of the Yamuna river and undertaking

all that is life, living, human aspirations and activities.

extravagant image building beautification projects such as

It deals with man and nature interactive relationships.

the complete makeover of Connaught Place: Nero fiddles

The sage author of Aparajita Prchchha says architecture

while Rome burns!

began with the beginning of this universe. In India our

schools are in different academic associations: liberal

16

education, arts, technology and autonomous environments.

bricklayers, masons, carpenters, electricians, plumbers

The Council of Architecture norms recognize this and

etc. Everyone is specialized in his own area hence beyond

provides for liberal individual personality development of

comparison.

each school. Geographically, India contains each of the

global geo-climatic zones, it has variety of traditions,
above all, we have seen that we have large and varied

The Need for Design Schools in India

practice zones. Such a situation demands intense

academic involvement.

India is fast becoming one of the worlds leading

consumers of manufactured goods. Be it cell phones,

There are about 150 odd universities, technical institutes,

sneakers, cars or home furnishings; Indians are lapping it

colleges and schools offering an accredited (by the All

all up. And the manufacturers of the world cannot ignore

India Council of Technical Education, AICTE and the

the fact that there needs to be a new design sensibility for

Council of Architecture) degree in architecture - equivalent

this new client base.

to a B.Arch. or Diploma in Architecture. Together they

enroll about 6000 students in a 5 year architectural

Jayashree Bhosale at Economic Times writes about this

program. This in turn adds about 5000 eligible architects

need for an Indianised design and by extension the

to Indias human resource pool of building design

Indian designers. In the whole post-secondary education

professionals. However, these numbers are far short of

boom, pure design schools have not been at the forefront.

the actual demand for architects in the country at the

And that is a niche waiting to be filled.

moment.
India is now a potential design pool. Just by sheer
Amongst the highly rated institutes for architectural

numbers! http://www.designinindia.net/

education are the following few,

Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology,
(CEPT) Ahmedabad
Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture,
(KRVI) Mumbai

Theres a whole new talent dimension that India has yet to

cash in on: design. The demand for professionals in this
field is going up by the day, as international brands call in
on one of the worlds key manufacturing and consumption

Maharaja Sayajirao University, (MSU) Baroda

centres. But with just a handful design schools in the

Chandigarh School of Architecture, (CSA) Chandigarh

country, its an opportunity waiting to be tapped.

School of Architecture and Planning, (SPA) Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Kharagpur and

There are only five to six good design schools in the

Roorkee
Manipal Institute of Technology, (MIT) Manipal

country. Had the supply of experienced designers been

enough, some of the top manufacturing companies of
India would not need to hire design heads from abroad,

Growth and prosperity of an economy, to an extent is

says Forbes Marshall director, Naushad Forbes, who is

reflected in its physical appearance. The industry

also a visiting faculty at Stanford. The Indian industry can

responsible for this is the construction industry, which for

meet just an estimated 10% of the demand for design

quite sometime is experiencing a boom. Times have

professionals, as design schools take in only about 500

changed and so has our focus. From, the basic necessity

students annually.

of housing and shelter of yesteryears, emphasis is now

given on comfort, luxury and style. All this has importantly

A lot of design companies from abroad are looking to

led to creation of avenues for those interested in making a

collaborate with Indian design companies. There is lot of

career in this sector. In the last few decades our economy

cross-cultural design taking place. In areas of clean

has witnessed hectic and massive construction activities,

technologies and eco-friendly design, Indian designers

new structures have been raised, townships have evolved,

can contribute a lot as we are used to the concept of

evident of growth in the sector.

recycling and reusing, says Falguni Gokhale, director,

Design Directions, the company that designed the water

The construction task involves both the designer and

purifier, Tata Swach.

constructors. Any built structure is an outcome of close

coordination and participation of a number of people,

The product design teams of multinational companies

technical and non-technical, including architects,

usually consist of people of various nationalities, and there

contractors, surveyors, engineers, designers along-with

is a place on these teams for Indians. As India is a huge

17

market, it is necessary for an MNC to have Indian

accelerated Indias economic growth rate. By 2008, India

designers to understand the needs of the Indian

had established itself as the worlds second fastest

consumers, says Florence Rohart, footwear designer with

growing major economy. However, the year 2009 saw a

Adidas, Germany.

significant slowdown in Indias official GDP growth rate to

6.1% as well as the return of a large projected fiscal deficit

Institutes like DSK Supinfocom in Pune are looking to tap

of 6.8% of GDP, which would be among the highest in the

this opportunity, and recently held a week-long master

world.

class with a four-member team of footwear designers from

brands like Puma, Camper and Newfeel participating. We

Indias large service industry accounts for 62.6% of the

are looking for possible internships and placements for

countrys GDP while the industrial and agricultural sector

our students with big brands in different products, says

contribute 20% and 17.5% respectively. Agriculture is the

vice chairman Shirish Kulkarni.

predominant occupation in India, accounting for about

52% of employment. The service sector makes up a

India Inc is filling in some of the supply gap, but we still

further 34%, and industrial sector around 14%. The labor

have a long way to go. Indian automotive companies like

force totals half a billion workers. Major agricultural

Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra and Bajaj Auto have

products include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea,

good design talent and studios that match the best in the

sugarcane, potatoes, cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats,

world. The demand for professionals in emerging markets

poultry and fish. Major industries include telecommuni

is particularly encouraging as design as a career in

cations, textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel,

western countries has become saturated and fiercely

transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum,

competitive, says Sudhir Sharma, CEO, Indi Designs and

machinery, information technology enabled services and

erstwhile founder director of Elephant Design. Further, he

software.

says, most developed countries have developed

expensive design practices, which are not viable in todays

McKinsey & Company recently came up with a

economy.

comprehensive report titled Indias Urban Awakening:

Building inclusive cities, sustaining economic growth.

Though there is a large number of vacancies, designers

eventually start their own business. Only 20% designers

India has a young and rapidly growing populationa

stick to a job, Mr Satish Gokhale.

potential demographic dividend. But India needs thriving

cities if that dividend is to pay out. New MGI research

Economy

estimates that cities could generate 70 percent of net new

jobs created to 2030, produce around 70 percent of Indian
GDP, and drive a near fourfold increase in per capita

The economy of India is the eleventh largest economy in

incomes across the nation.

the world by nominal GDP and the fourth largest by

purchasing power parity (PPP) In the 1990s, following

Handled well, India can reap significant benefits from

economic reform from the socialist-inspired economy of

urbanization. MGI offers a range of recommendations, the

post-independence India, the country began to experience

vast majority of which India could implement within five to

rapid economic growth, as markets opened for

ten years. If India were to follow the recommendations, it

international competition and investment. In the 21st

could add 1 to 1.5 percent to annual GDP growth, bringing

century, India is an emerging economic power with vast

the economy near to the double-digit growth to which the

human and natural resources, and a huge knowledge

government aspires.

base. Economists predict that by 2020, India will be

among the leading economies of the world.

Surging growth and employment in cities will be a

powerful magnet. MGI projections show Indias urban

India was under social democratic-based policies from

population soaring from 340 million in 2008 to 590 million

1947 to 1991. The economy was characterized by

in 2030. And this urban expansion will happen at a speed

extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership,

quite unlike anything India has seen before. It took India

leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth. Since

nearly 40 years (between 1971 and 2008) for the urban

1991, continuing economic liberalization has moved the

population to rise by nearly 230 million. It will take only

economy towards a market-based system. A revival of

half the time to add the next 250 million.

economic reforms and better economic policy in 2000s

18

India has the potential to unlock many new growth

which came into force on 1st September, 1972. The Act

markets in its cities, many of them not traditionally

provides for registration of Architects, standards of

associated with India including infrastructure,

education, recognized qualifications and standards of

transportation, health care, education, and recreation.

practice to be complied with by the practicing architects.

MGI projects that, to meet urban demand, the economy

The Council of Architecture is charged with the

will have to build between 700 million and 900 million

responsibility to regulate the education and practice of

square meters of residential and commercial space a

profession throughout India besides maintaining the

year. In transportation, India needs to build 350 to 400

register of architects. For this purpose, the Government of

kilometers of metros and subways every year, more than

India has framed Rules and Council of Architecture has

20 times the capacity building of this type that India has

framed Regulations as provided for in the Architects Act,

achieved in the past decade. In addition, between 19,000

with the approval of Government of India.

and 25,000 kilometers of road lanes would need to be

built every year (including lanes for bus-based rapid

Any person desirous of carrying on the profession of

transit systems), nearly equal to the road lanes

Architect must have registered himself with Council of

constructed over the past decade.

Architecture. For the purpose of registration, one must

possess the requisite qualification as appended to the

Cities can also deliver a higher quality of life. Urban scale

Architects Act, after having undergone the education in

benefits means the cost of delivering basic services is

accordance with the Council of Architecture (Minimum

30 to 40 percent cheaper in concentrated population

Standards of Architectural Education) Regulations, 1983.

centers than in sparsely populated areas. But to reap such

The registration with Council of Architecture entitles a

benefits, India needs to meet an unprecedented policy

person to practice the profession of architecture, provided

challenge. If it fails to do so, this could seriously

he holds a Certificate of Registration with up-to-date

jeopardize its growth and risk high unemployment.

renewals. The registration also entitles a person to use

the title and style of Architect. A firm of architects, of

Although urban India has attracted investment on the back

which all partners are registered with COA, can also use

of strong growth, its cities are still failing to deliver even a

the title and style of architect. Limited Companies, Private/

basic standard of living for their residents after years of

Public Companies, societies and other juridical persons

chronic underinvestment. Unless it steps up investment in

are not entitled to use the title and style of architect nor

its cities, India could well lose the productivity dividend of

are they entitled to practice the profession of architecture.

urban living. Today, in per capita terms, Indias annual

If any person falsely claims to be registered or misuses

capital spending of $17 is only 14 percent of Chinas $116

title and style of architect, such acts tantamount to

and less than 6 percent of New Yorks $292.

committing of a criminal offense, which is punishable

under section 36 or 37 (2) of the Architects Act, 1972.

MGI estimates that India needs to invest $1.2 trillion just in

capital expenditure in its cities over the next 20 years,

The practice of profession of an architect is governed by

equivalent to $134 per capita per year, almost eight times

the Architects (Professional Conduct) Regulations, 1989

the level of spending today. If India taps into five sources

(as amended in 2003), which deals with professional

of funding used in cities around the worldmonetized

ethics and etiquette, conditions of engagement and scale

land assets, higher property taxes, user charges that

of charges, architectural competition guidelines etc.

reflect costs, debt and public-private partnerships, and

Pursuant to these Regulations, the Council of Architecture

formula-based government fundingits largest cities

has framed guidelines governing the various aspects of

could generate as much as 80 percent of the funding they

practice. An architect is required to observe professional

require from internal sources.

conduct as stipulated in the Regulations of 1989 and any

violation thereof shall constitute a professional

Professional Organizations
Council of Architecture India (COA)

misconduct, which will attract disciplinary action as

stipulated under section 30 of the Architects Act, 1972.
There are 135 institutions, which impart architectural
education in India leading to recognized qualifications.

The Council of Architecture (COA) has been constituted

The standards of education being imparted in these

by the Government of India under the provisions of the

institutions (constituent colleges/departments of

Architects Act, 1972, enacted by the Parliament of India,

universities, deemed universities, affiliated colleges/

19

schools, IITs, NITs and autonomous institutions) is

Amendments aspiration to devolve power and redistribute

governed by Council of Architecture (Minimum Standards

wealth at the state and city level. The Urban Renewal

of Architectural Education) Regulations, 1983, which set

Mission focuses on three areas: integrated infrastructure,

forth the requirement of eligibility for admission, course

basic services to the urban poor, and wide-ranging urban

duration, standards of staff & accommodation, course

sector reforms, offering cities access to national funds if

content, examination etc. These standards as provided in

they comply with the general agenda put forward by the

the said Regulations are required to be maintained by the

National Ministry of Urban Development.

institutions. The COA oversees the maintenance of the

standards periodically by way of conducting inspections

Cities applying for JNNURM funding are required to

through Committees of Experts. The COA is required to

commit to the implementation of a series of measures that

keep the Central Government informed of the standards

include property tax reform, decentralization, proper city

being maintained by the institutions and is empowered to

budgeting, preparation of a City Development Plan (CDP)

make recommendations to the Government of India with

through multi-stakeholder consultations, and detailed

regard to recognition and de-recognition of a qualification.

project reports. It requires the implementation of

Metropolitan Planning Commissions to oversee the
development of integrated metropolitan regional plans.

The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA)

JNNURM also operates as a toolkit for municipal

governments, helping cities to implement projects at a

The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) is the national body

local level. JNNURM has been largely welcomed by

of Architects in the country. Having started in the year

different constituencies in India as a new commitment to

1917, the institute today has more than 15000 members.

cities, but is seen to suffer from an intrinsic process of

The Institute has a major role to play in promoting the

decentralization that requires support from the national

profession of architecture by organizing and uniting in

government. In addition, there is growing concern that a

fellowship the Architects of India to promote aesthetic,

basic lack of skills within the public sector will lead to

scientific and practical efficiency of the profession both in

commercial consultants with little local knowledge having

Practice and in Education. IIA is represented on various

a disproportionate influence on the drafting of City

national and international committees connected with

Development Plans, cutting out local stakeholders from

architecture, art and the building industry and are also

the consultation process. While the Urban Renewal

actively associated with International Union of Architects

Mission is seen as a critical political initiative that attempts

(UIA) Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) and

to find solutions to the urban questions raised in a rapidly

South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation of

urbanizing country, accommodating the needs of the

Architects (SAARCH).

urban poor and managing private interests and

speculation are its major challenges.

Government Policy

The Mission

Ministry of Urban Development

The aim is to encourage reforms and fast track planned

Latest Initiative: Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban

development of identified cities. Focus is to be on efficiency

Renewal Mission (JNNURM)

in urban infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms,

community participation, and accountability of ULBs/

In December 2005, the Indian government launched the

Parastatal agencies towards citizens.

seven-year, US$ 11 billion Jawaharlal Nehru National

Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to guide urban

Objectives of the Mission

development across the country. The aim is to improve

The objectives of the JNNURM are to ensure that the

basic services in over 60 cities including those with a

population of over 1 million, all state capitals and selected
cities of religious, historical and tourist importance. The
Mission represents a fundamental change in attitude of
the Indian government, which had previously focused
primarily on rural development. JNNURM reflects the
realization that cities are the engine of Indias growth and
attempts to reinvigorate the 74th Constitutional

20

following are achieved in the urban sector

Focussed attention to integrated development of
infrastructure services in cities covered
Establishment of linkages between asset-creation and
asset-management through a slew of reforms for
long-term project sustainability
Ensuring adequate funds to meet the deficiencies in
urban infrastructural services

 Planned development of identified cities including

peri-urban areas, outgrowths and urban corridors
leading to dispersed urbanization
Scale-up delivery of civic amenities and provision of
utilities with emphasis on universal access to the urban
poor
Special focus on urban renewal programme for the old
city areas to reduce congestion; and
Provision of basic services to the urban poor including
security of tenure at affordable prices, improved

Some interesting facts about India:

Tea industry in India generates income and livelihood
for nearly 20 million
AT Kearney ranks India as the 6th most attractive
investment destination
India has been ranked as the top destination for
retailers in AT Kearneys Global Retail
Development Index (GRID)
Global Economic Survey ranks India as the sixth-fastest
growing country in terms of

housing, water supply and sanitation, and ensuring

Construction

delivery of other existing universal services of the

India has the fifth largest Electricity generation capacity

government for education, health and social security.

in the World
India has an extensive road network of 3.3 million km
the second largest in the World

Scope of the Mission

The Mission shall comprise two Sub- Missions,

Roads carry about 70% of the freight and 85% of the

passenger traffic
India has 125 airports; of these 11 are designated

Sub-Mission (1) for Urban Infrastructure and

Governance:
This will be administered by the Ministry of Urban

international airports
In 2004-2005, Indian airports handled 60 million
passengers and 1.3 million tonnes of cargo

Development through the Sub- Mission Directorate for

India is one of the ten largest retail markets in the world

Urban Infrastructure and Governance. The main thrust of

Travel and Tourism is a US$12 billion (by revenu)

the Sub-Mission will be on infrastructure projects relating

industry in India

to water supply and sanitation, sewerage, solid waste

3.5 million international tourist arrivals in India in 2005

management, road network, urban transport and

India is among the top 10 global suppliers of aluminium

redevelopment of old city areas with a view to upgrading

and steel in the world

infrastructure therein, shifting industrial and commercial

About 35 million tonnes of steel are produced in India

establishments to conforming areas, etc.

India is also the largest producer of sponge iron in the

Sub-Mission (2) for Basic Services to the

Urban Poor:

India is amongst the largest producers of cotton

world

This will be administered by the Ministry of Urban

Employment and Poverty Alleviation through the SubMission Directorate for Basic Services to the Urban Poor.
The main thrust of the Sub-Mission will be on integrated
development of slums through projects for providing
shelter, basic services and other related civic amenities
with a view to providing utilities to the urban poor.

India is the largest consumer of gold jewellery in the

world; accounts for about 20% of world consumption
India is the largest diamond cutting and polishing centre
in the world
Healthcare delivery is one of the largest service-sector
industries in India
The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have been
ranked the third besttechnology universities in the world
for 2005, according to the prestigious Times Higher
Education Supplement (THES)

21

Key Players in Architecture & Urban Planning in India

A. Srivatsan

Architect / Journalist

http://www.thehindu.com/

Aditya Dev Sood

Architect / New Media

http://www.cks.in/

AGK Menon

Architect / Academician

http://www.intbau.org/

Akhtar Chauhan

Architect / Academician

http://www.rizvicollege.com/

Anand Bhatt

Architect / Information Technology

http://www.ab-a.net/

Aniket Bhagwat

Architect / Landscape

http://www.landscapeindia.net/

Anil Laul

Architect

http://anangpur.org/

Anirudh Paul

Architect / Academician

http://www.krvia.ac.in/

Apurva Amin

Architect

http://apurvaamin.com/

Aupama Kundoo

Architect / Researcher

http://anupamakundoo.com/

B. Shashi Bhooshan

Architect

http://en.netlog.com/shashi_bhooshan/

Balkrishna V. Doshi

Architect / Urban Planner / Academician http://www.sangath.org/

Bijoy Jain

Architect

http://www.studiomumbai.com/

Bimal Patel

Architect / Urban Planner

http://www.hcp.co.in/

BR Balachandran

Architect / Urban Planner

http://www.alchemyurban.com/

Brinda Somaya

Architect / Conservation

http://www.snkindia.com/

Canna Patel

Architect / Interior Designer

http://www.hcpia.co.in/

Charles Correa

Architect / Urban Planner / Academician http://www.charlescorrea.net/

Chitra Vishwanath

Architect

Christopher Beninger

Architect / Urban Planner / Academician http://www.ccba.in/

CP Kukreja

Architect

http://www.cpkukreja.com/

Gautam Bhatia

Architect / Critic

http://gautambhatia.com/

Gerard Dacunha

Architect

http://www.nrityagram.org/

Gurjeet Singh Matharoo

Architect

http://www.matharooassociates.com/

Hafeez Contractor

Architect

http://www.hafeezcontractor.com/

Hasmukh C Patel

Architect / Academician

http://www.hcp.co.in/

Hiren Patel

Architect

http://www.hirenpatelarchitects.com/

Ismet Khambatta

Architect / Furniture Design

http://www.tdwfurniture.com/

K. Jaisim

Architect / Academician

http://www.jaisim-fountainhead.com/

Kamu Iyer

Architect / Academician

http://www.dharavi.org/

Kapil Gupta

Architect

http://www.serie.co.uk/

Kiran Kapadia

Architect

http://www.kapl.in/

Kiran Venkatesh

Architect

http://www.informarchitects.com/

KT Ravindran

Architect / Urban Planner / Academician http://www.spa.ac.in/

M.N. Ashish Ganju

Architect / Academician

http://www.greha.org/

Madhavi & Miki Desai

Architects / Researchers

http://www.archicrafts.com/

Manit Rastogi

Architect

http://www.morphogenesis.org/

Naushir Talati

Architect

http://tparch.net/

Neelkanth Chhaya

Architect / Academician

http://www.cept.ac.in/

Nimish Patel

Architect / Conservation

http://www.abhikram.com/

Nisha Mathew /Soumitro Ghosh

Architects

http://www.mathewghosh.com/

Pankaj Joshi

Architect / Research / Conservation

http://www.udri.org/

PK Das

Architect / Activist

http://www.pkdas.com/

Prabhakar Bhagwat

Landscape / Academician

http://www.landscapeindia.net/

Pradeep Sachdeva

Architect / Urban Planning

http://www.psda.in/

Prem Nath

Architect

http://www.premnath.com/

PVK Rameshwar

Architect / Urban Design

http://www.cept.ac.in/

Quaid Doongerwala / Shilpa Ranade

Architects

http://www.dcoop.in/

Rahul Gore

Architect

http://www.opolis.in/

Rahul Mehrotra

Architect / Urban Planner / Academician http://www.rmaarchitects.com/

22

http://www.inika.com/chitra/

Raj Rewal

Architect / Academician

http://www.rajrewal.in/

Raja Aeideri

Architect

http://www.indiabuildnet.com/

Rajiv Kathpalia

Architect / Academician

http://www.sangath.org/

Ranjit Sabikhi

Architect

http://www.sabikhi.com/

Ratan Batliboi

Architect

http://www.rjbx.firm.in/

Ravindra Vasavda

Architect / Researcher / Academician

http://www.architexturez.net/

Riyaz Tyabji

Architect

http://www.cept.ac.in/

Robert Verrijt / Shefali Balwani

Architects

http://architecturebrio.com/

Rohan Shivkumar

Architect / Academician

http://anarchytect.blogspot.com/

Rohit Mujumdar

Architect / Activist

http://crit.org.in/

Samira Rathod

Architect / Interior Designer

http://www.samirarathod.com/

Sanjay Mohe

Architect

http://www.mindspacearchitects.com/

Shakti Parmar

Architect

http://www.shaktiparmar.com/

Shantanu Poredi / Manisha Agarwal

Architects

http://mo-of.com/html

Shivanand Swami

Urban Planner / Academician

http://www.cept.ac.in/

SK Das

Architect

http://www.skdas.org/

Suhasini Ayer

Architect / Sustainable Design

http://www.auroville.org

Swati Ramanathan

Activist

http://www.janaagraha.org/

Tehmasp Khareghat

Architect

http://www.architectkhareghat.com/

Uttam Jain

Architect / Academician

http://www.ucjain.com/

V Naresh Narasimhan

Architect / Urban Planner

http://www.vagroup.com/

The names listed in Bold are the most eminent or known practitioners of architecture in India.
This list is entirely of my own making and does not purport to be any quantitative or qualitative survey of the profession
or the professional practitioners in India today.

