Today I have one of the senior most person of the design world in India. Professor Sudhakar Nadkarni. Prof. Nadkarni studied Industrial Design at the School of Design (Hochschule für Gestaltung), Ulm, Germany (1962-1966). When he returned to India he started the first post-graduate design program way back in 1969, today what is known as the Industrial Design Centre (IDC) at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He was instrumental in also starting the department of Design at IIT Guwahati in 1997 and the design Management programme at the Welingkar Institute of Management at Mumbai.

Before we begin our conversation, I would urge all listeners to go and read “The Design Journey of Professor Sudhakar Nadkarni” by Prof. Mandar Rane. It’s on Amazon or you can find few copies in IDC Mumbai definitely. 

1\. What does design mean to you?

2\. How important is design education both formally and informally?

3\. What do you mean when you say grammar of design is the same across the world?

4\. Can you share any particular work which is considered to be milestone in your career and you had a great learning? For eg. while working with Compton Greaves, L&T, MTNL, Signage systems, Indian Oil, Tata Technologies or may be while setting up these big Design institutes.

5\. What are your thoughts on future of design? Where is design heading and how can an aspiring designer spot the trajectory to contribute his or her design skills in improving lives of people through design?