‘Design’ as a means for Development for the Future of India

From Past to Future.

Under the British Raj, from the abolition of the Sati Pratha to the introduction of the Widow Remarriage Act, setting up educational institutions, establishing the first railway service, and development of the judicial system were some of the crucial developments of the period. Even though there was a glorious outburst of activity, India witnessed abject poverty and economic helplessness.

Post-colonialism, there was heavy industrialization, and the Industrial Policy Revolution paved way for the development of the public sector. Nehru’s policies had adversely affected the agriculture sector, leading to food shortages, an increase in inflation, and depletion in foreign exchange reserves. Indira Gandhi pursued a social model of economic governance, leading to the nationalization of banks and regulating industries to control price. 73 years ago, India took baby steps to become one of the world’s largest democracy by overcoming a plethora of challenges.

On the contrary, P. Sainath through his critically acclaimed book, ‘Everybody Loves a Good Drought’, sheds light on the unnoticed and unrecognized tales from rural India. He tells us, in an inversion of Orwell’s line, that “the present system exploits the peasant in much the same way as men exploit animals”. India has broken- ‘shattered’ would be a better word — all empirical records by being home to the world’s largest wave of farmer suicide. This book is a landmark in the life of India. More, it is a landmark in the world’s abashed study of inequality, injustice, and — let us face it — inhumanity.

How will India move ahead and face structural challenges to bear on its capacity for sustained growth?

In my opinion, Development through Design can help shape India’s economic value. India’s a vast country with different ecological setup and ‘design’ can act as a driving force to slow down the ecological crisis. Let’s understand the meaning of the word ‘Design’. Design is the conceptualization and creation of ideas, interactions, and objects to create solutions. It is the process of empathizing with the problem statement, researching, envisioning, planning, and implementation of systems to interact with the world comprehensively. Designers re-examine, re-evaluate, and re-invent our environment daily.

India’s Current Reality:

1. Dust & Construction contribute about 43% to the air pollution in India, which is followed by Waste Burning.
2. Despite decades of development, four million people in India are homeless and 65 million people reside in urban slums.
3. For every 1,000 babies born in India in 2018, 37 die before their 5th birthday.
4. In 2020, the estimated youth unemployment rate in India was at 23.75 %. Urban India generates 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) each year. Of this about 31 million tonnes (50%) is dumped in landfill sites.
5. 189.2 million people i.e. 14% of our population is undernourished.

6. More than 50% of the population has no access to safe drinking water and about 200,000 people die every year for lack of access to safe water.

7. In just 30 years, India has lost large forests to 23,716 industrial projects. India’s forests now cover only 21.34% of the country.

How will development through design help India survive in the face of adversity?

The above-mentioned data is alarming and is a cause of concern for the future of the Indian ecosystem. Design-driven development uses design as a conscious effort to impose meaningful order in a multi-faceted society.

Let’s look at three areas by which ‘design’ can transform the future of Indian diaspora :

Design as a multidisciplinary approach

In the words of celebrated design thinkers of India, Prof MP Ranjan, “Design, in my view, is a set of related abilities and a set of related attitudes. Both of these things need to be developed.”

Design has to cater to all sectors of the economy and the divisions and specializations are blurring. It’s a holistic approach to address a problem. I think that the insights of social sciences, biology, anthropology, politics, engineering, technology, business, and behavioral sciences must be brought to bear on the design process. Meaningful design thinking will be able to create a fair and just world where humans, environment, and animals will be treated with respect.

Example: Every year, some 100,000 hearing-impaired babies are born in India, but there is no routine screening countrywide to detect the condition. Early screening is vital because, if left unaddressed, a hearing impairment can impede the development of speech, language, and cognition by the time a baby is six months old. Neeti Kailas, co-founder and director at Sohum Innovation Lab, crafted a non-invasive, portable diagnostic device to facilitate the routine screening of newborn babies for hearing loss.

Design for Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is the need of the hour to preserve humanity. Sustainability aims at integrating, developing and achieving a healthy community without compromising the need of future generations by environment conservation and efficient use of resources. For the Indian context, besides investment in infrastructure, massive investment in education and health is required. The idea of sustainability, environment conservation and measures to prevent corruption rarely find any mention in the manifestos by political parties. In addition, the agricultural crisis, the growth of urban metropolises and the need for energy will increase challenges regarding the environment, particularly climate change.

Design for Circular Economy

Currently, our country is faced with a giant crisis: unequal distribution of wealth, inequality and excess generation of waste. Why is there a need for a circular economy model to be designed? We live on a finite planet where resources are limited. If we consume everything now, there will be nothing left for the generations to come. Once, we were the future for our ancestors. How can an industry/society achieve circularity? Let’s understand this with the help of an example.

Phool.Co is an Indian brand that recycles floral waste from temples across India and creates products like incense sticks and cones.

Lastly, India is an emerging global player not a bystander of history. Its future lies in the hands of its public who are conscious, creative thinkers and changemakers. ‘Anything that is touched by man, is transformed by man.’ Not only should she provide a platform for organizations/individuals to thrive but also participate and to embark on this transformative journey for a better future. Thus, development through the intervention of design will pave way for a better India!

REFERENCES :

1. https://designdesh.wordpress.com/tag/mp-ranjan/
2. https://www.forbesindia.com/article/30-under-30/neeti-kailas-crafting-affordable-health-care-through-design/39561/1
3. Everybody Loves a Good Drought by P.Sainath
4. Victor J.Papanek -Design for the Real World
5. The Circular Economy by Walter R. Stahel
6. https://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/article/guarding-our-future-how-to-protect-future-generations/
7. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/sustainability/