India and The Netherlands

view to the Dutch interests in the agricultural sector. There

is also a bilateral workgroup in India, which aims to

Bilateral Relations

remove the b
arriers with regard to plant health between
India and the Netherlands. The Ministry of Economic

The Netherlands and India entered into diplomatic

Affairs is currently making preparations for the assignment

relations immediately after Indias independence.

of a scientific and technical attach (STA) and is also

When one looks at the export and import volume, the

preparing to open an office for the Netherlands Foreign

Netherlands and India are not significant trading partners.

Investment Agency (NFIA).

Dutch exports to India may have increased by 42% in

2004, but in spite of this, the Dutch share in Indian imports

There is bilateral cultural and educational collaboration

is getting smaller. The total Dutch export to India is only

between various field organizations (universities, theaters,

0.2 percent of all Dutch export. The Netherlands is an

museums) in the Netherlands and India. The cooperation

important investor in India, however. In view of the

between Indian and Dutch scientists is furthered through

tremendous trading and investment potential of the Indian

joint multi-disciplinary (mainly socio-economic) research

market, there seems to be room for improvement for the

(e.g. through the Indo-Dutch Programme on Alternatives

Dutch export of goods to and the Dutch investments in

in Development? (IDPAD) and the Kerala Research

India. Therefore, the Dutch Trade Board (DTB) has set up

Programme on Local level Development?), exchange-

a public-private workgroup and has drawn up an action

programmes and seminars. The Dutch government

plan to promote the economic relations with India. India

provides grants to Indian students within the framework of

has a large range of tools at its disposal. The Netherlands

the Huygens programme (OC&W) and the Netherlands

has an expansive trading network in India, consisting of

Fellowship Programme (OS).

the embassy in New Delhi, the consulate general in

Mumbai, and two Netherlands Business Support Offices

In view of the rich heritage from the period during which

in Chennai and Ahmedabad. A council for Agriculture,

the VOC had trading posts in India, the Netherlands sees

Nature and Food Quality is situated at the embassy with a

the mutual cultural legacy from the 17th and 18th

23

centuries as an important basis for cultural cooperation,

these developments, most of the airports are in desperate

and supports various related activities. The Netherlands is

need of getting modernised. The Indian g

overnment is

aiming to broaden the cultural cooperation, with an

progressing in liberalising the air traffic; the country has

emphasis on the maintenance of the mutual cultural

already arranged open skies deals with the United States

heritage. The Netherlands will enter into an MoU with

and China. The Netherlands made the same arrangement

India, on the basis of the existing cultural agreement.

in May 2005, resulting in an enlarged frequency of flights.

In addition to the mutual cultural heritage, the MoU will

focus on visual arts, film, new media, music, design, and

Construction

contacts with the Hindu community in the Netherlands

The economic growth of India has caused a stimulance

(more than 130,000 people with a Suriname-Indian

for the construction of houses, offices and appartment

background and around 20,000Indians). An MoU

buildings. Expectations are that for each year until 2011

between the Netherlands and India will also be drawn up

6 million new houses will be build. Opportunities in this

for the r estoration of the VOC archives.

sector lie in the supply of building equipment, resources

and in the construction itself.

In June 2006, the cabinet approved an inter-ministerial

policy document that will form the framework for the

Infrastructure

relations with India during the coming years. Considering

The infrastructure has made some impressive and

the Indian context, the expected developments and the

important changes in the last couple of years. Especially

Indian priorities, the Netherlands will mainly use its

the number of regional roads and highways has grown

bilateral relations with India for economic, scientific and

enormously. The government of India is supporting the

technical, and cultural collaboration. The increase in

improvement of the infrastructure with a project called the

intensity of these relations requires the further adjustment

National Integrated Highway Development Project.

of the Dutch immigration policy, which has therefore been

Phase one of this project is to connect the four most

given priority. To promote international security and

important cities Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai; also

regional stability, the Netherlands will collaborate with

known as The Golden Quadrilateral. Phase two is to

India and its neighbors on counter-terrorism, water

connect the north and the south from Srinagar to

management, environmental management, development

Kanyakumari and to establish an east to west connection

cooperation and sustainable energy. Finally, the

from Silchar to Portbander with a total length of 7,300 km.

Netherlands will work with India on international legal

The project is planned to be finished in 2009.

order and human rights, both through its bilateral relations

and through multilateral channels.

Water Transport
Water transport plays an important role in the transport of
resources. India has several harbours and many rivers

High-opportunity sectors India

that connect the different parts of India. In reality only

2,000 km of the 14,500 km of waterways are used for

The Indian market is a great opportunity for Dutch

transportation. Reasons behind this are technical

companies to invest in. India is one of the largest

problems; rivers are impossible to be used and the

economies in the world and has become more open to

infrastructure is insufficient. Dredging companies, harbour

foreign investors after it liberalized its market. From this

development projects and delivery of specialised ship

moment on many multinationals have started outsourcing

building materials could be a solution to this problem.

much of their b
usiness to India as it has a highly skilled
labour force and a sound economic policy. For Dutch

Doing Business with/in India

companies India is very attractive to invest in since the

There are a number of important issues to consider with

opportunities in this country seem to be endless.

regard to doing business with and in India. The most

successful companies have adopted and developed a

Airports

methodical, long-term strategy, and have prepared

Indian airports are essential because they provide 40% of

thoroughly before doing business with and in India.

the international trade and 95% of the passenger flights.

India has 5 airports that take care of 44 million passengers

Government interference

per year. Expectations are that the number of passenger

Government interference in some fields is still relatively

will rise to 90 million by 2010. To cope with this growth the

high.Government contacts are an essential ingredient of

amount of flights needs to increase as well. Because of

doing business in India. However, government officials are

24

typically transferred to other departments, hampering

Agents

long-term, intensive contacts.

Enlisting the services of a local trade agent is certainly not

a superfluous luxury. Factors such as non-transparent

Infrastructure

markets, market size, the importance of personal contacts

Infrastructure projects, including roads, waterways,

and the nature of bureaucratic challenges in India make it

airports, energy supply and financial sector are still under

difficult to enter the Indian market without local knowledge.

development.

For many businesses, a good distribution network is the

key to success in India. However, networking is laborious

Government finances

and highly time-consuming. That is the precise reason

Both central government and sub-states are facing a

why collaborating with a good local partner is essential.

considerable financial deficit.

Nevertheless, there is also agrowing trend among many

multinationals to build their network independently, due to

Investment climate

major problems with Indian partners after a number of

The investment climate is notopen in all areas. Certain

years. Your agent/partner must therefore be subjected to

sectors are still no-go areas for foreign investors.

meticulous screening. The EVD provides guidance and

In some instances, special approval procedures and

information on the selection as well as legal arrangements.

investment ceilings have been put in place.

With regard to selecting an ideal business location, the

aim is to carefully assess and analyze offers from

Bottlenecks affecting Trade Policy

different sub-states. As always, it is important to source a

An example of this isthe anti-dumping initiations against

good local partner with an informal government network,

India by the European Commission (in particular in the

who should be able to successfully and effortlessly

area of agricultural products, textiles and clothing, and

conclude this process. Nevertheless, the general

chemical products). The import of goods from India is

consensus is that, for the foreseeable future at least,

additionally hampered by the stringent product standards

setting up collaborative agreements will remain a time-

and quality standards imposed by the EU.

consuming affair, taking a minimum of four to six months.

(http://www.evd.nl/)

Bottlenecks affecting the free movement of

persons
This is a long-term issue, in particular regarding visa
applications and document verification. This particular
bottleneck has eased in recent years for knowledge

Architecture Events:
India The Netherlands

workers- workers who come in on the invitation of a

number of companies recognised? the Immigration and
Naturalisation Department.

Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi),

Rotterdam
Ole Bouman, 11 12 December 2007

Exhibitions and trade fairs

The NAi organized a tour of two Indian architecture

Visiting or participating in trade fairs is one of the best

colleges and conducted lectures and group discussions

ways to get to know certain market segments in India.

with the faculty and students. The NAi director Ole

In contrast to its British and German counterparts, the

Bouman took notes during these discussions at the

interest expressed by the Dutch entrepreneurs, with the

School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi and at the KRV

exception of the agricultural sector, has been somewhat

Institute of Architecture, Mumbai. Some conclusions from

subdued. India plays host to a large number of exhibitions

that visit are to be found on his blog at,

and trade fairs, of differing standards. Participation fees

http://www.nai.nl/toolbar/nieuws/detail_nieuws/_rp_left1_

are comparable to those charged in the West. It therefore

elementId/1_202107/_pid/left1

makes most sense to visit a trade fair first, before deciding

entrepreneurs wishing to promote their activities in India, it

Indo-Dutch collaboration summit focused on

Industrial Design

certainly pays to organize a seminar to target specific

Sunil Malhotra, World Trade Centre, Rotterdam,

market segments. In contrast to many Western countries,

25th September 2009

Indias seminar circuit is currently thriving.

good design can be really good business. Theres a

(http://www.evd.nl/)

case to be made out for design collaboration without

whether to participate or not. For businesses and

borders. Couple of good reasons here

25

 European design reflects high quality, the idiom being

urbanized industrial regions.

minimalistic and functional. Whereas Indias design

Like Shanghai, Johannesburg and Mexico City, all the

sensibilities are more embellished. Their combination

Indian cities Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bangalore

will raise the aesthetic appeal without compromising

have been following a continuous trajectory of population

design values.

growth from the start of the twentieth century. In contrast,

Pure economic tenets come into play when we see the

the cities in the richest, early urbanising countries have

sheer number of people both on the supply side (design

seen population growth slow and reverse, although New

talent is plenty in India)and the demand side (India is

York and London are now in a new cycle of relatively

emerging as one of the largest markets). Leveraging the

slow growth. Berlin alone amongst the Urban Age cities

great Indian talent pool is an opportunity.

has experienced a slight decline in the last decades.

The life sensibilities of Indias cultural make-up have

always been in the mould of sustainability, something

In the 1990s, Indias population grew by a dramatic 23%,

the world has woken up to only recently. Add to this the

but this fast growth was outpaced in the main cities. In

rich craft-based traditions and you have a universal

Delhi the number of residents jumped by 70%, although

design paradigm thats as powerful as Buddhism.

this was partly due to a boundary change, and Bangalore

http://nidesk.net/?page_id=434

grew by 38%. Mumbais population grew by 21%, falling

back slightly on its relative position. In contrast Kolkatas

Building India, ARCAM Amsterdam

population was almost flat, at least by Indian standards,

Franz Ziegler, 15.11.08 - 24.01.09

at 4% growth. Projections suggest population growth

The exhibition presents a general introduction to present-

nationwide will continue but at a reduced rate of 14% to

day India, to the current state of architecture and urbanism,

2010, with growth in Bangalore pulling ahead of that in

and the building task for the next ten years. Tendencies

Delhi and other cities. Mumbai and Kolkata have much

since the economic liberalization in the nineties are

longer histories as large cities, than the other Indian

explained, just as the economic boom and its effect in the

cases. Both reached a million population by 1910 and

urban centres. The main part of the exhibition focusses on

have developed at a similar time as New York, London

Indias future, seen through the eyes of young Indian

and Berlin. In contrast, Delhi and Bangalore became large

architects. Five architects were asked to present their city,

cities much more recently. Delhi reached a million

allocating key projects that are important and representative

residents by 1950, Bangalore during the 1950s. Mumbai

of the architectural and urban culture of their city. http://

reached ten million by 1990 and Delhi did so by 2000.

www.arcam.nl/exposities/archief09_nl.html?-session=arca

Kolkata is due to do so by 2020, and it is likely that

m:C0A801371136e1BFE1pJM16674B0

Bangalore will do so over the next decades. While there is

at least one major agglomeration of several million

Dutch Engineering / Architecture Companies

with Operations in India:

inhabitants in every world region, a new generation of

DHV Global Engineering Center, Noida, Delhi

and parts of Africa. The shift to cities is both the product

http://www.dhvgroup.com/Offices/Asia/India/DHV-Global-

and a catalyst of economic growth. The challenge ahead

Engineering-Center,-Noida

is to mobilise the wealth of resources that cities generate

Royal Haskoning, Mumbai

to make urbanisation more environmentally sustainable

http://www.royalhaskoning.com/en-GB/RegionsAndOffices/

globally, and local urban environments more liveable and

Pages/OfficeIndiaMumbai.aspx

inclusive for their rising numbers of residents.

megacities is rapidly emerging across Asia, Latin America

3D Blue Print India Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad

http://www.3dblueprint.in/

Growth Prospects

Urban Reforms
India is a part of the global trend towards increasing
urbanization in which more than half of worlds population

The world is experiencing intense urbanization by the

is living in cities and towns. 27.8 per cent of Indias

hand of extensive yet uneven processes of growth and

population (285 million) live in urban areas as per 2001

expansion. More than half of humanity now lives in cities,

census.

and 80 per cent of the Earths land surface has come to

reflect the influence of city-based human activity.

It is important to note that the contribution of urban sector

Dominating the urban world is a selective group of dynamic

to GDP is currently expected to be in the range of 50-60

and highly specialized cities, as well as massively

percent. In this context, enhancing the productivity of

26

urban areas is now central to the policy pronouncements

Second Generation Reforms

of the Ministry of Urban Development. Cities hold

tremendous potential as engines of economic and social

Regulatory Framework

development, creating jobs and generating wealth through

The participation of the private sector in financing and the

economies of scale. They need to be sustained and

delivery of infrastructure at the municipal level, especially

augmented through the high urban productivity for countrys

in the water and sanitation sector, requires a regulatory

economic growth. National economic growth and poverty

framework to protect consumers, apply environmental

reduction efforts will be increasingly determined by the

standards and support the delivery to the poor. As there

productivity of these cities and towns. For Indian cities to

are a variety of models of regulation from centralized to

become growth oriented and productive, it is essential to

decentralized systems, guidelines will be developed at the

achieve a world class urban system. This in turn depends

National level to ensure consistency across the country.

on attaining efficiency and equity in the delivery and

Appropriate training program and capacity support to

financing of urban infrastructure.

regulators will also be developed in partnership with the

private sector and urban research institutions.

Resource Gap
The India Infrastructure, Report, 1996, assessed the total

Model Legislation

annual investment needs of water supply, sanitation and

The Central Government is in the process of preparing a

roads sectors at Rs. 28,036 crores per year on an average

model legislation for facilitating private sector participation

during 1996-2006. Whereas funds to that extent are not

in urban infrastructure. This is necessary, as the present

available.

legislative scenario does not encourage private sector

participation in this field. A model Municipal Act which will

To overcome these constraints and challenges, the

be recommended to the State Governments, would

Ministry of Urban Development has initiated institutional,

include modification and simplification of Municipal

fiscal and financial reforms. First generation urban sector

bylaws, provision for enhanced borrowing, allowing the

reform - known as the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act

entry of private sector and authorizing concessionaires to

of 1992, recognizes the principles of local self-governments

penalize users for non payment of tariffs.

and empowers urban local bodies with financial resources

through Central Finance Commission and State Finance

Municipal Accounting System

Commissions. Subsequently, in order to strengthen these

The Task Force constituted by the O/o C&AG of India had

local bodies, second-generation reform have also been

recommended for introduction of accrual basis of

started. In the last decade, enormous progress has been

accounting system for the urban local bodies (ULBs) and

made in removing impediments to efficient investment.

suggested model budgeting and accounting formats for

that purpose. The Task Force Report was circulated to all

Resource Mobilization Effort

States/UTs for adoption of accrual basis of accounting

In August, 1996, the Central Government guidelines

system as well as the budget and accounting formats.

entitled Urban Development Plans Formulation and

Further to provide a simplified tool kit to the ULBs for

Implementation were circulated to all State Governments

recording the accounting entries, Ministry of Urban

for adoption. These guidelines, apart from other issues,

Development in cooperation with the Office of C&AG of

suggest innovative approaches for fiscal resource

India has prepared a National Municipal Accounting

mobilization. In the backdrop of the New Economic

Manual (NMAM) and circulated to all States/UTs in

Policy, it was suggested that the traditional system of

January, 2005. The Manual comprehensively details the

funding based on Plan and budgetary allocations be

accounting policies, procedures, guidelines designed to

reduced and ultimately withdrawn due to fiscal deficit.

ensure correct, complete and timely recording of

Subsidies need to be rationalized and urban development

municipal transactions and produce accurate and relevant

plans and projects need to be placed on a commercial

financial reports. The NMAM would help the States

format by designing commercially viable urban infrastructure

prepare their state-level accounting manuals in

services and area development projects. This can be

accordance with their own requirements for use by the

achieved by restoring a proper match between functions

ULBs. This initiative is expected not only to enhance the

and source of revenue by giving additional tax measures.

capacities of ULBs in municipal accounting leading to

Other innovative resource mobilization measures include

increased transparency and accountability of utilization of

using land as resource, increase in the non-property taxes

public funds for the development of urban sector but also

and using Public-Private Partnership in service delivery.

will help in creating an environment in which urban local

27

bodies can play their role more effectively and ensure

Pooled Financing for Municipal Infrastructure

better service - delivery.

Traditionally, municipal corporations and urban local

bodies have relied on subsidized funds for providing urban

Public-Private Participation Guidelines

services which constraints the constraints the introduction

Central Government will develop guidelines for

of user charges and efficient project operation and

involvement of the private sector in infrastructure, which

maintenance. In view of the huge resource gap, direct

will ensure competitive biding process in a transparent

access to capital market would now be an accepted viable

manner. These guidelines will not only protect the

option. However, access to capital market requires

consumers but also ensure integrity of the process.

financial discipline and enhanced credit rating. It has been

This would support municipalities in designing the PPP

the experience that only bigger municipal corporations are

process on the lines of the BOT Centre in Philippines or

in a position to take the advantage of the resources

the PPP in the Ministry of Finance in South Africa.

available in capital market. Medium and smaller

municipalities are unable to do so due to weak financial

Fiscal Incentives
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

position and lack of capacity to prepare viable project

Hitherto Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)

being proposed for smaller and medium municipalities.

allowed direct investment in providing urban services on a

The objective of a State level pooled finance mechanism

case-to-case basis. This scenario has changed with the

is to provide a cost effective and efficient approach for

decision of the Central Government removing restrictions

smaller and medium sized ULBs to access the domestic

on FDI in urban infrastructure facilities, which are now

capital markets for urban infrastructure and to introduce

open both under FIPB and the automatic route as per

new institutional arrangements for mobilizing Urban

sector specific guidelines. Guidelines have since even

Infrastructure Finance.

proposals. A State level pooled financing mechanism is

issued for FDI in development of integrated township

including housing and building material.

City Restructuring
Government of India is also encouraging citywide reforms

External Assistance

and restructuring so as to ensure that cities are managed

Since independence, externally assisted urban sector

efficiently and become creditworthy (to attract private

projects have accounted for US$ 2300 million. A review of

finance ) which will enable them to prepare long term

these projects indicated a need to adopt a programme

plans for infrastructure investments and implement

approach rather than a project approach for availing

poverty alleviation programs.

external assistance. It also indicated the need to

encourage a multiple donor scenario and tapping low cost

Citywide reforms and restructuring will, however, result in

funds for urban infrastructure.

significant transaction costs during the period of transition.

Leaving cities to finance these costs by themselves will

Tax Free Municipal Bonds

delay and make it difficult to implement these reforms. It is

Several Municipal Corporations like, Bangalore,

to partly offset this disadvantage that the Ministry of Urban

Ahmedabad, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, and Madurai

Development is proposing to set up a performance based

successfully issued Municipal Bonds for raising resources

City Challenge Fund for catalyzing city level economic

for urban infrastructure. The Central Government had

reform programmes. The resources from the Fund would

announced tax exemption in case of bonds issued by

be given as grants but should ideally be matched by equal

Municipal / Local Governments. Guidelines were issued

allocations either from the cities themselves or from the

by this Ministry on 8.2.2001 for regulating issue of tax free

respective State governments. Access to the fund would

municipal bonds. Under the guidelines, such bonds will be

be on a competitive basis.

issued for raising resources for capital investment in

creation of new infrastructure as well as augmentation of

Establishment of an Urban Academy

existing systems. Tax free bonds worth Rs. 100 crore by

The proposed Urban Academy is visualized as a centre of

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation have been permitted

excellence in Urban Matters such as urban water supply,

for improving infrastructure. Hyderabad Municipal

sanitation, urban transport, urban governance, municipal

Corporation has also been permitted to issue tax-free

finance, etc. It will be a n ideal town-planning habitat,

municipal bond for Rs. 82.50 crore.

wherein experts from India and abroad can experiment

with new layouts, building materials, landscaping, heritage
preservation etc., and it will have Synergic links with all

28

other institutions specializing in urban matters. This will

coordinate all Training and Capacity Building Initiatives

BLOG by Kavita Rairath

IndianByDesign.wordpress.com

and efforts of Change Management Forums.

BLOG by Anand Bhatt

Conclusion

What Makes India Urban? Exhibition November 2009,

Architexturez.org

In conclusion, it is evident that the New Economic Policy

launched in India in 1991-92, did see several important
initiatives in the urban sector designed to encourage

http://www.aedes-arc.de/

SPADE
http://indianbydesign.wordpress.com/

private sector participation in urban infrastructure projects.

These initiatives would need to be taken to their logical
conclusion. A series of new Reform Measures are being

References

put together for implementation during 10th Plan Period.

Through these, we hope to reverse the declining
standards of urban infrastructure in the country.

Gautam Bhatia - Whitewash: The Tabloid that is,

About the India that Isnt, 2008 Viveka Foundation
Articles by Prof. AGK Menon and MN Ashish Ganju,
http://www.architexturez.in

Awards

The Urban Age Program, London School of Economics,

The Indian Institute of Architects Awards:

Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development,

http://www.urban-age.net

Annually Gold Medals

IIA Baburao Mhatre Gold Medal
ByNominations for Lifetime contribution to the field of
Architecture
IIA Madhav Achwal Gold Medal
ByNominations for Lifetime contribution to the field

http://www.urbanindia.nic.in

Council of Architecture,
http://www.coa.gov.in

Indian Institute of Architects,

www.iia-india.org

The Netherlands India Chamber of Commerce and

ofEducation

Trade,

http://www.iia-india.org/awards.shtml

www.nicct.nl

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: Every 3 years

http://www.akdn.org/architecture/

JK Cement Architect of the Year Awards: Annually

The Business Standard,

http://www.business-standard.com

Wikipedia India reference

http://www.aya-jkcement.com/
British Council India: YCE Design Award: Annuallyhttp://
www.britishcouncil.org/india-arts-iydey2007.htm

Anand Patel:
Anand Patel has been a practicing architect in India and

Journals and Blogs

Europe for over 10 years. He studied at the Technical

University Delft and at the University of Amsterdam.
In 2008 he set up his private practice in India, Anand Patel

Indian Architect & Builder,

http://www.iabforum.com/indian_architect_builder.html

IIA Journal,
http://www.iia-india.org/aboutiia.shtml

& Associates with the aim to develop a collective of professionals that will provide condition-specific architectural
design and technical services. He has many built projects
to his credit.

Journal of Landscape Architecture,

Anand has lectured and is a visiting faculty at the School

http://www.lajournal.in/About.htm

of Architecture, CEPT, Ahmedabad, National Institute of

MARG,
http://www.marg-art.org/

Design, Ahmedabad, Technical University Berlin,

Germany and University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria.

Seminar,
http://www.india-seminar.com/

Home Review,
http://www.home-review.com/homereview/

Elle Dcor,
http://www.elledecor.co.in/

29

design

Prepared by: Hrridaysh Despande, design professional

Introduction

India has done well so far in terms of producing

Today the Indian Design Industry is like a teenager. It is

in quantity, we were never found wanting in terms of

neither too small to be overlooked nor too big. Like any

quality of our design education. With changing times, our

teenager, it requires mentoring which partnership with a

design education also needs to evolve to the next level.

design evolved nation like The Netherlands can provide.

The challenge is to move towards a more holistic,

international quality designers. While we may have lacked

multidisciplinary design education to develop design

Design as a discipline is comparatively new for India.

professionals who can position design more strategically

The origin of modern design could be traced from the

as an integration of the aesthetic, business, technological

point of establishment of National Institute of Design in

and sociological concerns. Another challenge is to embed

1960 at Ahmedabad.

design in the teaching and learning of other disciplines

and capabilities, such as in business and engineering

History

schools.
Architecture, Interior, Animation / New Media, Fashion

In a traditional sense the practice of design is age old in

Design are leading domains within the design industry.

India. India has always had a rich culture and craft

Other segments are far behind at present. With the

tradition. The rituals, practices, festivals, all are nothing

change in economic scenario design domains such as

but design manifestations as each of them has a profound

graphic design, industrial design, Human Computer

purpose behind them. These traditions and crafts provide

Interaction is growing at a fast clip.

a wonderful backdrop and inspiration to understand and to

look at Modern design.

It is since 1991 that the Indian economy opened up.

In accordance with the growth of the economy the

During the British rule in India, the British introduced their

industry also matured and vice versa. First internal and

educational system within the country. It was during this

then international competition set in. manufacturers and

time that first art colleges in India were setup. In 1850 the

businesses started searching of ways and means to

art school in Madras was founded as private enterprise by

remain unique and competitive. It is with this quest of

Dr. Alexander Hunter, in 1854 The School of Industrial

competitiveness that the role of Design in India also

Arts was started in Kolkata. The J. J. School of Arts was

started getting recognized.

started in 1857 in Bombay now Mumbai. In 1866 Jeypore

School of Industrial Art was started. It was with the

As of date, the majority of design users are big

advent of these institutions that commercial graphics got

businesses. Most of the small or medium sized

introduced in the Indian system.

enterprises (SMEs) lack the resources or understanding of

how to use design as a competitive advantage. Design

It was during these times that exhibitions were organized

has to be reached to the Small and Medium enterprises.

to promote Industrial Art. One such example is the

International Industrial Exhibition 188384 in Calcutta to

A tectonic shift is underway. Design and Development of

demonstrate the success of using the modern technique

new offerings is now moving to India. The reasons are

in traditional manufacture. The main purposes of the

many and obvious. The centre of gravity of design is slowly

exhibitions, was to promote trade in the commercial

but surely moving towards India, opening doors to huge

products of India, to improve ordinary and art manu

opportunities. India with its thinking and qualified

factures and to promote trade in these manufactures.

designers is well poised to leverage this opportunity.

Surely there are some structural imbalances. It is a matter

30

Sir JJ School of Art started as an Arts and Crafts

11th largest passenger car market and is expected to be

institution and initiated architecture in 1900. In 1935

the third largest automobile market by 2030.

department of Commercial Art was established which in a

way laid down the foundations for Graphic Design in India.
In 1958Government of India invited Charles and Ray
Eames to make recommendations for a training program
to support small industries. Their recommendations
resulted in the India Design Report. Based on their report

Design in India
Today and Tomorrow

in 1960 the Government setup National Institute of Design

The strength of Indian design stems from its deep cultural

at Ahmedabad. The institute started with programs in

roots and the bright context of its economic position.

Industrial design and Visual Communication. This was

Design is extremely important to the future of India.

followed by setting up of Industrial Design Centre under

Design is a powerful integrator contributing to Indian

the aegis of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai in

culture, environment and economy at the same time in a

1969. Both these institutions carried the mantle of design

balanced manner. Beyond aesthetics design has the

in India in the modern era followed by many others.

power to give expression to peoples values and

aspirations.

Context

India has a vibrant design industry and an ever-increasing

number of design users backed by a strong platform of

Rapid socio-economic changes have swept across India.

design education. Indian designers are an eclectic mix of

India is witnessing the creation of many new markets

talent, insight and experience. Design in India has

and a further expansion of the existing ones. With over

matured over the years and continues to grow from

300 million people moving up from the category of rural

strength to strength.

poor to rural lower middle class between 2005 and 2025,

rural consumption levels are expected to rise to current

In the year 2007, India became one of the few countries to

urban levels by 2017.

adopt a National Design Policy. The vision behind the

national design policy was to have A Design Enabled

Indian incomes are likely to grow three-fold over the next

Indian Industry. Now that the policy is adopted, the key

two decades India will become the worlds fifth largest

intention of the government through the policy

consumer market by 2025 Today it is the 12th largest

implementation is to consolidatemultiple design

consumer market. Compared to urban areas, the lower

specialties into a unified industry, to tangibly demonstrate

middle income group in rural areas has nearly doubled.

contributions of design, as an industry, to the nations

This major consumer base accounts for 41 per cent of the

business, government, and the public, highlight our

Indian middle class having access to 58 per cent of the

exemplary designers and training of designers with the

total disposable income. Of the next 250 million Indian

skills necessary to d
emonstrate the industrys value. To

wireless users, around 100 million (40 per cent) are

enable the policy implementation and to realize the

expected to be from rural areas.

consolidation of the design industry, the Indian

Government announced establishment of Indian Design

The FMCG sector has been registering double-digit

Council (IDC) in March 2009.

growth in sales since the last couple of years. With the

rapidly increasing number of millionaires in India, market

The design industry lags behind other professional services

for luxury brands is growing annually at a compound

domains in numerical terms when looked at in terms of

average growth rate (CAGR) of about 35 per cent.

turnover and number of employees. At the same time,

A combination of changing lifestyles, higher disposable

the contribution of Design to Industry is immense.

income, greater product awareness and affordable pricing

have been instrumental in changing the pattern and

In India, there is no standard definition of the term

amount of consumer expenditure leading to robust growth

professional designer. There are some, who are properly

of consumer durables industry.

trained at Design Schools there are many who work as

designers and there are numerous people who call

India is the second largest two-wheeler market in the

themselves a designer.

world, the fourth largest commercial vehicle market,

31

of time that these impediments are reduced and then

There are around 19 Institutions having programs on

removed. There surely are a lot of things that remain to be

Industrial design and 29 Institutes offering the graphic

done. Again the apparent benefits will expedite these steps.

design programs. Total numbers of Industrial Design

India being geographically large and demographically

programs on offer are around 35, of which 20 are on post

vast, things takes little longer to take root. Being a

graduate level, 10 on under graduate level and 4 Diploma

democracy decision-making involves a certain hierarchy

level and 1 at certificate level respectively. For Graphic

and lot of people and hence things are a little slow. Finally

Design there are a total of 57 programs. Of these 14 are

what comes out is a long lasting advantage. At the same

offered at postgraduate level, 29 at under graduate level

time we are transparent. Every part of the country is

and 7 each at diploma and certificate levels.

visible. Every area of growth is known; every shred of a

problem is amplified. This is the inherent strength of India.

As of date the total industrial design program intake is

665 students per year at different levels, of which 400 are

Right from the beginning of design education about

at postgraduate level, 217 are at under graduate level and

50 years back the design institutions in India has been

48 are at diploma level. On the other hand Graphic design

producing designers who are socially conscious. Social

institutes have a total annual intake of 1080 students.

consciousness is not something that has come lately in

Of these 236 are enrolled at postgraduate level, 794 at

the minds of Indian designers. A lot of Indian designers

under graduate level, 30 at diploma level and 20 at

are engaged in betterment of the society using design

certificate level.

principles and process. For Indian designers, empathy

comes naturally. Sustainability is not an add-on concept

Design education in India lack coherent structure.

for them, but something that is deep rooted in them

By coherent structure it means that proper accreditation or

through the cultural heritage and what the Indian design

affiliation procedures are not present. Lack of coherence

schools have taught as inherent value system of design.

creates difficulties in terms of student mobility, problems in

understanding the outcome of a given program. Only

We still need to do a lot of work to improve the true

architecture education is accredited and requires

understanding of design in the national mind and to arrive

licensing. The recently constituted India Design Council

at a national design culture. Conscious efforts are clearly

has accreditation of design qualifications as one of its

needed to enhance global competitiveness of Indian

mandate. Some architectural courses are offering Interior

design industry. Design industry that improves

design as a specialization now. Many universities have

competitiveness of other industries, itself is in the need of

initiated 3-year bachelors program in interior design,

more recognition and support.

which tend to be more interior decoration than interior

design.

As the emphasis for many Indian businesses shift from

low cost production to original new offerings, design

Within graphic design, there is a sizeable presence of

could be the only change agent. To harvest this change,

program called Applied Arts. Applied arts is a 4 year

we need to develop our design industry, invest in national

program post 12 years of school education and it is

design promotion and prepare to produce more designers

mandatory to have approval from All India Council for

and design thinkers.

Technical Education to initiate this program besides

university affiliation. The output of applied arts programs

Education

is mainly employed within the advertising industry.

Programs in the classic graphic design, industrial design
and other design disciplines are offered by a handful of

Design education in India is exploding. Exploding is the

institutions. This number is growing with every passing

right metaphor when one looks at the number of new

year. As of date the traditional universities within India do

design institutions being setup in the country. Till about

not have these programs approved. University of Pune is

2004, design education was imparted by a handful of

the first university to approve these programs as

institutions. All these institutions were Government owned.

Bachelors degrees. University of Delhi is soon to

It was in 2004 that a few institutions from the private

introduce design programs.

sector entered in design education. Since then, there is no

looking back.

In addition to the designers qualified through the number

of design programs, there is also a good number of

32

professionals working or operating as designers who are

Two recent examples illustrate this phenomenon. In both

not formally trained. This is mainly so in the field of

cases it is a French collaboration. DSK Supinfocom

graphic design, where for example fine arts students have

(http://www.dsksic.com/) has set up a campus in Pune in

acquired some graphic design skills and are working as

collaboration with Chamber of Commerce and Industry of

graphic designers. HCI is another such field where due to

Valenciennois (CCIV) and is offering programs in the

lack of qualified people within the specific domain of HCI,

areas of Animation, Gaming and Industrial Design.

people with other qualifications are discharging HCI

Another one is the recent example of Ecole Intuit.Lab

duties.

(http://www.ecole-intuit-lab.co.in) setup in Mumbai in

collaboration with French institute intuit.lab. They are

The Indian design education system offer diverse

offering programs in Graphic Design and allied areas.

programs choices at all levels such as certificate, diploma,

This could be an interesting model for Dutch Design

under graduate, postgraduate programs. However most of

Institutions to spread their presence in India. There are

the postgraduate programs are essentially after-graduate

a lot of investors, interested in initiating design

programs. This means that at the post graduate level

institutions and collaboration for them is extremely

instead of offering instruction that is advanced in nature as

important. A recent and perhaps the only example of

compared to under graduate level, instruction offered is

Indo-Dutch e
ducational cooperation is in the form of

similar in content to under graduate programs. The

Retail Design Management Program

eligibility for admission to these postgraduate programs is

(http://india.retaildesignmanagement.com/), which is being

any graduation. Hence the postgraduate program does

executed by Kyoorius Exchange and TU Delft.

not build on the knowledge acquired by the student during

under graduate studies. Rather it starts with fundamentals

Research in the field of design in India, is miniscule.

of design and cover the under graduate program content

Publications by faculty are rare. There are no design

in two years. Barring a few exceptions like Industrial

research journals that get published in India. Barring a few

Design Centre of IIT, Bombay and Centre for

exceptions there have been no conferences held in India

Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT),

where papers were invited, peer reviewed and then published.

Ahmedabad there are virtually no Ph.D. programs in the

There is a lack of well-trained design faculty in India. Due to

field of design.

continuance of lack of good faculty, the schools may have to

source bring faculty from other parts of the world.

There is much to indicate that many design graduates do

not fully possess the new competencies of design

The number of design schools opening up in India is a

demanded by the corporate sector, including international

good sign. This will produce a large number of designers,

competencies. It is important that the Indian design study

thereby bringing better standards in design awareness as

programs enable designers with this new set of

well affectivity. It will create a push from within the design

competencies. While the quality of education provided can

fraternity for the society and industry to adopt design in its

be said to be high, it is strongly oriented towards craft

many different avatars.

elements. The present educational curricula offer fewer

generic design skills and little business orientation. The
institutions in India need to graduate from craft to industry

List of Design Institutions

oriented skills and knowledge.

A representative list of some prominent design education
Most of the new design schools are following the NID /

institutions is given here for ready referral only. The order

IDC pattern. Even though the new design schools had an

in which the names are listed are random. Mention of a

opportunity to reorient themselves in new ways of design

particular institution in this list does not in any way imply

education, they have chosen to blindly follow the

that these institutions are the only or the best institutions

benchmarks set by NID and IDC. The primary reason is

for design.

that the faculty teachings at these new institutions are

alumni or erstwhile faculty members of NID or IDC. There

Interior Design

is another interesting trend that is emerging. The new

Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology

design schools are opening as collaboration schools i.e.

(CEPT), Ahmedabad

they have collaboration with one international design

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad

institution and they are kind of replicating the pattern of

Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology,

the collaborating institution in India.

Bangalore

33

Graphic Design

It is suggested that the Dutch Institutions interested in

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad

developing cooperation with Indian Design Institutions

Industrial Design Centre- IIT Bombay, Mumbai

should look at the new and upcoming design institutions.

Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology,

The main reason for this suggestion that these new

Bangalore
MIT Institute of Design, Pune

institutions are more open and flexible and hence the

collaboration / cooperation with get some meaning and
activity rather than just being on paper.

Industrial + Automotive + Retail Design

Industrial Design Centre IIT Bombay
Department of Design IIT Guwahati
National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad
DYP-DC Centre for Automotive Research and
Studies, Pune

Organizations
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Instrument Design & Development Centre, IIT Delhi

http://www.cii.in/

Design Programme, IIT Kanpur

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create

School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi

and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of

Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing, IISC,

industry in India, partnering industry and government alike

Bangalore

through advisory and consultative processes. CII is a non-

MS Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

government, not-for-profit, industry led and industry

MIT Institute of Design, Pune

managed organization, playing a proactive role in Indias

development process. Founded over 114 years ago, it is

Animation + New Media Design

Indias premier business association, with a direct

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad

membership of over 7800 organizations from the private

Industrial Design Centre IIT Bombay, Mumbai

as well as public sectors, including SMEs and MNCs, and

Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore

an indirect membership of over 90,000 companies from

around 385 national and regional sectoral associations.

Human Computer Interaction

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad

To enhance the focus of CII in the area of Design, a

Industrial Design Centre IIT Bombay

National Committee on Design was constituted. CII

Department of Design IIT Guwahati

National Committee on Design is the reference point in

India on Design and works closely with the stakeholders

National Institute of Design (NID) and Industrial Design

for strategizing and implementing all the Design initiatives

Centre at IIT, Powai, Mumbai feature in all the sub-lists.

in the country.

They are the oldest design institutions in India and have

been the founding institutions of design in India. Other

IIID - Indian Institute of Interior Designer

institutes mentioned have been in existence for a long

http://www.iiid.org

time and have done a very good job of turning out well-

The Indian Institute of Interior Designers was founded in

trained designers. They are blessed with good faculty,

1972. Today it comprises of over three thousand members

good infrastructure and good intent. There are a few

spread around the country having eleven Chapters and

exceptions in the list, which are young institutions. But

four Centres. The IIID is a full member of the IFI-

they are listed in here as they show a lot of promise. As

International Federation of Interior Architects / Interior

regards international cooperation, not much is known in

Designers and the APSDA-Asia Pacific Space Designers

the public domain. NID has the highest number of

Association and an associate of the JDF-Japan Design

international cooperation MoUs. In fact most of the well-

Foundation.

known international institutions have a MoU with NID.

The only hitch is what happens, as a part of these MoUs

DesignIndia

is not known. There is very little activity seen externally on

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/designindia/

the international front at NID. Institutes like IIT, Kanpur has

DesignIndia is one of the premier e-groups of Designers

cooperation with University of Art and Design in Finland,

from India comprising Designers, Design students, Design

Shristi does a lot of work with Nokia, MS Ramaih has

entrepreneurs, Design faculty, etc. DesignIndia is an

cooperation with Coventry University, UK. Rest of the others

Interaction platform for the hottest topics in design.

may have international cooperation, but is not known.

DesignIndia started in 2002 by Sudhir Sharma has over

34

2500 members today. Membership to this e-group is

& reinforce the uniqueness of Indian designs, to update

closely monitored and only professionals are allowed

the sector about the changing global scenario with

membership.

reference to technical advancement, to support product

development and upgrade quality & to cater to the needs

India Design Association (InDeAs)

of changing taste & Design concepts of international

http://www.in-de-as.org/

buyers.

InDeAs is an association for addressing the interests of

networking, showcasing and events platform for Indias

Association of Indian Design Industry (AIDI)

and Pune Design Foundation (PDF)

design community (drawn from across the spectrum).

AIDI and Pune Design Foundation had individual

The Association promotes and creates awareness about

existence till sometime back. Now they have agreed to

the design profession in the country. InDeAs has presently

merge together to form a pan-India national body of

a membership of 318 with commitments of 8 corporate

designers. As a result the individual activities of PDF and

memberships.

AIDI are at a standstill. Moreover, there is no seen activity

the design community in India.InDeAs is a pan-India

as regards the formation of pan-India body.

National Design Business Incubator

http://www.ndbiindia.org/

Further remarks

NDBIis an initiative of the National Institute of Design

Confederation of Indian Industry is by far the most

(NID), Ahmedabad, set up with the support of Department

consistent and active organization promoting design in

of Science and Technology, Govt. of India, New Delhi.

India. In the past, CII has had several interactions with

The mandate of NDBI is to nurture a culture of entre

Dutch Designers and Bodies like BNO.

preneurship in the creative minds of young designers, so

that their ideas metamorphose into newer and niftier

The Indian Institute of Interior Designer is most active

products or services capable of being marketed and sold.

body of Interior Designers. They are well organized, have

The outcome is creation of a new class of entrepreneurs,

structured presence in major cities and have a very strong

the Designpreneurs. The initiative is a part of a

membership base.

commitment by NID to build on Indias design strengths

aimed at translating the dream of made in India, designed

DesignIndia, even though just a Yahoo e-group is very

for the worlda reality. First and the only one design-led

strong with its membership base of designers. Design

business incubator in the country, NDBI not only support

India promoters are currently thinking of giving a physical

designers to turn their ideas and concepts into successful

form to this e-group. With the folding up of AIDI and PDF,

competitive businesses but also provide an environment

the only designers association in existence is InDeAs.

where they can develop the essential business

They show a reasonable membership base, but have not

management skills and systems that enable them to grow.

heard of any specific activities of this group.

National Centre for Design & Product

Development

National Design Business Incubator is an NID run activity

http://ncdpd.com/home.aspx

a Government initiated setup. Both these institutions could

Set Up in 1999 under societys act by Development

be worth exploring for cooperation.

and National Centre for Design & Product Development is

Commissioner (Handicrafts) Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of

India. The Centre is involved in activities such as market

There is no formal relationship in between these

driven design services with the help of international /

organizations. There are some cross memberships, but

national designers, technology support for quality / mass

beyond that there is nothing. Initiation of close cooperation

production, quality control and merchandising services,

with CII, IIID and Designindia is suggested.

sustainable supply chain management system, design

training to the artisans / manufacturers / exporters, skill
development programs, implementing of schemes and
projects of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) for
setting up of Design centres, design workshops,

Government

awareness Programs / Seminars, etc. The Centres vision

Realizing the increasing importance of design in

is to provide design inputs to handicraft exporting

economic, industrial and societal development and in

community about trends & forecast periodically, to create

improving quality of products and services, the

35

Government of India initiated a consultative process with

National Design Policy has undergone the following

industry, designers and other stakeholders to develop the

journey:

broad contours of a National Design Policy. The vision

December 2004 Government intent for Design Policy

behind initiating a National Design Policy is to have a

2005 Stakeholders Meetings At Mumbai, New Delhi,

design enabled Indian industry which could impact both

Bangalore & Calcutta

the national economy and the quality of life in a positive

5th CII-NID Design Summit: Design Policy Focus

manner.

2006 National Design Policy Draft Preparation

8th Feb 2007 Announcement of National Design

The Union cabinet approved the National Design Policy in

Policy

February 2007 with the aim to globally position and brand

2nd March 2009 India Design Council constituted

Indian designs and making designed in India a by-word

First meeting of India Design Council held on June 18,

for quality and utility. The policy envisages:

2009

Preparation of a platform for creative design

development, design promotion and partnerships

The Policy will look at a wide range of issues from the

across many sectors, states, and regions for integrating

demand as well as supply side. It will look into design

design with traditional and technological resources;

education, design use, setting of design standard, etc.

Presentation of Indian designs and innovations on the

The policy seeks to create a brand image for Indian

international arena through strategic integration and

designs through the constitution of `India Design Mark.

cooperation with international design organizations;

India Design Mark will specify certain criteria for designs

Global positioning and branding of Indian designs and

such as aesthetic appeal, originality, centricity,

making Designed in India a by-word for quality and

innovativeness, ergonomic features, safety and eco-

utility in conjunction with Made in India and Served

friendliness. It will facilitate creation and protection of

from India;

intellectual property in the area of designs.

Promotion of Indian design through a well defined and

managed regulatory, promotional and institutional

The policy efforts will be directed towards making India a

framework;

major hub for exports and outsourcing of designs.

Raising Indian design education to global standards of

excellence;
Creation of original Indian designs in products and

The vision is to make India an Asian hub of design in the

coming years and to make design industry worth one
percent of GDP.

services drawing upon Indias rich craft traditions and

cultural heritage;
Making India a major hub for exports and outsourcing of
designs;
Creative process for achieving a design-enabled
innovation economy;
Enhancing the overall tangible and intangible quality
parameters of products and services through design;
Creation of awareness among manufacturers and

The policy envisions declaring the National Institute of

Design (NID) a global centre for excellence. NID
pioneered design education in the country since 1961.
NID is the only institution which offers UG / PG and
Research Programs under one roof as a specialized
design Institute. NID has three campuses focusing on UG
education, PG Programs and Research & Development in
Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bangalore respectively.

service providers, particularly SMEs and cottage

It plans to setup four more National Institutes of Design in

industries, about the competitive advantage of original

different regions of the country including one in the

designs;

northeast states. It will seek support from the state

Attracting investments, including foreign direct

governments for the allocation of land for the purpose.

investments, in design services and design related R &

The process of setting up a NID campus in Bhopal is

D; and

already initiated and it would come up soon.

Involving Industry and professional designers in the

collaborative development of the design profession;

The policy will encourage establishment of department of

design in all Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the

One can find the national design policy on the website

National Institute of Technology (NIT) and private sector

http://www.dipp.nic.in/design_policy/national_design_

colleges. Plans are afoot to accord the status of Deemed

policy.pdf

to be U
niversity or University to National Institutes of
Design so that they can award Bachelors in Design and
Masters in Design degrees instead of the diplomas

36

awarded at present where the plan is to start under

decided that The India Design Council Secretariat will

graduate design programs.

operate from CII office in New Delhi and the council will

have a full-time Executive Director and another person to

The policy will create a Chartered Society for Designers

assist him.

on the lines of the Bar Council to govern the registration of

design professionals and the various matters relating to
standard-setting in the profession.

The national design policy will help to effectively define

Department of Industrial Policy and

Promotion

governments role in the promotion of design industry.

What is now most important is that policy should be

The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion was

followed by its implementation. The constitution of India

established in 1995 and has been reconstituted in the

Design Council will now pave way for its effective

year 2000 with the merger of the Department of Industrial

implementation.

Development. Earlier separate Ministries for Small Scale

Industries & Agro and Rural Industries (SSI&A&RI) and

The India Design Council (IDC0 has had roughly 4

Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (HI&PE) were

meetings thus far. The council is still in its infancy and is

created in October 1999. Design as a domain comes

still in the exploration phase. In the second meeting, held

under the purview of Department of Industrial Policy and

concurrently with 9th CII-NID Design Summit at Delhi,

Promotion.

presentations from 3 countries were a part of the meeting

agenda. Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization

Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion is responsible

(JIDPO), Association of Dutch Designers (BNO) and UK

for formulation and implementation of promotional and

Trade and Investment (UKTI) made presentations. These

developmental measures for growth of the industrial

presentations were made to express the intent of

sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-

respective bodies to cooperate and help the India Design

economic objectives. While individual Administrative

Council. As per the known information, a matrix has been

Ministries look after the production, distribution,

drawn to map the partnerships with Japan, Netherlands

development and planning aspects of specific industries

and the UK. For Education/ Skill development / Training /

allocated to them, Department of Industrial Policy &

capacity building Design Professionals UK has been

Promotion is responsible for the overall Industrial Policy.

proposed as the Lead partner, for Development of India

Design Mark, Certification, Japan is proposed as lead

Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion monitors

partner andThe Netherlands has been proposed as lead

the industrial growth and production, in general, and

partner for Establishment of Charted Society for

selected industrial sectors, such as cement, paper and

Designers. While all countries will be considered partners

pulp, leather, tyre and rubber, light electrical industries,

for all initiatives, the lead partner will be the anchor.

consumer goods, consumer durables, light machine tools,

light industrial machinery, light engineering industries etc.,

On April 26 The India Design Council recently entered into

in particular. Appropriate interventions are made on the

a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Japan

basis of policy inputs generated by monitoring and

Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) for

periodic review of the industrial sector. The Department

collaboration, education and development of design skills

studies, assesses and forecasts the need for technological

in both countries. The MoU was signed by Anand

development in specific industrial sectors. On this basis, it

Mahindra, Chairman, India Design Council, Pradyumna

plans for modernization and technological up gradation of

Vyas, Member Secretary, India Design Council and Asaka

the Indian industry so that, it keeps pace with the inter

Takeshi, Executive Manager, JIDPO. More details are

national developments in industrial technology on a

available on http://www.icsid.org/news/year/2010_news/

continuing basis.

articles1081.htm

The India Design Council has formed some sub-

India Design Council

committees. Besides allocating members from within the

council, the sub-committees also have some invited

Further to the announcement of the National Design Policy

members. The sub-committees formed are in areas like

by the Government of India in February 2007, the India

Design Education, Design Mark, etc. Recently, it was

Design Council is formulated. Shri Anand Mahindra, well-

37

known industrialist, is the President and Shri Pradyumna

http://www.lokusdesign.com/

Vyas is the Member-Secretary of the India Design Council.

Incubis Consultants (India), Delhi -

It comprises of eminent personalities from various walks

http://incubis.net/flash/aboutus.swf

of life. The mandate of this council, amongst others, will

Icarus Design Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore -

be to work for the upgrade of design in the country. For

http://www.icarus.co.in/

more details visithttp://www.nid.edu/design_council.htm

DMA Branding, Mumbai http://www.dmabranding.com/

Ministry of MSME

Lumium Innovations Pvt. Ltd., Ahmedabad http://www.lumium.com/

DC Design http://www.dcdesign.co.in/
Office of the Development Commissioner, Ministry of

The Brand Union - http://www.rayandkeshavan.com/ /

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is another key

http://www.thebrandunion.com/AboutUs/OurOffices/2/

player in the design domain. Ministry of MSME has

Bangalore

promulgated Design Clinic scheme as a part of National

Manufacturing Competitiveness Programme to support

While many of these companies are multi-disciplinary,

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in their

most of them have a particular area of strength. Elephant

endeavour to become competitive.

specializes in branding and packaging, Idiom in Retail

design, Desmania in product design, DMA and Lokus

The scheme is to be implemented to bring Indian

design in packaging, Incubis in retail design, DC Design in

manufacturing sector and design expertise on to a common

Automotive Design, IDEA in product design. This

platform and to provide expert advice and cost effective

necessarily means that even though many of these

solutions on real time design problems, resulting in

consultancies are big, their main bread and butter come

continuous improvement and value addition for existing

from a certain design domain.

products.
The other prominent design companies, having a mark
The Planning Commission under the Scheme, National

on the Indian design scene, but not as big as the ones

Manufacturing Competitiveness Program, has approved a

mentioned above are:

provision of Rs. 50 crores. Through this scheme the

Design Directions Pvt. Ltd., Pune -

ministry would be able to conduct approximately

http://www.designdirections.net/

100 seminars and 100 workshops aimed at Design

Lemon Design Pvt. Ltd., Pune, Delhi -

Sensitization, thus reaching out to about 8000 MSMEs.

http://www.lemondesign.co.in/

The scheme will fund approximately 720 MSMEs for their

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd., Pune -

design projects. The scheme envisages helping MSMEs

http://www.oniodesign.com/

across the length and breadth of the country, not

Freedom Tree Design, Mumbai -

restricting to a particular region or industry. The scheme

http://freedomtreedesign.com/site/

provides funding at a 60-40 ratio thus ensuring the complete

Ticket Design Pvt. Ltd, Pune -

commitment from applicant MSME towards the project.

http://www.designticket.com/

Lopez Design Pvt. Ltd, Delhi -

Key players

http://www.lopezdesign.com/

Bang Design, Bangalore - http://www.bang.co.in/

Flextronics Design India Limited, Bangalore -

The top design consultancies in India are

http://www.flextronics.com/

Tata Elxsi Limited, Bangalore -

Futuring Design, Mumbai -

http://tataelxsi.com/ide/index.html / http://tataelxsi.com/

http://www.futuringdesign.com/

htmls/pds/pds_home.htmIdiom Design and Consulting Ltd,

Studio Korjan, Ahmedabad -

Bangalore -

http://www.korjan.com/

http://www.idiom.co.in/

TDI GROUP, Bangalore -

Elephant Strategy + Design, Pune -

http://www.tycka.in

http://www.elephantdesign.com/

Think Design, Delhi, Hyderabad -

Desmania Design, Mumbai and Delhi -

http://www.thinkdesign.in/

http://www.desmania.com/

Indi Design, Pune -

Lokus Design, Pune -

http://indidesign.wordpress.com/

38

Grandmother India http://www.grandmother.in/

need to understand the market, the sensibilities of the

Vyas Giannetti -

people and respond to them through their offerings.

http://www.vgc.in/

Global corporations will need to work with designers to

Titan Design Studio -

understand the local market. This puts a spot light on the

http://www.titanglobaldesign.com/

design industry like never before.

Itu Chaudhuri Design http://www.icdindia.com/

Major Indian organizations like Tatas, Bajaj, TCS, ISRO

Foley Designs -

and many others have embraced design and have done

http://www.foleydesigns.com/

tremendously well by absorbing lot of Design capabilities

up to the final product. Today many Indian companies like

Each of these design companies specialize the one or two

GVK Industries, Titan, Art dinox, Ergo, Future Group,

domains of design practice. They also practice other

Ginger Hotels, Godrej Interio, Larsen and Toubro, Nirlep,

disciplines, but that practice is more opportunistic and

Philips, are using design extensively for gaining

does not necessarily reflect the core competence of the

competitive advantage.

design company.
There are around 52 Industrial Design consultancies in
All the above listed companies could be interesting for

India. Majority of Industrial design consultancies are in

Netherlands as they represent the core of Indian Design

Pune and Mumbai, each city having around 12 Industrial

Industry. They have been in existence for a long time,

design consultancies. Delhi and Bangalore each have

have good talent, and have established businesses and a

around 10 Industrial design consultancies. Ahmedabad

firm client base. The most important aspect is their

accounts of 4 Industrial design consultancies. Chennai

thorough understanding of the Indian business needs and

has 2 and Gurgaon and Hyderabad each account for

competitive scenario. Firms, which are smaller in size in

1 industrial design consultancies. These consultancies

most cases, are by virtue of conscious decisions of its

employ a total of around 598 designers.

owners to remain small and focus on the niche. Synergies

between Dutch and Indian Design Studios could be found

Graphic design consultancies are also present in large

and extrapolated for mutual gains.

numbers across India. There are around 53 firms offering

graphic design consultation. Pune, Bangalore and Delhi

Trade and industry

have the majority of graphic design consultancies, of

which Pune has 13 firms and 12 firms each in Bangalore
and Delhi. Other cities include Mumbai where there are
9 Graphic design consultancies, Ahmedabad which has

The numbers of design companies are growing, as also

2 Graphic consultancies and Chennai, Coimbatore,

there is growth in existing companies. There is a good

Gurgaon, Rajkot and Surat each has 1 Graphic Design

trend of designers opting to start their own setup. Hence

Consultancy firm. There are around 629 designers

most of the companies existing today are new. The existing

working in the graphic design consultancies.

companies are consolidating further by adding more

services to their portfolio within diverse design disciplines.

Today, most of the design firms are doing well. They have

Majority of design companies are based in urban areas.

a firm customer base, developed through personal

relationships rather than any overt marketing or business

India is a large market and at the same very unique as

development activities. When looking at the Design Industry

well. There is no such thing called as a thumb rule, which

in India, we need to make a major distinction. In one part,

can describe Indian market or consumers. They vary in

there are designers who run their own design companies

cultures, traditions, religions, customers, food, dressing,

and designers employed in these design c ompanies. In

etc. At the same time Indian consumer is becoming more

other part there are designers who are e

mployed with the

demanding and is asserting himself to get his aspirations

Industry in the in-house design departments of these

satisfied.

companies.

Multinational corporations are focusing on India as a new

These companies are mainly large companies engaged in

market for trading their products / services. They very well

FMCG segment, automobile segment, Entertainment

understand that their successes elsewhere would not

Electronics, advertising, communication, etc. Designers

necessarily translate in a similar way in India. They will

working in these companies outnumber the designers

39

working in design service companies. The designers

these companies are keen to grow, they lack skill sets,

working within Industry have been left out of most of the

which could be complemented by the partner, and they

consultative processes about Design in India, but they

have access to market. On the strength of the partners

represent an important voice. It is suggested that these

portfolio they can pitch for larger and more complex

designers be engaged to develop business, as their firms

projects. Through the partnership, the design companies

are already design buyers and moreover they understand

will be able to showcase varied applications of design to

the importance of design.

there clients and hence develop business in newer areas.

This kind of partnership will be a win-win for both.

Many young designers are also choosing to work in an

In-house department due to benefits, predictable hours,
career paths, opportunity for structure & greater colla
borations. Exposure to major international projects is also
one of the attractions, as these design departments not

Geographical distribution of
design industry

only do work for Indian operations but also for their parent
The major concentration of design companies is in 4 urban

companies.

areas viz. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. All these

A majority of design services companies are small one to

four cities are industrially active and are home to majority

five people operations mostly driven by the owners.

of well-known Indian companies.

They are low in professionalization and lack commercial

The concentration of design companies in Bangalore and

skills. There are a lot of designers who work as

Pune owes to the presence of design users in that region

freelancers. There is an increasing trend of the

which mainly constitutes technology companies. Also

freelancers and small design firms cooperating amongst

these two cities offer a very good standard of living, good

each other in informal ways to get business and execute

weather and an experimental, culturally active society.

projects. No formal network exists.

Both these cities offer a complete ecosystem for design

including design firms, design users, educational

Of the established design companies there are diverse

institutions and a positive environment. Mumbai and Delhi

visions. Some of them are keen on expanding the business,

are natural destinations for design companies purely for

whereas some of them are content with what they have

the reason that these two cities host the topmost Indian

got. With few exceptions, it is generally seen that younger

corporations from diverse segments. These two cities

design firms are keener about growth-based vision.

offer a well-developed market for design services. The

presence of leading design education institutions in these

Small and young design companies represent an

cities is also another reason for concentration of design

opportunity segment for Dutch Design companies are

companies in these cities and vice versa.

collaborators. The main reason for this suggestion is that

Pune
Design Companies

Design Institutions

Elephant Strategy + Design

MIT Institute of Design

Design Directions Pvt. Ltd.

Symbiosis Institute of Design

Lemon Design Pvt. Ltd.

DSK Institute of Design

Onio Design Pvt. Ltd.

DYPDC Center for Automotive Research and Studies

Ticket Design Pvt. Ltd,

Indi Design
Lokus Design
DC Design

40

Bangalore
Design Companies

Design Institutions

Tata Elxsi Limited

NID Bangalore Campus

Idiom Design and Consulting Ltd

MS Ramaiah School of Advanced Studies, Bangalore

Icarus design Pvt. Ltd

Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing, IISC, Bangalore

Bang Design

Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology

Flextronics Design India Limited

Titan Design Studio
Neil Foley Designs
The Brand Union

Mumbai
Design Companies

Design Institutions

Desmania Design

Industrial Design Centre- IIT Bombay

DMA Branding
Freedom Tree Design
Vyas Giannetti Creative
Futuring Design
Grandmother India

Delhi
Design Companies

Design Institutions

Desmania Design

Instrument Design & Development Centre, IIT Delhi

Itu Chaudhuri Design

School of Planning & Architecture

Think Design

IILM School of Design

Lopez Design Pvt. Ltd

Incubis Consultants (India)

Design Users

their development process as also they use design to find

new areas of business. Companies use design in different

The use of design (i.e., either in-house design activities or

ways. Some use it as strategic tool and some relegate it to

the purchase of specialized design services) by Indian

be used at the end of the development process for styling

firms is spread across many sectors. FMCG companies,

purposes. A handful of Indian companies use design

Automobile, Retail, IT/communication, Fashion industries

strategically. Most of the others use it for ornamental

have a particularly large use of design. The typical buyers

purposes. Overall design utility is viewed in a very limited

of design services include appliance manufacturers,

perspective by Indian industry. Design is an underused

machine tool manufacturers, automotive industry,

activity in most of the Indian businesses. Design is often

furniture manufacturers, retail industry, hospitality industry,

seen as an e
xpense item reserved for large companies

Telecom and IT industry, FMCG companies, banking and

thus keeping small and medium sized companies out of

insurance companies, publishing companies, apparel &

the design users list.

footwear companies, pharmaceutical Industries, etc.

Domains such as education, NGOs, Institutions, Real

Here there exists a paradoxical situation. The paradox is

Estate, Government, etc. sporadically use design services.

that here is an industry, which is growing, which needs the

competitive edge and yet they are not active design users

Design is evolving to become more strategic in nature. It

/ buyers. The main reason attributed for this situation is

means that businesses use design across the length of

the little or no information amongst these businesses

41

about the utility of design. Part of this non-information

like IDEO - USA, Jump Associates USA are also

could be attributed to the Indian Design Companies who

contemplating setting up offices in India.

have failed to demonstrate various and diverse aspects of

design, specially the strategic design aspects. There
exists a gap in the market and consequently there exists a
market for that gap which Dutch Design companies, on
there own or through partnerships can address. There is
big opportunity for Dutch Design companies to leverage
their knowledge and experience base and create a new

Media, awards and

exhibitions

market for their services. It would be worthwhile for Dutch

CII-NID Design Summit: Since 2001, an annual flagship

design companies to tap the chamber of commerce or

event CII-NID Design Summit is being organized where all

management associations based in major Indian cities.

the stakeholders from the Design community interact to

Most of the Indian industry is focused in and around

assess the current scenario, future trends and promotion

approx. 22 cities. All of these cities have local industry

of Design in the Indian industry. The event is one of the

associations, which could be leveraged. Also social

premier events of Design, which attracts attendees from

networks like Rotary, Lions, and Jaycees can be used for

Industry & Design houses within India and abroad.

the purpose of reaching out to local businesses.

The event has so far seen 09 editions.

Internationalization

Kyoorious Design Yatra: It is an initiative to provide a

communicationplatform for the design and creative
fraternity in India. The event features a design conference

A few of the Indian design companies are

with presentations by prominent international practitioners

internationalizing their operations. They have been

in the fields of design, web, branding and marketing along

opening offices in other countries as also they are tying

with workshops and panel discussions. The conference

up with design companies from other countries. Some of

content celebrates design excellence, provides insights

such tie-ups are listed below. As it is a new phenomenon

into the future of design while simultaneously reinforcing

the successes or failures of these tie-ups or their

the sense of community among Indias creatives.

operational framework is not known. Some more tie-ups

are in the offing, but not yet declared.

Business World-NID Design Excellence Awards

In 2003, Business world Magazine & National Institute of

Elephant Strategy+ Design entered into an alliance with

Design (NID), Ahmedabad, joined hands to institute the

NPK Industrial Design, Netherlands & Design

annual Business World-NID Design Excellence Awards.

Continuum, USA (www.elephantdesign.com)

The awards includes 16 categories like Urban Town

Vyas Gianetti Creative signed six partnerships with Flex

Planning, Product design, Furniture design, Transportation

/ The Innovation Lab (Product Design); Lava Graphic

and automobile design, Packaging design, Graphic

Studios (Editorial Design); Indeed (Marketing Sales &

design, etc (http://www.businessworld.in/index.php/BW-

Strategy); Wally Olins Saffron; DixonBaxi (Creative and

NID/BW-NID-Concept.html)

Strategic consultancy) and Ryan + Deslauriers (Real

Estate Branding). (http://domain-b.com/brand_dossier/

It is suggested that Dutch Designers and design

adv_brnd/20090115_vyas.html)

companies participate in the two annual events viz. CII-

Onio Design has partnered with Style Vision, France for

Trend Research. (www.oniodesign.com)
Brandscapes Worldwide Consultancy Brandscapes

NID Design Summit and Kyoorius Design Yatra. Both the

events are good for networking and getting to know the
pulse of Indian Design Industry. British Council has

Worldwide tied up with Design Bridge, U.K based

initiated The International Young Design Entrepreneur

design consultancy firm.

(http://www.britishcouncil.org/india-arts-iydey2007.
htm#2009). An activity inspired by this, not necessarily

Foreign companies like Saffron Brand Consultants,

similar to this would help create a good branding for Dutch

Landor & Associates, Fitch, WD partners have already

Design in India. A public activity, which is the replication of

setup operations in India. These companies mainly

Dutch Design Week in cooperation with CII could be

represent the branding and communication domain.

another possibility.

There is news of a few more coming to India from other

design domains as well. Well-known design consultancies

42

Media

Design Disciplines

Some Media Publications

Interior Design + Landscape Architecture + Furniture Design

Better Interiors (Infomedia 18)

Design & Interiors (Media Transasia India Limited)

Elle Dcor (Ogaan Publications Pvt. Ltd)

Graphic Design

Sign & Graphics (S Media Graphics)

Digisign Digest (S Media Group)

Print Publishing (S Media Group)

Kyoorius Design Magazine (Kyoorius Exchange)

Animation & New media design

Animation Today (Sankranti Creations)

Animation Xpress (Online Journal of Indiatelevision.com)

Industrial + Automotive + Retail Design

Overdrive India (Infomedia 18)

Business Standard Motoring (Business Standard)

Visual Merchandising & Retail Design (VJ Media Works)

The latest and most relevant design magazine is being

collaborative agreements between Dutch companies /

launched from May 2010. The name is Pool. Pool is a new

institutions and Indian companies and institutions. Major

monthly publication for designers in India by Designindia.

collaborations signed were between TUDelft and Elephant-

Pool Magazine covers all walks of design, innovation and art.

versity Institute of Innovation, NPK and Elephant

Strategy + Design, Vyas Gianetti with Flex and Lava.

Recent creative
exchange between India
and the Netherlands

2009 Kyoorius Design Yatra Mumbai This was a

big event with a very strong participation from Dutch
Designers. As a part of this event Design Dialogues
was organized by DutchDFA to exchange ideas and
views leading to Indo-Dutch collaboration. Similarly a
specific forum was set as part of the event for Indian
Design companies to meet Dutch Design Companies.
2009 9th CII-NID Design Summit and Second India

The beginning of creative exchange between India and

Design Festival Delhi Here again there was a sizeable

the Netherlands in the recent past could be traced back to

Dutch Participation wherein the DutchDFA supported

2007 when a few Dutch delegates attended CII-NID

the event by arranging 3 speakers at the event.

Design Summit in Bangalore.

This was followed by
2007The market scan NL/India Design was published.
June/July 2008 Peter Kersten and Rita van Hattum
visited Mumbai and Delhi for an exploratory mission
September 2008several Dutch designers attended the
DesignYatra conference.
November 200815 Indian designers guided by Rajesh

Indian Design Industry

a SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Growing markets - nationally and internationally

Kejriwal (Kyoorius) visited the Netherlands for a design

Vibrant culture

mission organised by the BNO

Cultural diversity
Resilient entrepreneurial spirit

Since then there has been serious Dutch participation in

Increasing Talent Base

two major design events in India, viz. CII-NID Design

Fairly good IPR regime

Summit and Kyoorius Design Yatra. The period of 2009 to

Weaknesses

2010 is very important in this context for following reasons:

Unorganized & Fragmented

2009 8th CII-NID Design Summit and First India

Lack of strategic design and design management skills

Design Festival Pune This event saw a big Dutch

Quality of services and consistency in design

delegation led by Honorable Minister Mr. Franck

Non availability of specialized peoples guidance

Heemskerk. This event also saw the signing of major

No links between R&D, innovation and design

43

 Lack of leadership and focus

Support

Unaffordable Design

Advisory programs

Design education lacking business and management

Demonstration programs

focus

Workshops / Trainings
One to five people companies characterize Indian design

Opportunities

industry. Many of them are new. It is seen that dues to

Rising aspirations of Indian population

smallness and newness the capabilities of these

Rise in the number of Wicked Problems

companies are limited. It is not to say that they are

Continuing education programs for Designers

incapable. They are good in a given set of skills. However

Building Larger and Specialized Design Firms

they are not able to integrate of competencies such as

Improve Competitiveness of Design Studios

social sciences, engineering, business skills in their

Up gradation of Design Education

design processes effectively. They lack the ability to carry

Globalization of India design by overseas cooperation

out projects involving different design disciplines. The

and collaboration

small companies need to grow and new companies need

to sustain while developing new capabilities and

Threats

addressing unmet needs of Indian businesses.

Lacks governmental support

Technological and financial limitations

Design is now branching out of its core roots to newer

Business understanding of the value of design

applications and utilities. Areas such as interaction

design, service design, transformation design, and

Main trends and

prospects

instruction design are establishing new paradigms.

New tools and methodologies are being developed.
From being an intuitive discipline design is growing into
becoming a discipline replete with tools and frameworks.
There is a growing focus on systematic and methodical
incorporation of user experience in design, which entails

There is a certain up curve when it comes to Indian

the involvement of competencies in marketing research,

Design Industry and Indian Industry. This brings out both

consumer behaviour, technology, anthropology and

challenges and opportunities. The pace of change in the

psychology in the design processes. It is important for

field of design makes it difficult to predict the future.

Indian design industry to embrace these new

However what one can surely do is to imagine the future,

developments and add the new design branches in the

which continues to happen with every passing day.

range of services being offered by them. Also it is

important for the industry to develop, India specific

Next 5 years time is extremely crucial for the Indian

frameworks for understanding the Indian consumer in a

design industry, as there is a phenomenal growth in each

better way.

sector and so is the growth in demand for design. In the

next 5 years, there will be a huge demand from the

Globally, Design companies; have developed a suite of

market for professionally run design companies.

services using design thinking and design methods.

The different kinds of design services developed globally

Dutch presence in India must be built around 3 pillars:

are Design of Services, Design of Public Services, Green

Design, etc. Indian design companies are too far behind in

Education

these new domains of design services. Indian design

Professional Training

companies also lack expertise in terms of Design

Continuing Education Programs

Management and Strategic Design. The new form of

Cooperation with Existing Design Institutions

design services can essentially become the theme of

Collaboration with new Design Institutions

collaboration between Indian and Dutch Design

companies. For example for IT industry, which is an

Promotion

extremely evolved, and resource rich industry, service

Exhibitions

design could be the major offering. Government of India

Awards / Competitions

has prioritized spending on infrastructure, plus

Seminars / Conferences

government is the biggest buyer. This creates a potential

Publications - Newsletters

for design of public services. Indian design companies do

44

not have a portfolio of such projects and hence find it

There exists a great opportunity in designing for India.

difficult to get the work. A colla-boration scenario will help

Designers need to display sensitivity to real needs of

pitching for this kind of work.

people and also sensitize clients accordingly. Focus on

real needs of Indian people will also bring in opportunities

The opportunity here is to partner with these small design

for design not only from Indian businesses but also from

companies, facilitate the integration of other competencies

multinational corporations keen on doing business in

in their design process, practice new forms of design and

India. They need to workwith MSMEs to a greater extent

create new opportunities for user businesses. Partnering

and help them become more competitive. Another

with Dutch Design studios will create capabilities within

potential area is working with Government to help it deliver

small Indian design companies for larger projects.

public services. While working with MSMEs and

Government is not easy as there understanding of design

Based on the Indian design capabilities, and the emerging

is limited, the onus is also on design companies to

scenario, there is good case for Indias design potential to

sensitize them about the possibilities and to create proofs

be exploited internationally. The small size structure of

of concept.

majority of Indian design companies is an impediment as

they lack proficiency in dealing with international

The number of institutes providing design programs is

customers, and are mostly unaware of international trade.

rising. Still, more institutions are needed. There is a

Help and facilitation for businesses wanting to

common sentiment within design industry that design

internationalize is essential.

graduates are not well trained / educated. The design

graduates do not possess competencies as required by

Small and Medium Enterprises mainly characterize Indian

the industry. A disconnect between syllabi and prevalent

industry. It is an established fact that innovation occurs in

design trends is felt by practitioners. It is felt that that

all industries, including the dominant mid / low tech and

current education system either produces thinking

service industries in our economy. There is extensive

designers with lesser skills or produces skilled designers

evidence that MSMEs rely very little on R&D for innovation.

with a limited thought input.

Small companies have always relied on cost innovation as

investments in research have been outside their

Unavailability of qualified and quality faculty is indeed

capacities. Using design is a perfect mode of innovation

another factor that is causing hindrance in the path of

for MSMEs. SMEs constitute about 80% of the Indian

well-trained design graduates as well as for more

industry and hence represent a huge opportunity area.

institutions to come up. Some faculty development

programs are in existence. But more such programs are

The biggest barrier in businesses embracing design for

needed. There is pressing need of training & motivating

innovation is the lack of information. Businesses are not

Indian designers through continuing education programs.

aware of the potential offered by design disciplines. They

Design is an integrative discipline. Infusion of design

do not know how to ask for these services, which services

thinking, design management and design awareness in

to ask for and whom to approach for it. It calls for a strong

professional programs like Engineering, Management is

information dissemination system. The importance of

very much needed.

strategic use of design has to be imbibed in the industry in

all sectors. This creates a need for creating various

Academic mobility of design students and design faculty

information channels through which this information could

has to be encouraged and supported nationally and

be provided to the businesses and thus the design market

internationally. This calls for financial support mechanism

could be expanded.

and cooperation framework to be established.

Design is already high on the national agenda for many

As design is a much needed tool for business, it is also so

countries. Governments around the world have

for the society at large. There is a great possibility to use

recognized the importance of design to national

design in public services. This is an area of immense

competitiveness. Evidence shows that many countries are

opportunity as Government spending on infrastructure

using design as a tool for economic and social

development. Government of India is also doing a few
things in this area. More needs to be done a responsibility,
which could be shared by design companies and design
organizations, as it will help expand the design market.

45

Conclusion

new markets. Partnerships will provide Indian companies

Multinational corporations are focusing on India as a new

of design outsourcing work can also be a part of these

market for trading their products / services. They very well

partnerships

with a suite of services to drive global growth. It can also

extend in nearby south East Asian regions. Some element

understand that their successes elsewhere would not

necessarily translate in a similar way in India. Global

Establishing Dutch Design Hubs in select city could be

corporations will need to work with Indian designers to

one the key suggestion. It could be done individually or

understand the local market. This puts a spot light on the

with a local partner. The Design Hubs will act as a

design industry like never before. Lately the Indian Design

facilitating centre that connects, engages and involves

companies have been entering into collaboration with

people who provide design, people who commission

foreign design companies. This number is miniscule at

design and people who use design.

present, but the trend is visible. Many foreign design

companies are setting up offices in India on their own.

Other key area of cooperation is Education. Partnerships

There are a few already here, mainly in the area of

with Indian educational institutions, establishment of

branding and communication.

student and faculty exchange programs, joint research

projects would yield results in the longer term than the

Understanding of collaboration and what it entails is

specific firm-to-firm partnerships. Indian Design Industry

limited among design companies. For any collaboration to

lacks credible design awards. Instituting design awards

function properly a clear role definition of respective

could be one very strong communication vehicle.

partners is necessary. In Indian design companies there is

Establishing a mechanism for Indian students to do

a fear of being taken over and some times inferiority

internships in Dutch Design Studios could be useful.

complex when it comes to work portfolio.

The partnerships should change the perspective from

business acquiring to business growing. What it means is

Indian Design companies are not market aware. Most of

that partnerships should be looked in terms of getting a

the markets for Indian design companies are network

pie from the existing industry, but instead, it calls for

based relying on network of contacts and referrals.

growing the design services markets.

This calls a need for developing markets for design in

India. The collaborator can plan a role of mentor and a

The overall agenda for Dutch Design to develop

senior partner in developing markets. Very less active

cooperation in India could be as follows:

business development takes place. It is not professionalized.

Empower Indian designers with skills and knowledge

The collaborating partner can propagate a system of

professional working. The collaborator can help the Indian

and grow the overall business

Educate Indian firms in how to use design to improve

partner with the art of business acquiring. The collaborating

business performance and increase competitive

partner can add the dimension of systematic and methodical

advantage through demonstration of what is possible,

incorporation of design tools and frameworks.

and
Demonstrate to the society and Government the impact

Indian design professionals are emotional. They are in this

and benefit of design on our everyday life.

profession for emotional reasons than career reasons.

Design as a career is not well recognized in India. Those

Hrridaysh Despande:

who are designers have chosen this career for emotional

A Computer Engineer by qualification Hrridaysh Despande

reasons. Hence partners are to understand the emotional

has been in the field of education for over 15 years, of

part of it and cannot drive the partnership on business

which the last 6 years has been in Design Education.

terms alone.

Presently, Hrridaysh is the director of DYP-DC Center for

Automotive Research and Studies, the college conducts

Indian Designers can bring in their deep understanding of

undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Automobile

Indian markets, Indian consumers, the Dutch design

Design.

companies can bring in their process based expertise to

Earlier, he was the director of Elephantversity Institute of

make the partnership successful. Both the partners have

Innovation, advisor for Design Institute of India at Indore

to focus on developing markets with the strength of each

and Khandesh College Education Society in Jalgaon and

other. Such partnerships can serve multinational

he founded Creative-i College, in 2004 an private initiative

corporations better Partnerships will help to gain access

in the field of Design Education.

46

fashion

Prepared by: Harmeet Bajaj, fashion consultant

Introduction

It was at this time that a new breed of creative young

India an ancient civilization has a 5000 years old textile

Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Hemant Trivedi and Shahab

industry. Part of the spice route Indian cottons, silks and

Durazi were the vanguards of the Fashion Revolution in

brocades have adorned many a king and queen.

India. They introduced to India the term collections,

entrepreneurs set out on the road to fashion. Rohit Bal,

styling, fashion shows and fashion boutiques.

Quintessentially known for their art of draping fabrics
around the body, Indians have exemplified to the world

Fashion got a sudden boost:

how a few yards of fabric-like a sari, a dhoti, or a shawl

Fashion and lifestyle magazines, colour supplements

could make a wonderful fashion statement. The sari worn

by Indian women for over 5000 years has probably been
the most sustained style in the history of womens fashion.

thriving on fashion were launched.

Fashion shows become integral part of Hi-society
gatherings besides adding glamour to beauty pageants
and business events.

The Nehru jacket, the Kurta, the Bandh gala and the

Birth of individual designer labels.

Jodhpur are some indigenous styles that India has today

Emergence of Designer markets like Hauz Khas

offered to the west.

Village in Delhi.
Fashion boutiques coming up all over the country-

The Indian industrys transition from the draped to the

Ensemble, Gliteratti, Ogaan etc.

stitched garments was most perceptible in the early 50s

i.e. the post independence era. How ever this was

Fashion movement through the 90s was gradual.

accelerated only in the 80s: a time of major garment

The number of designers increased, however lack of retail

export boom from India. A time when India was

infrastructure and atmospherics for designer wear limited

increasingly recognized as the manufacturer to the rest of

accessibility to the common man. Designer wear was

the world. It was in the 80s the Indian customer graduated

limited to trousseau, clothing and occasion wear largely

from tailor made to custom made - result of the economic

customized to the need.

mass manufacturing.
It was only in the year 2000 under the auspices of the
It was only during the later half of the 80s that the term,

Lakme Fashion Week that the word prt-a-porter was

FASHION got a definition in the Indian context. The

introduced to the Indian customer. Well priced, ready-to-

government recognized the need for fashion education

wear clothing in standardized sizes being the mantra for

and established NIFT in 1986 in collaboration with FIT,

fashion weeks. However it was to take a few years for this

New York. Fashion design, Garment Manufacturing

mantra to be realized. LFW was the first congregation of

Technology and apparel Marketing and Merchandising

fashion creators, trade buyers and life style media. Held in

programs were introduced by a qualified team from FIT,

Delhi annually, this event has now grown to be an inter

New York.

national event with two fashion weeks a year attended by

over 200 domestic and international buyers.

Rohit Khosla, a graduate from the London College of

Fashion was a creative power house, who made the word

During the last decade a number of factors contributed to

DESIGNER relevant in India. All the Ritu Kumar and

the accelerated pace of consumerism in the economy.

Asha Sarabhai; veterans of fashion today did exist prior to

Home to 17% of worlds population at 1.1 billion people,

that but were better known for traditional fabrics and

India also the youngest nation and is tipped of to have one

clothing.

of the largest work forces for years to come. With around

700 million people between 20-60 years of age it surely
represents a lot of buying power. The Indian corporate

47

The First Indian Designers

ROHIT KHOSLA, ASHA SARABHAI, ABUJANI
1987
1970

The First Fashion School

NIFT-1987

The First Designer Boutique

ENSMBLE-1987
OGAAN-1989

The First Fashion Magazine

ELLE 1997

The First Fashion Council

FDCI 1998

The First Luxury Brand

In India
LOUIS VUITTON-DELHI

The First Fashion

Awards
MARLE CLAIRE-2008

The First Fashion

Brand In India
BENETTON - 1993

The First Fashion Week

LFW- 2000 - Delhi

The First Luxury

Mall
EMPORIO-2007

salaries have grown 14% per annum ,the fastest globally

Retail expansion expected to grow at 40% per year for the

and the consumer with a higher income, young age

next 5 years got its push from the growth of real estate

profile, increasing literacy levels, increasing exposure and

infrastructure.

awareness levels and increasing urbanization wants more.

Fashion has definitely got an impetus, today being used to

And all this adds up to increase the scope of fashion in

communicate status.

this market. The next few sections give you a brief

overview of the fashion industry in India.

The media explosion that accompanied this growth in the

economy brought International labels like Vogue, GQ, and
Harpers to the country and with them all the luxury
brands in fashion.

48

Educational Institutions
Fashion education in India was formalized with the
establishment of the National Institute of Fashion
Technology (NIFT) in 1986. Subsequently, many existing

Leading Institutes of Fashion Education

Offering Undergraduate, Postgraduate
and Research Programmes

universities started offering courses in fashion design,

while new institutes were set up to impart vocational

National institute of Fashion Technology

education in fashion and other design related areas.

Year of Inception: 1986

Today, fashion modules have been introduced at the high

Courses:

school level as well. The following section shall provide

Bachelor Programmes

details on the scope of fashion education in India, and

B Des (Fashion Design)

profile some of the leading institutions in the field.

B Des (Leather Design)

B Des (Accessory Design)
B Des (Textile Design)
B Des (Knitwear Design)
B Des (Fashion Communication)
Postgraduate Programmes
M Des (Master of Design)
M FM (Master of Fashion Management
M FTech (Master of Fashion Technology)
Doctoral Programmes
PhD in Design, Management and Technology
Institute Branches: New Delhi, Kolkatta, Bangalore,
Mumbai, Bhopal, Chennai, Patna, Gandhinagar,
Raebareli, Shillong, Kannur, Hyderabad, Mauritius,
Kangra and Jodhpur.
Affiliations and foreign collaborations: University of
the Arts London, UK; University of Leeds, UK; Demon fort
University, UK; Ryerson University, Canada; Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia; Domus
Academy, Italy and University of Philadelphia, USA
Contact: NIFT Campus, Hauz Khas, Near Gulmohar
Park,New Delhi - 110 016,
Phone: +91-11-26542000
Fax: +91-11-26866414,
Contact: Mr. R. M Singh, Director
E-mail: nift.ho@nift.ac.in
Website: www.nift.ac.in
Director General: Mr. Rajiv Takru
Dean (Academics): Prof. Banhi Jha
Head of Design: Prof. Shalini Sud

National Institute of Design (nid)

Year of Inception: 1961
Courses:
Postgraduate Diploma Programme
Apparel design and Merchandising
Lifestyle and Accessory design
Institute Branches: Ahmedabad, Bangalore (Research
and Development), Gandhinagar (Postgraduate)

49

Affiliations and foreign collaborations:

Institute Branches: New Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur,

Instituto Profesional DuocUC of the Pontificia

Ludhiana, Dhaka and Sharjah

Universidad Catolica de Chile - Santiago, Chile

cole nationale suprieure de cration industrielle
(ENSCI) - Paris, France
cole nationale suprieure des arts dcoratifs (ENSAD)
- Paris, France

Affiliations and foreign collaborations:

Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, England
NHL University, The Netherlands
AMFI, The Netherlands
LDT - Nagold, Germany

Burg Giebchenstein - Halle, Germany

Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU), Hong Kong

Konstfack University College of Art, Craft & Design -

University West O England (UWE), UK

Stockholm, Sweden
Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences - Pforzheim,
Germany

Indira Gandhi National Open University

Contact: PEARL ACADEMY OF FASHION, DELHI
A - 21/13, Naraina Industrial Area - Phase II, New Delhi -

Shenkar College of Engg. & Design - Ramat Gan, Israel

110028.

Contact: National Institute of Design, Paldi, Ahmedabad

Phone: 41417693-94; 25703451/5478/8506, 49807100/01;

380 007

Fax: 25705451, 49807199

Phone: +91 79 26623692

Email: counsellor@pearlacademy.com

Fax: +91 79 26621167

Website: www.pearlacademy.com

Email: info@nid.edu

Director: Mr. A.K.G Nair

Website: www.nid.edu

Head of Design: Prof. Nien Siao

Director: Mr. Pradyumna Vyas

Symbiosis Institute of Design (sid)

Dean: Dr S. Ghosal (Bangalore)

Year of Inception: 2004

Mr. Vinai Kumar (Gandhinagar)

Mission Statement: To craft an ambience to promote

Head of Design: Mrs. Aditi Ranjan

confident possession of an individuals innate talents,

acquire the skills needed for being successful on the

Pearl Academy of Fashion

design dais and establish values that will enable him to act

Year of Inception: 1993

with thoughtfulness and humanity.

Mission Statement:

Courses:

To train professionals with a comprehensive range of

Bachelor Programmes

cognitive and intellectual skills, planned to develop across

B Des Product Design

a wide range of learning experiences.

B Des Communication Design

Courses:

B Des Fashion Design

Bachelor Degree Programmes

B Des Fashion Communication

Fashion Design

Institute Branches: Pune

Jewellery Design

Contact: Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID),

Textile Design

S No. 231/4A, Viman Nagar, Pune 411 014, Maharashtra

Fashion Business Management

Tel (EPABX): +91 20 2663 4546 / 47 / 48

Fashion Retail Management

Fax: +91 20 2663 4549

Communication Design

Email: director@symbiosisdesign.ac.in

Four year industry integrated Bachelors Programme

Website: www.symbiosisdesign.ac.in

Fashion design

Director: Mr. Vinay M. Mundada

Textile Design

Head of Design: Ms. Vaibhavi P. Ranavade

Fashion Merchandising and Production

Postgraduate Diploma Programmes

Footwear Development and design Institute (fddi)

Fashion Merchandising

Year of Inception: 1986

Garment Manufacturing

Mission Statement: Development and cultivation of best

Fashion Retail

available human resources within the country by imparting

Fashion Design Knitwear

knowledge and skills by conducting appropriate courses.

Textile Design

Courses:

Home Fashion

Bachelor Programmes

Fashion Marketing

Diploma in Fashion Merchandising and Retail

Management
Diploma in Footwear Technology

50

 Diploma in Leather Goods and Accessories Design

Affiliations and foreign collaborations:

Postgraduate Programmes

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia

Diploma in Management in Footwear Technology

Wolverhampton University, UK

Diploma in Leather Goods and Accessories Design

George Brown College, Canada

Institute Branches: Noida

Ontario College of Art & Design, Canada

Contact: FDDI Headquarters, A - 10 / A, Sector - 24

Edexcel, UK

NOIDA - 201 301, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh,

IGNOU

INDIA

Contact: institute of apparel managemenT

Phone: +91-120-4500100

(Head office), 7thfloor,ApparelHouse, Sec-44, Gurgaon

Fax: +91(120) 2412556, 2411301

122003, Haryana (India)

Email: info@fddiindia.com

Phone: 0124-2708201/02

Website: www.fddiindia.com

Fax: 0124-2708213
Email:admissions@iamindia.in

Indian Institute of Crafts and Design (iicd)

Web: www.iamindia.in

Year of Inception: 1998

Director: Dr. Darlie Koshy

Courses:

Email: dg@iam.india.in

Undergraduate Diploma Programme in Craft Design

Head of Design: Mr. Somesh Singh

Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Craft Design

Mission Statement: Indian Institute of Craft and Design

Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology

(IICD) is a unique institution that is synergizing traditional

Year of Inception: 1996

knowledge and skills with contemporary needs to evolve

Courses:

methodologies that are relevant to modern India. Institute

Bachelor Programmes

Branches: Jaipur

Visual Communication Design

Contact: J-8, Jhalana Institutional Area, Jaipur-302017

Product and Interface Design

Phone: +91-141-2701203, 2701504, 2700156,

Furniture and Interior Design

Fax: +91-141-2700160

Textile Design

Email: info@iicd.ac.in

Digital Video Production

Director: Sangita Shroff

Animation and Visual Effects

Contact: director@iicd.ac.in

Sangama
Postgraduate Programmes

Institute of Apparel Management (iam)

Experimental Media Arts

Year of Inception: 2007

Design in Education

Mission Statement: IAM is focused on shaping industry

Institute Branches: Bangalore

ready professionals who are ready to hit the ground and

Contact: Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology

run in this fiercely competitive industry.

P.O. Box No. 6430, Yelahanka New Town, Doddabalapur

Courses:

Road, (Opp. Wheel & Axle Plant), Bangalore - 560 106

INDIAN PATHWAYS

Phone: 91.80.40447000 / 40446964 / 65 / 66

Bachelor Programmes:

TeleFax: 91.80.28560950

Fashion Communication

Email: admissions@srishti.ac.in

Apparel Design and Merchandising

Website: www.srishti.ac.in

Postgraduate Programmes:

Director: Ms Geetha Narayanan

Apparel Production and Management

Owing to the rapid expansion and organization of the

Fashion Retail Management

fashion industry, fashion students now require specialized

skills and business strategizing expertise coupled with an

International Pathways

in-depth understanding of the fashion discipline.

Bachelor Programmes (4 years, with final year at one of

Recognizing that fact, apart from the institutions listed

the 167 partner international institutions):

above, various large private companies and conglomerates

Fashion and Lifestyle Design

such as the Ansals Group and the Mittal Group are now

Fashion and Textiles Merchandising

proposing to enter the arena of fashion education.

Fashion Design Management

Apparel Marketing and Design
Institute Branches: Gurgaon, Mumbai

51

Organisations

Clothing Manufacturers Association of India

(cmai)

Fashion Design Council of India (fdci)

The Clothing Manufacturers Association of India,

Established in 1998, FDCI is the apex body representing

founded in 1963 is the largest association representing

the interest of the Indian Fashion fraternity. It has been a

the interests of Garment Manufacturers in India both

facilitator and a catalyst for the advancement of the Indian

domesticallyas well as in the exporting community.

fashion market, and for creating sustainable growth

The Association acts as a catalyst of change in the

opportunities both locally and globally. Much like its

industry by interacting with the Government on matters of

international counterparts like the British Fashion Council

policies that impact the future of the apparel industry.

in London and the CFDA in New York, FDCI plays an

It has recently been selected as the Sole Member

important part in bringing together designers, make-up

Association from India by the International Apparel

artists, choreographers, manufacturers and retailers from

Federation( IAF )as well as the Asian Apparel

various states, cities and towns and organizing them

Federation ( AAF ).

under one cohesive umbrella.

Member Profile:*

Member Profile:*

Leading Apparel Manufacturers

Acclaimed Fashion and accessory designers

Leading Apparel Retailers

Industry professionals (photographers, stylists, make-up

Activities and Events:

artists, choreographers and models)

National Garment Fair: the largest Garment Trade Fair

Corporates and Buying Houses

in India in which over 250 Manufacturers and 15,000

Fashion Educational Institutes

Retailers participate annually.

Activities and Events:

India-International Garment Fair

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

World Apparel Convention, jointly organized with the

Van Heusen India Mens Week

International Apparel Federation with the support of the

Van Heusen Emerging designer Contest

Textiles and Commerce Ministries

Role in the Growth of Fashion:

The APEX awards

Organised the first fashion week in the country,

Role in the Growth of Fashion:

the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, in 2000 which

Played a crucial role in the establishment of the Apparel

has now evolved into the biggest platform for fashion

professionals in India

Export Promotion Council (AEPC) in 1977

Created the CMAI Reconciliation & Arbitration

Organises fashion workshops and seminars with

Committee in association with the Indian Merchant

individuals and organizations at all levels in the fashion

Chambers (IMC) - first Arbitration Panel for Garment

industry for sustained growth

Offers scholarships and awards for students of Fashion

Manufacturers in India
Authorized to issue Certificate of Origin to garment

Promotes Indian designers at international forums

fashion weeks, buyer-seller meets and trade shows

exporters
Provide testing facilities at concessional rates for the

Liaises with the government on matters pertaining to

physical and chemical characteristics of yarns, fabrics

duties, taxation and other policies that impact the

and garments to members at the CMAI Testing

fashion industry
Proposes to build investment schemes to support and

Laboratory
Publish one of the most reputed magazines in the

finance its members

Textile industry, Apparel

Contact: Fashion Design Council of India, 4th Floor, JMD

Contact: Clothing Manufacturers Association of India

Regent Plaza, (Next to Global Business Park) Mehrauli

(Head Office), 902, Mahalaxmi Chambers, 22, Bhulabhai

Gurgaon Road, Gurgaon, Haryana- 122001

Desai Road, Mumbai 400026

Phone:+91 124 4062881/ 4062882/ 4062883

Phone: +91-022-2353 82 45, 2353 89 86, 2352 51 68

Fax:+91 124 4062885

Fax: +91-022-2351 59 08

Email:contact@fdci.org

Email: cmai@vsnl.com, info@cmai.in

Website:http://www.fdci.org

President: Mr. Rahul Mehta

President: Mr. Sunil Sethi

Email: rahul@creativegarments.com

Email: sunil@alliance-india.com

Vice President: Mr. Nilesh Mehta

Director General: Mr. Vinod Kaul

Email: nilesh@indfas.firm.in

Email: contact@fdci.org

52

Images Multimedia Private ltd.

Member Profile:

IMAGES Group, a privately owned group, has played a

Leading Merchant Exporters

seminal role in organizing the fashion and retail

Leading Manufacture Exporters including established

businesses in India. Since its inception in 1992, it has

design houses, fashion designers and apparel clusters

successfully set up an information exchange via various

Activities and Events:

media that provide the Indian fashion industry with the

Foreign fairs (HKFW, Magic, Interselection, etc.)

knowledge that drives the fashion and retail businesses

International Trade Delegations (US, Tunisia, Brazil,

across the globe. Through its activities facilitating

networking amongst investors, retailers and brand
leaders, IMAGES has emerged as a crucial cog in the

Argentina, Chile, Panama, Columbia, etc.)

Seminars & Workshops (REACH, Fashion Forecast,
World Apparel Congress, etc.)

Indian market.

Sourcing Fairs

President: Mr. Amitabh Taneja

India-International Garment Fair

Activities and Events:

Fashion Forecast Seminar

India Fashion Forum

Role in the Growth of Fashion:

India Retail Forum

Promotes the exports of Indian readymade garments

Images CEO Meet

through Buyer-seller meets, trade delegations and

India Brand Show

participating in international fairs

Images Fashion Awards

Role in the Growth of Fashion:
Instrumental in forming the Fashion Alliance with
various leaders of the fashion industry
Publishes a dozen niche magazines and journals that

Integrates skilled human resource development through

its education and training initiatives like Apparel Training
and Design Centres and Institutes of Apparel Management
Invites fashion designers and consultants from various
countries to conduct workshops in India

cover all aspects of fashion, retail and various other

Market Access Initiative (MIA) Scheme

aspects of the industry

Under the Ministry of Commerces MIA scheme, the

Develops and executes fashion mega foras, exhibitions,

AEPC has proposed to promote branded Indian apparel

awards, conferences and seminars to facilitate

by taking leading Indian brands to participate in the Moda

networking and promote growth

Manhattan Fair to be held in New York, USA. In turn, it will

Works with the top-ranking global consultancies and

also invite buyers from the USA to participate in the

think tanks to propel modern retail and forecast lifestyle

National Garment Fair to be held in Mumbai, where the

trends

same brands shall be exhibited. This exercise shall help

Set up Images Fashion and Retail Research which

promote the brand image of Indian brands abroad,

specifically conducts surveys and publishes reports and

particularly in the USA.

studies

Apparel Cluster Study:

Contact: IMAGES (Head Office), S 21, Okhla Industrial

The AEPC has conducted a nation-wide study of Apparel

Area Phase II, New Delhi - 110020, India

Clusters in 2009, which maps all the garment clusters in

Phone: +91-11-40525000

the country catalogued according to the products

Email: anjali@imagesretail.com

manufactured and exported by them. The information is

info@imagesfashion.com

based on surveys conducted at top ten clusters which

Website: www.imagesretail.com

have been selected on the basis of the parameters

www.imagesfashion.com

specified by AEPC, as attached in the appendix. Following

Apparel Export Promotion Council

is a map representational of these clusters:

From just being a quota monitoring entity in 1978, AEPC,

Apparel House, Institutional Area, Sector-44, Gurgaon -

supported by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India

122003, Haryana

has now evolved into a powerful body for the promotion

Phone:0124-2708000-3

andfacilitation of garment manufacturing and their exports

Fax: 0124-2708004

with over 40 offices. Members are provided with updated

Email: info@aepcindia.com

information on trade statistics, technical guidance and

Website: www.aepcindia.com

market intelligence reports. AEPC also plays a large role

Chairman: Mr.Premal Udani

in identifying new markets and leading trade delegations

Email: chairman@aepcindia.com

to various countries abroad.

Secretary General: Mr. Vimal Kirti Singh I.A.S

Contact: Apparel Export Promotion Council (Head Office)

Email: hosg@aepcindia.com

53

Confederation of Indian Industry

Global benchmark of 5% of the total income.

CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry led and

The Indian Apparel market is worth Rs.1542.5 billion.

industry managed organization, playing a proactive role in

The over all value growth in 2009 over 2008 was 13.5%.

Indias development process. Founded over 115 years

ago, it is Indias premier business association, with a

Menswear being the largest single product category

direct membership of over 8100 organizations from the

(36.5%) both in volume and value is also the most

private as well as public sectors, including SMEs and

developed and organized. In 2009, the menswear

MNCs, and an indirect membership of over 90,000

segment had volume growth rate of 7.8% and value

companies from around 400 national and regional sectoral

growth or 11.7%. .Among all the categories, t-shirts was

associations.

the fastest growing. The womens wear segment that

CII spans 5 major sectors- Agriculture, Infrastructure,

comprises 32% of the Indian Apparel Market is still

Manufacturing, Services and Industrial Competitiveness

predominated by sarees (largest category) with sales of

that covers over 88 industries.

Rs.16242 crore in 2008. salwar kameez comprise the

Textiles and Apparel a major industry under the

second largest category sales being Rs.10011 crore.

manufacturing sector, broadly covers fashion activities.

However in recent times the growth of the western clothes

There isnt a specific fashion category on the CII portfolio,

category has been the fastest.

however the Made in India shows are a major promotional

activity for CII that includes Indian fashion presentations.

The above figures are for the fashion brands sector.

Activities and Events:

Designer wear category forms a minuscule percentage of

Buyer seller meet

this market. The total market estimates at Rs.600crore

Fashion presentations and Exhibitions

and likely to grow to Rs.1000 crore by 2015.

Contact: Marut Sengupta, [Senior Director] Confederation

of Indian Industry, CII Headquarters, Mantosh Sondhi
Centre, 23 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003, Delhi, India
Phone: 91-11-24629994 - 7
Fax:91-11-24626149 / 24633168
Email: marut.sengupta@cii.in

Trade and industry

The Apparel sector in India has been a major propeller of
the economys growth over the last few years. Infact ready
to wear clothing and lifestyle apparel brands have led to
the growth of retail in the country and constitute the
largest organized retail category with a market size of
Rs.155,000 crore which will grow to Rs.225,000 crore by
2012.
The annual ready to wear consumption has been growing
at the rate of 8-10% per annum while the market has been
growing at the rate of 12-15% over the last couple of
years. Over 1000 new shopping malls have emerged in
the last five years and this continues to grow. We will see
300 new department stores targeting a million customers
each coming up across 34 cities. India is likely to have
20.000 additional franchise retails by 2011.
Today India being the youngest nation has a fourth of its
population under 25 and educated with aspiring consumer
patterns, increasing demand for premium products and
brands. Consumer spending on apparel has grown to the

54

* Source- Images year book Business of Fashion 2010

Designer wear market

Sabyasachi
Sabyasachi: +91-9830193953

The designer wear market has witnessed a high growth

sabyasachicouture@hotmail.com

pattern over the last few years and efforts being made to

JJ Valaya

develop this segment by bringing it into mainstream retailing

J.J:+91-9810081067

and making it more accessible to customers. Through the

jjv@valaya.com / contact@valaya.com

nineties, the designers were limited to minuscule revenues

Tarun Tahiliani

through extremely high priced couture and diffusion line

Tarun:9873382786

garments sold in limited quantities. However with the launch

info@taruntahiliani.com

of fashion weeks in 2000, the ready to wear designer segment

got an impetus. A number of designers launched their prt

The Minimalist

lines independently or jointly with departmental stores.

Wendell Rodricks
Wendell:0-9422443029)

Shoppers stop, Westside, Pantaloons launched their

wendellrodricks@gmail.com

designer wear sections. Another trend that has emerged in

Rajesh Pratap

the designer wear market is corporatisation i.e. strategic tie

Rajesh: +91-9811101590

ups with large corporate houses in related industries to

studio@pratap.ws

provide the necessary financial support and expertise in

Abraham & Thakore

operational management.

David: +91-9810059383
studio@abrahamandthakore.com

However, the designer wear industry even today lacks the

Ashish Soni

processes, systems, people and financial resources that are

Ashish: +91-9811068165

necessary to rapidly scale up operations.

n.ashish.soni@gmail.com
Shahab Durazi-

Although success stories in this area have been few and far,

+91-22-65295895,

the leader however has been Genesis Colors Pvt. Ltd. - The

info@ shahabdurazi.in

parent company for Satya Paul, Deepika Gehani, Tie Rack

and designer retail outlet Samsara. Through such arrangements, For Bollywood
the designers have access to distribution channels and a

Neeta Lulla

promotional network that furthers the growth of the brand.

Neeta: 0-9820427339
neetalulla@gmail.com

A few tie ups in the area of licensing have also been recently Manish Malhotra
made by Manish Arora and Swatch, Reebok,

Manish: 0-9821222355

Mac and Nivea, Aki Narula has tied up with Puma.

info@manishmalhotra.in
Rocky S

Designers

Rocky: 09820025357
rockysltd@gmail.com, rockysinghvi@yahoo.com
Aki Narula

Some of Indias leading designers:

Aki:0-9820639549
akinarula11@hotmail.com

The Royal India

Anna Singh

Abujani / Sandeep Khosla

Anna: 0-9820059400

Mumbai

anasingh5@gmail.com

Sandeep: +91-9821014298
info@abusandeep.com

Contemporary

Rohit Bal

Monisha Jaisingh

Rohit: +91-9811020955

Monisha: 0-9820024056

rohit@rohitbal.com

monisha@monishajaising.com

Ritu Kumar

Anamika Khanna

Ritu: +91-9811051155

Anamika: 09831030690

ritu@ritukumar.com ,

anamikakhanna@vsnl.net

amrish@ritukumar.com

55

Abraham & Thakore

Aki Narula

BIAN

Malini Banerji

Nikasha

Rahul & Gunjan

Amit Agarwal

Manish Malhotra

Rahul Reddy

Anamika Khanna

Ashish n Soni

Monisha Jaisingh

Neeru Kumar

Rajesh Pratab

Ranna Gill

Atsu Sekhose

Neeta Lulla

Rohit Gandhi
& Rahul Khanna

56

Shahab Durazi

Satya Paul

Small Shop

Varun Sardana

Wendell Rodricks

Abu Jani
Sandeep Khosla

Aki Narula

Sabyasachi

Anna Singh

JJ Valaya

Ritu Kumar

Rocky S

Neeta Lulla

Rohit Bal

Tarun Tahiliani

Mukherjee

57

G.Pia Fleming

ATSU

Gurpreet-00-1212-268-7480, Harmeet: +91-9810055776

Atsu: +91-9810114431

pia.fleming@bian.com , harmeetbajaj@gmail.com

atsu.sekhose@gmail.com

Ranna Gill
Ranna: +91-9810069027
info@rannagill.com

The luxury brands

Cue- Rohit and Rahul

New Delhi

The last five years have witnessed a major entry of luxury

Rohit: +91- 9810126471, Rahul: +91-9810757500

brands into the country. High salaries of employees in the

cuedelhi@gmail.com

corporate sector, faster development of several tier II and

III cities, a growing middle class, increasing number of

The Fabric Creators

working women and rise of a new breed of self employed

Satya Paul

entrepreneurs. India has a large number of aspirational

Puneet: +91-9810103505

young earners who are extremely brand conscious with

puneet@genesiscolors.com

increasing salaries and higher disposable incomes.

Niki Mahajan

Young India is willing to shell out more for branded

Niki: +91-9810064192

lifestyle products that include apparel, accessories, luxury

nikimahajan@gmail.com

and holidays.

Neeru Kumar-

The readiness for luxury in an organized market has been

Neeru- +91-9810024910

recognized all over the world. International luxury brands

tal@satyam.net.in

are now seeking opportunities for tie ups with Indian

Rahul and Gunjan

companies and broadening their base in the country.

Rahul -9871055771

Louis Vuitton was the first to enter the country and pave

siraliimpex@gmail.com

way for many more.

The Indian consumers response to accessories has come

Bohemian

been overwhelming. Today some of the leading luxury

Nikasha

brands present in India are:

pacificbrands1@gmail.com 09892216393
Small Shop

Top 10 International Luxury Brands

Anshu - 09900521782

Luxury

asmallshop@hotmail.com

Christian Dior
Tiffany

The Global India Statement

Bottega Veneta

Manish Arora

Emporio Armani

Manish:9810109210

Versace

info@threeclothingco.com

Gucci
Cartier

The New Kids on The Block

Bvlgari

Rimzim

Burberry

New Delhi

Chanel

0120-2581393/94, 9811636026
myvillage@rimzimdadu.com
Varun Sardana

The big fat indian wedding

Varun:9891253928
varun_sardana@yahoo.com

The big fat Indian wedding is getting fatter by the day.

Rahul Reddy

This is one industry which remains unfazed, come

Rahul: +91-9873094664

showdown or recession.

studio_reddy@hotmail.com

The wedding wear market has undergone a major

Amit Aggarwal

transformation over the past few years. With the number

Amit- +91-9810038664

of fashion followers increasing by the day, the great Indian

info@morphe.in, amit@morphe.in

wedding and its look has transformed from a simple affair

with traditional concepts to branded jewellery, designer

58

wear clothing, theme wedding- conceptualised and

brands is limited in this category. 74% of the market is

implemented by wedding planners. It is estimated that the

dominated by unbranded players.

current wedding wear market is close to Rs.3.84 billion

However the premium segment has now been taken up

and set to grow at a rapid clip about 13.5% over the next

by international luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Tods,

4 years while the market still unorganised. Its speedy

Salvatore Ferragamo, Christian Dior and Bottega Veneta.

growth has been giving birth to innovative new

The Hermes Berkin has had an overwhelming response

businesses. Some important developments have been

from the Indian lady.

that of fairs, exhibitions, wedding expos and wedding

magazines. Vivah and Bridal Asia are two such that have
now become global and are organised in major cities of

Fashion jewelry

the world that have a concentration of the Indian

Diaspora.

The market value of fashion jewelry was estimated at

Bridal Asia

Rs.14billion in 2008 which includes semi precious/ silver

A pioneer of wedding industry, Bridal Asia is all about

and non precious/ junk jewelry in terms of value owing to

bridal couture and culture. Born in 1999, Bridal Asia

its high price points. This market is also dominated by the

reinvented the concept of trousseau shopping presenting

unorganized sector. Presence of branded players in this

a happy mlange of unprecedented bridal collection.

category is miniscule. It is the precious jewelry market that

Contact: www.bridalasia.com

still has some big players like Gitanjali, Tanishq,

Vivaha

Nakshatra and Sia.

Being hosted by Vintage Publications, Vivah is a leading

Some of The Accessory Designers that have made their

trade exhibition for Apparel, Garments and Fashion

presence felt are listed below:

Clothing & Accessories industry. For 3 days, the exhibition

Suhani Pittie

is held for 3 days. It showcases Designer Outfits, Jewelry,

A graduate from the Gemological Institute of America and

Stylish Bags, Mehndi Artists, Bridal Cosmetics, Wedding

a gemmology instructor herself, the designer is a recipient

Gifts, Boutiques & Fashion Designers.

of the Singem Award for Excellence in the field and has

Contact: www.vintagepublications.in

also made it to lists like Top 10 Women to Watch Out For

and 30 Rising Stars of the Country by Elle magazine.

Wedding Magazines

Meera Mahadevia

Wedding Affair

Meera is one of the most renowned jewellery and

Contact: Rajnish Rathi, Editor-in-Chief;

accessory designer in the country who has also received

rajnish.weddingaffair@gmail.com

international recognition. Her work was been showcased

rajnish@weddingaffair.co.in

at the Asian Civilization Museum Gallery in Singapore

Vivaha

and, more recently, at the Newark Museum in New York.

Contact: Priyanka Banerjee, Feature Editor;

Amrapali Jewels

priyankabanerjee_@hotmail.com

Envisioned in the year 1978 by Rajesh Ajmera and Rajiv

Brides n style

Arora, Amrapali has become synonymous with fine,

Contact: Shilpa Mehta; shilpa.mehta@brideandstyle.in

handcrafted traditional jewellery in the country today. It is

the only Indian jewellery designer to showcase at the

The accessory market

Paris and Milan Fashion weeks. Amrapali designs have

been worn by the likes of the Queen of Bhutan, Maharani
Padmini Devi, Shimon Peres and also designed gifts

The Indian clothing and fashion accessories have grown

presented to Bill Clinton by the government of India on an

manifold over the past couple of years.

official visit.

The Apparel Accessories Market ( shawls, stoles,

Aparna Gujral

scarves, dupattas) is estimated to be worth Rs. 9.1 billion

Educated at the Delhi School of Art, Alpana Gujral is

in 2008 and likely to grow to 12 billion by 2012. 57% of this

known for reviving traditional techniques of jewellery

comes from the unorganized market sold at traditional

making using coloured and precious stones. She has

markets and streets. Thus offering a tremendous potential

worked closely with craftsmen in Rajasthan to recreate

for the branded segment. Better known brands in this

designs from Mughal India and her collections are inspired

category include Satya Paul, Ahujasons, Fabindia, etc.

by the floral motifs, curlicues and vines dominating the art

The hard accessories ( bags and belts) market is

forms in that era.

estimated at Rs.15 billion at present. The presence of

59

Suhani Pittie

Aparna Gujral

Meera Mahadevia

Malini Agarwalla

Magazines

60

Amrapali Jewels

Malini Agarwalla

Anushka Menon

Operating under the label Malaga, Malini is a well-

Email: anushka@anushkamenon.com

established accessory designer known for her

Website: www.anushkamenon.com

handcrafted bags, shoes and accessories. Malaga

designs have showcased at international fairs in Paris,

Leading Stylists

Milan and Dubai amongst other places. Malini recently

Mohan Neelakantan

launched her prt line called Pimento.

Mohan Neelakantan is one of the foremost fashion stylists

in India. A NIFT alumnus, he started his career as a junior

Key Professionals in the

Fashion Industry

fashion editor with Elle magazine in December 1996 only

to become the Fashion Director up until 2006. Mohan now
works as a consulting fashion editor for NDTVs lifestyle
channel, Good Times, being involved with shows like
Im Too Sexy for My Shoes, Cool Quotient and Vanity

With the fashion industry become more organised, the

No Apologies.

need for professionals with dedicated skills has increased.

Email: mneelakantan@hotmail.com

As a result, areas of expertise that were earlier taken care

Contact: +91- 9810913931

of by one handy-man have now come under direct scrutiny

Autam Kalra

of both domestic and international critics and demand

Gautam is a leading fashion stylist in India & has styled

focused attention. These areas sets, choreography,

leading ad campaigns for varied brands such as Tanishq,

make-up, photography have been quintessential to the

Fast track, Levis, Reebok, LOreal, Coke, Wills Lifestyle,

fashion industry. Only now, theyve become increasingly

Reid & Taylor, Samsung etc. and styled sports & Bollywood

competitive and highly specialised, particularly due to

celebrities as well. Gautam has been a contributing

international exposure. This section profiles some of the

fashion stylist to Elle magazine for the last four years.

leading industry professionals in the Indian fashion

Email: gautaminc@gmail.com

market, along with some pictures of their selected works.

Contact: +91- 9810033963

Anaita Shroff

Leading Fashion Photographers

Anaita Shroff is another veteran fashion stylist and

Suresh Natarajan

costume designer. She is the Fashion Director for Vogue

Email: shilvasa@gmail.com

(India) magazine. The owner of the Style Cell company,

Website: www.sureshnatarajan.com

Adajania has been noted for her design work on several

Contact: +91 22 2444 0105 / 6515

successful Bollywood films including Dhoom 2, Being

Bharat Sikka

Cyrus and Everybody Says Im Fine. Her designs have

Email: mailbox@billcharles.com ,

also been featured in magazines including Vogue,

Website: www.bharatsikka.com

LOfficiel, Elle and Rolling Stone.

Contact: +91-9811147567

Email: anaitashroff@ogaan.co.in

Tarun Khiwal

Contact: +91-9821254011

Email: tarun@tarunkhiwal.com

Aparna Chandra

Website: www.tarun khiwal.com

Aparna graduated from the National Institute of Fashion

Contact: +91-981000440

Technology with a diploma in Fashion Design in 1992.

Prabuddha Dasgupta

She is a highly successful fashion stylist, and is

Email: ziggi@zphotographic.com

responsible for the look of many high- profile advertising

Website: www.prabuddhadasgupta.com

campaigns including Ray- Ban, OCM Suitings, Orion

Tarun Vishwa

Biscuits,

Email: Tarunvishwa@gmail.com

The Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Website: www.tarunvishwa.com

Email: aparnachan@yahoo.com

Contact: +91-9810450894

Aki Narula

Prasad Naik

Aki is most notably renowned for his costumes and styling

Email: prasadnaik@mac.com

for major Bollywood projects. He was behind the rave

Website: www.prasadnaik.com

looks of Indian blockbusters like Dil Chahta Hai and

Contact: +91-9819743014

Monsoon Wedding. Selfridges London also commissioned

Atul Kasbekar

him to do a special line for their Bollywood promotion.

Website: www.atulkasbekar.com

Aki also has his very own designer label which retails

Contact: +91 2224940156

61

Aki Narula

Anaita Shroff

Arjun Bhasin

Atul Kasbekar

Gautam Kalra

Prasad Naik

Malini Banerji

Suresh Natrajan

62

Anushka Menon

Bharat Sikka

Mohan Neelakantan

Tarun Khiwal

Aparna Chandra

Edward Lalrempuria

Prabhuddha Das Gupta

Tarun Vishwa

successfully across the country and at leading

Event companies

international stores.
Email: akinirula.1@gmail.com

Backstage Productions

Contact: +91 9820639549

Contact: Vandana Mohan

Malini Banerji

Email: vandana@backstageproductions.in

Malini Banerji is fashion editor, Elle magazine known for

Contact: +91-9810167501

her sophisticated styling, Malini has also worked with a

Website: www.backstageproductions.in

number of Bollywood celebrities for cover shoots.

Area of Specialization: Product launch, Fashion events,

Email: mbanerji@ogaan.co.in

Weddings

Contact: +91-9810641420

Wizcraft International Entertainment pvt. ltd.

Edward Lalrempuia

ConContact: notact: Sabbas Joseph

Edward a fashion graduate of the National Institute of

Email: wizcraft@wizcraftworld.com

Technology started his career as a stylist with Elle

Contact: 011- 29222967

magazine. Presently works with Vogue as a fashion editor.

Area of Specialization: Music, Fashion, Culture, Trade,

Known for his edgy styling, Eddy has produced some of

Conferences and Bollywood Awards.

the most avant-garde editorial features for the magazine.

Showhouse Events

Email: Edward.lalrempuia@condenast.in

Contact: Omer Haider

Contact: +91-9871001767

Email: omerhaidar@showhouseevents.com

Arjun Bhasin

Area of Specialization: Product launches, Fashion shows,

Arjun Bhasin was the Fashion Director with GQ magazine.

Cultural shows, Theatre and Music.

Now a free lancer, he is known for styling some of the

Img

leading Bollywood film stars like Aamir Khan.

Email: sujal.shah@imgworld.com

Email: arjun.bhasin@condenast.in

Area of Specialization: Fashion and sport events

Contact: +91-9821298859

Leading Choreographers

Leading set/exhibition designers

Preferred Professionals
Email: contact@prefferredprofessionals.in

Sumant Jayakrishnan

Contact: Aparna Bahl- +91-9811085330

Trained is visual communication at in the National Institute

Tanya Lefebrve- +91-9811140201

of design Ahmedabad. He also studied theatre design and

Area of specialization: Fashion events, Product launches,

scenic technics at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts,

Installations and Exhibitions.

London.

Media Makers

Area of Specialization: Set design, Art Director exhibition

Email: mediamakers@mediamakersdesign.com

design, and Contemporary theatre.

Contact: Asha Kochar- +91-9810035277

Email: sumantjkdesign@gmail.com

Vidyun Singh- +91-98999352276

Contact: +91-9810190272

Area of specialization: Fashion shows, Exhibitions.

Mahesh Sharma

Harmeet Bajaj

Mahesh Sharma is management graduate, Mahesh

Email: harmeetbajaj@gmail.com

pursued his creative interest and did course at NIFT on

Contact: +91-9810055776

set design today he is an acclaimed set designer for

Area of specialization: Fashion shows, Cultural events and

fashion shows.

Exhibitions.

Area Specialization: Set and Exhibition Design.

Alison Kanuga

Email: blacklines06@gmail.com

Email: alisonkanuga@gmail.com

Contact: +91-9818595115

Contact: +91-9220399067
Area of specialization: Fashion shows.

63

Media, Awards
and Exhibitions
Media

Verve
Publishing House: The Indian & Eastern Engineer Co.
Pvt., Ltd.
Editor: Nisha Jhangiani
Email: nishajhangiani@hotmail.com
Website: www.verveonline.com
M

Publishing House: Images Group

Buoyed by increasing literacy and income levels, the

Editor: Amitabh Taneja

Indian Media industry is growing at a prodigious speed in

Email: amitab@imagesfashion.com

times of global shrinkage, claims analyst Kanishk Tharoor

Website: www.msutras.com

at the Foreign Policy Institute in Washington D.C. In the

Mans World

pre-liberalisation era, Indian consumers only had access

Publishing House: MW.com Pvt. Ltd

to grainy Doordarshan broadcasts and a handful of

Editor: Nair Radhakrishan

weekly/monthly magazines. With India opening the doors

Email: info@imagesfashion.com

of its economy, the media sector underwent a

Website: www. mansworldindia.com

phenomenal r evolution. The subsequent arrival of

Wedding Affair

international satellite television and the emergence of

Publishing House: B.M. House India

private Indian media agencies led to heightened

Editor: Rajnish Rathi

awareness of international fashion trends and increased

Email: weddingaffair@touchtelindia.net

demands from the consumers end. With the turn of the

Website: www. weddingaffair.co.in

millennium, Indias burgeoning economy had begun to

Newspaper Supplements

attract international media agencies which entered the

Hindustan Times: HT City

Indian market via licensing or franchise deals. International

Publishing House: HT Media Ltd

magazines such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and

Editor: Sonal Kalra

television channels/programmes such as FTV further

Email: sonalkalra13@gmail.com

fuelled the consumer consciousness in the country.

sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com

People with increased disposable incomes now had more

Website: www.hindustantimes.com

to choose from. Today, most leading dailies have

Hindustan Times: Brunch

dedicated supplements covering fashion trends and there

Publishing House: HT Media Ltd

is a plethora of fashion magazines available on the

Editor: Poonam Saxena

stands, with many international names making their

Email: info@imagesfashion.com

presence felt.

Website: www.hindustantimes.com
Times of India: Delhi Times
Publishing House: The Times Group

Profiles of Selected Domestic

Print Media

Editor: Anshul Chaturvedi

Email: anshul.chaturvedi@timesgroup.com
Website: www.timesofindia.com

Magazines

Times of India: Crest Edition

Femina

Publishing House: The Times Group

Publishing House: The Times Group (Worldwide Media)

Editor: Natasha Chib

Editor: Tanya Chaitanya

Email: Natasha.chib@condenast.in

Email: tanya.chaitanya@gmail.com

Website: www.timesofindia.com

Website: www.femina.in

Times of India: Times Life

And Persand

Publishing House:

Publishing House: MaXposure Media

Editor: Vinita Nangia

Editor: Joyota Bandhopdhyay

Email: vinitanangia@gmail.com

Email: jayita@maxposure.in

Website: www.timesofindia.com

Website: www.andpersandmag.com

64

Profiles of Selected International

Print Media available in India

Fashion curry
Contact: Khalidfashion curry,
fashioncurryeditorial@gmail.com

Magazines

Vogue.com

Elle India

Contact: Jasmine Duggal, jasminduggal@gmail.com

Editor: Nonita Kalra

Email: nonita.kalra@ogaan.co.in
Website: http://www.ellenow.com/

Awards

Vogue India

Editor: Priya Tanna

Images Fashion awards

Email: priya.tanna@condenast.in

Awarded to outstanding achievers amongst domestic

Website: http://www.vogue.in/

fashion brands

Marie Claire India

Held at: Images Fashion Forum, annually in January

Editor: Neena Haridas

Place: Mumbai

Email: neena@outlookindia.com

Categories: www.imagesfashion.com

Website: http://www.marieclaire.com/

Marie Claire made in India awards

Cosmopolitan India

Awarded for excellence in Indian fashion as well as to

Editor: Payal Puri

designers abroad who use India as an inspiration

Email: payal.puri@intoday.com

Place: New Delhi, held annually

Website: http://www.cosmopolitan.in/

Categories: www.marieclaire.com

Harpers Bazaar India

Cmais Apex awards

Editor: Sujata Assomull

National awards for excellence in Apparel Manufacturing,

Email: sujata.assomull@intoday.com

Marketing and Supply Chain Management and

Website: http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/tags/India/

contributions to the Industry from Allied Industries

GQ India

Place: New Delhi, held annually

Editor: Ian Ball

Categories: www.cmai.in

Hello! India

Events and exhibitions

Editor: Ruchika Mehta

Email: ruchikamehta05@gmail.com

FASHION WEEKS

Website: www.hellomagazine.com

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week

Mens Health India

Organised by: Fashion Design Council of India

Editor: Jamal Shaikh

Location: New Delhi

Email: jamalshaikh@gmail.com

Event: 45 to 50 fashion shows over a week, a 130 stalls

Website: http://menshealth.intoday.in/menshealth/index.jsp

with display of merchandise by participating designers.

OK! India

Collections: Fall Winter; March and Spring Summer;

Editor: Sonali Velinker Kamat

October

Email: geetanjali.moorthy@gmail.com

Subevents: seminars, worshops, designer contests

LOfficiel India

Contact: contact@fdci.org

Editor: Suparna Motwane

Vanhuesen mens fashion week

Email: superna.motwane@lofficiel-india.com

Organised by: FDCI

Website: http://www.lofficiel-india.com/

Location: New Delhi

Grazia India

Collection: menswear; July

Publishing House: Worldwide Media

Contact: contact@fdci.org

Editor: Nandini Bhalla

Hdil india Couture Week

Email: nandini.bhalla@gmail.com

Organised by: FDCI

WEB PORTALS

Location: Mumbai/ Delhi; July

Fashion fad

Collection: couture and bridal

Contact: Deepa, deepa.dsk@gmail.com

Contact: contact@fdci.org

Email: iain.ball@condenast.in
Website: http://www.gqmagazine.in/

Style kandy
Contact: Karmik Verma, karmik@stylekandy.com
Nivedita Sharmanivedita Sharma, nivedita108@gmail.com

65

Lakme Fashion Week

National Garment Fairs (Cmai, Aepc)

Organised by: by Hindustan Unilever and IMG

Location: Mumbai; June/ July

Hindustan Unilever and IMG have jointly promoted Lakme

NGF is the largest trade fair for the domestic apparel retail

FashionWeek: a platform supporting young designs and

industry, Spread over a gross area of 25,000 sq mts,

integrating India into the Global Fashion World. Together,

collections from about 300 exhibitors from across India,

they work towards defining the future of fashion.

including leading brands and manufacturers in various

Location: Mumbai

Lifestyle and product categories Like ready to wear,

Collection: Holiday/ Summer; March and Festive/ Winter;

sarees, home fashion and fashion accessories, are

September

previewed by about 20,000 retailers.

Organize 30 shows over 5days with 65-70 designers.

It is an ideal platform for product launch, retail network

Sub events: seminars, panel discussions, beauty

expansion, new franchise identification, licensing deals

workshops

and information gathering on the latest in fashion,

Contact: Anil Chopra, 91-9820218724,

products and market trends for the forthcoming business

anil.chopra@unilever.com

seasons.

Sujal Shah, sujal.shah@imgworld.com

Subevents: Apex Awards, Trend Forum and Fashion

The Chivas Studio

Shows.

Location: Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata/ Dubai

Contact: Mr.Premal Udani, 0124-2708108,

The Chivas Studio an annual event is an exquisite

chairman@aepcindia.com

melange of art forms where fashion, photography, music,

Hindustan Times Luxury Conference

installation, jewel craft and mixology come alive in more

Location: Delhi/ Mumbai; January/ February

ways than one. A global property from the House of

The first Hindustan Times Luxury Conference, co-

Chivas, the Chivas Studio is presented in India during

sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry,

December & January. Touring four cities, this 3 day event

Government of India, was held in January 13 and 14 2006

showcases celebrated artists across creative forms.

in Mumbai. With increasing prosperity Indians, especially

Contact: Omer Haidar, 09831004646,

in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bangalore and New

info@imagesfashion.com

Delhi, are likely to spend a large proportion of their

The Blenders Pride Fashion Tour

disposable incomes on luxury goods. A testimony to this

The Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, the only multi city

is the p
resence of prominent luxury brands - Chanel,

touring fashion property in India with a line up of the most

Hugo Boss, Bulgari, Zegna, Aigner and Louis Vuitton in

celebrated fashion designers, top models & elite

India. The Hindustan Times Luxury Conference would

audience. A property that started with 4 designers & 4

allow a platform for international luxury houses to interact

cities has grown to a 14 designer and 7 city extravaganza

with the Indian government and industrialists.

that c elebrates fashion & style.

Contact: luxuryconference@hindustantimes.com

Both the above Fashion & Lifestyle properties are

executed by Showhouse.
Contact: Omer Haidar, 09831004646,
omerhaidar@showhouseevents.com

FASHION EXHIBITIONS OVERSEAS WITH

INDIAN PARTICIPATION
Special store promotions highlighting Indian merchandise
across product categories combined with cultural events

Fashion events

have been organised at the following International stores-

India Fashion Forum

Selfridges London; 2002

Location: Mumbai; January/ February

Coin Italy; 2003

A two day fashion event organised by images multimedia

Anthropologie USA; 2008

pvt ltd, sees the convergence of 3000 delegates from

Tsum Moscow; 2006

fashion and retail industries. January 2010, IFF celebrated

Galleries Laffeyette Paris

a decade of excellence with participation from major

Bon Marche Paris

fashion brands, marketers, retailers, shopping centre

Indian fashion designers have increasingly participated in

developers, supply chain and logistics, IT, retail design

International Fashion Weeks such as the London Fashion

and shop fit.

Week and Paris Fashion Week.

Subevents: CEO Conclave, Workshops, Awards,

exhibition, Conference and Brand shows.
Contact: Anjali Sondhi: info@imagesfashion.com

66

GOVERNMENT

Young Creative Entrepreneur Award

Although fashion in India is almost three decades old, it is

The British Council has instituted this award in various

still considered as a nascent industry. The turnover figures

categories, including one in fashion, for an entrepreneur

are still low and it has not been recognized by the

who is promoting, managing or running a venture

government to be given a separate portfolio.

centred on a creative sector and in doing so is

The only areas the government has indicated interest and

commitment in Fashion Education is by setting NIFT in

promoting India at various international platforms.

Events showcasing Indian fashion designers in the

1986, introducing fashion at NID and establishing Apparel

UK

Training and Development Centers under AEPC to train

The British Council, in collaboration with leading high

people for shop floor level. Besides this, there has been

profile stores in the UK, help promote Indian fashion

sporadic support from the government in the form of

designers in their market. An example of this is the

sponsorship. Participation of designers such as Manish

Global Local event held at Victoria & Albert Museum in

Arora, Ashish Soni and Rajesh Pratap at International

London, which showcased the work of the acclaimed

fashion weeks has been partially supported by the

Indian fashion designer Manish Arora in 2005.

Ministry of Commerce. The ministry of textiles in the past

AEPC in various importing countries. These include

Italy (Organisation: Indo-Italian Chambers of

Commerce and Industry)

Buyer-Seller Meets and Fashion Shows .As of now there

Established in Kolkata in 1966, the IICCI is a non-profit

isnt any policy paper for the fashion Industry in the

organisation which promotes and enhances trade and

government. An area that definitely needs to be pursued.

economic relations between India and Italy. IICCI plays an

However crafts and textiles is a strong portfolio under the

active role in organising business meetings, international

Ministry of Textiles. To sustain and grow the textile

trade fairs, seminars, conferences and round tables to

heritage of the country the Government has regional

promote knowledge sharing between the two countries.

centers in all states to promote the artisans and weavers.

It also coordinates and manages businesses and

On page 68 and 69 we present to you an overview of

institutional delegations, to stimulate both the Italian and

INDIAS WEAVES AND CRAFTS.

Indian markets. The fashion sector has particularly

has organized some Road Shows under the aegis of

benefitted from these initiatives as it has been an important

Bi-lateral Trade Relations

and Exchanges

item on the agenda. Some of IICCIs activities and

programs are featured below.

Festivals and Exhibitions

Festiva Italiana: Held annually in six major cities across
the country, including New Delhi and Mumbai, this is the

Between India and Other Nations

biggest festival of its kind in the country. Featuring photo

graphy exhibitions, fashion shows, musical concerts,

United Kingdom (Organisation: British Council)

technical seminars for professionals, and art exhibitions,

The British Council has played a pivotal role in building

the weeklong festival is a platform to widen the awareness

ties between India and the UK, particularly on the artistic

and appreciation of Italy and Italian lifestyle to the Indian

and cultural front. Following is a list of a few programs

public.

that they have initiated in order to promote long term,

ChibiMart and ChibiDue: Summer festival held annually in

sustainable relationships between the two countries in

Milan dedicated to lifestyle products, such as fashion

creative and fashion related fields:

jewellery, fashion accessories and natural products;

Connections Through Culture

featured over 25 Indian participants.

This program provides assistance for joint

collaborations between art and culture producers and

Conferences and Seminars

organisers in both countries. This entails collaborative

Doing Business with Italy: Seminar held in Jaipur,

creative work that the public can experience, whether

Rajasthan in 2009 as an occasion to explore different

events, tours, exhibitions or performances, showcasing

subjects, from trade opportunities to business

the UK and India working together. The British Council

administration culture and cross-cultural issues, which

advises and brokers the projects, providing

have an effect on trade relationships between companies

developmental and networking support along with small

from Rajasthan and Italy.

scholarships.

67

68

69

From Infrastructure to Fashion: Open session held in

New Delhi, India in 2009 to discuss the potential for
industrial and commercial collaboration between Indian
and Italian companies in diverse areas, from infrastructure

Potential areas for

joint collaborations

to fashion.

This section seeks to identify the various areas of

The Challenges of the Indian Market: Business

potential collaborations between the Netherlands and

Opportunities for Latiums Enterprises: Seminar

India in different industry verticals.

Series held in Rome, Italy in 2009 for companies and

enterprises from the Latium region to get an insight on the

Education

Indian m
arket and the business opportunities it provides.

Exchange Programs Faculty and student

Twinnings Programs

Trade and Business Delegations for the Fashion

Sector

Joint Research in areas of Ethical Fashion

A multi-sector delegation from Lombardy region visited

Industry Placements and Internships

India in July 2009.

Design Competitions

An Indian buyers delegation visited the Marche region in

Seminars, Panel Discussions, Conferences

Italy in June 2009.

Research Programmes

Student Projects

Trade and Industry

Retail: Joint store promotions in India and Netherlands

Between India and THE Netherlands

Presentation of Dutch Designers at Indian Fashion

Weeks and Forums. Similarly, presentation of Indian

Earlier in 1982, the Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce and Industry and the Dutch Employers
Association (VNO-NCW) signed an agreement to promote
bilateral trade and economic relationships. This was later
duplicated in January 2000 between the Confederation of
Indian Industry and VNO-CNW.
The two countries also signed a Cultural Exchange
Program (CEP) agreement in May 1985, under which the

Designers at Dutch Fashion Forums and local fairs

Joint product development programs using Indian crafts
and weaves
Joint seminars for upgradation and training of Indian
craftsmen and weavers
Presence and promotion of Dutch designer brands in
Indian markets and vice versa
Joint collaborations between Dutch and Indian

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) offers three

government organisations and councils, specifically

scholarships to Dutch students every year till date.

promoting fashion

In the first month of 2009, trade relations between the

Installations and exhibitions of Dutch design and fashion

Netherlands and India had reached a higher level with the

to be mounted at Indian galleries and museums and

opening of Netherlands-India Desk. It aimed to establish

vice-a- versa.

business contacts between enterprises of the two countries

especially in terms of market research and public relations.

Media

The following are a few Indo-Dutch collaborative trade

PR campaigns directed at increasing awareness of

partner organizations:

Dutch fashion in India and Indian Fashion in

Nederlands Centrum voor Handelsbevordering (NCH)

Netherlands

The Agency for International Business Cooperation (EVB)

Promoting Dutch designers at red carpet events in India

India Netherlands Business Association (INBA)

Liaising with Indian media houses to feature Dutch

Dutch Trade Board (DTB)

Fashion in cover stories and special features; also

Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and

encourage exchange of fashion journalists between the

Industry (FICCI)
Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

two countries
Collaborative projects/media campaigns featuring both
Dutch as well as Indian industry professionals such as
photographers, make-up artists, models, and stylists.

70

Summary

The Indian Fashion Industry although 2 decades old is still

at an evolving stage.There has been partial penetration of
some of the Indian designers, however it is the growing
domestic market that has sustained their interest.
The deterrents to Indian designers going international
have been lack of understanding of the International
consumers lifestyle, inability to build brands, quality and
sizing.The Indian designer is very talented but needs a
better understanding of the European consumer. Also brand
building is an exercise that no Indian Fashion label has
invested in.Lack funds is what this could be attributed to.
The Indian designer and consumer, today is exposed to
International designers through the tremendous media
explosion. We also have a number of luxury brands selling
to the Indian consumer. Largely it is the Italian and French
brands that have made their presence felt in India. Level
of awareness of designers from other European countriesis
limited. Joint projects and collaborations will definitely give
more exposure about Dutch designers.
Harmeet Bajaj:
Harmeet Bajaj started her career in Fashion at the
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)- the
premier Fashion Institute of the country. She held various
portfolios at NIFT that include Director Academics,
Associate Professor Fashion Marketing and Founder
Chairperson Fashion Communication.
During this period she also evolved as one of the countrys
leading fashion choreographer and event manager.
In 2003 she quit NIFT and joined Marie Claire as its
Fashion Director. Simultaneously she started her own
business manufacturing private Label for some of
Europes leading brands like Max Mara, Jigsaw, etc.
She subsequently launched her own brand BIAN in the
U.S. Middle East and India. Today Harmeet is also in the
Food business and runs two very successful restaurants
in Delhi Smoke House Grill and Deli.

Credits
Content Fashion, Design and Architecture:
Harmeet Bajaj
Hrridaysh Despande
Anand Patel
Introduction:
Gert Staal
Foreword:
Christine de Baan
Translations:
Gerrie van Noord
Coordination:
Mei-Lan Tjoa
Graphic design:
cover: Thonik, Amsterdam
inside: CO3, Amsterdam
Commisioned by:
Dutch Design Fashion Architecture
P.O. Box 21798
3001 AT Rotterdam
The Netherlands
+31 10 4136252
info@dutchdfa.nl
www.dutchdfa.nl
www.dutchprofiles.com

Mapping India
The results of the fact finding misson Mapping India are meant to support and
stimulate the development of an exciting and effective programme for exchange
between India and The Netherlands, on a cultural, social and economical level.
The mapping provides a clear view of the creative industry in India, in the disciplines
of design, fashion and architecture. Besides facts, figures and other data it provides
insight into the character of the Indian design field and its protagonists, and suggests
possibillities for collaborations in various fields.

dutch

design

fashion

architecture