Chandigarh Design Festival culminates with discussions on the future of design

Chandigarh Design Festival concluded today with an awe-inspiring Day 2 at Chitkara International School, Sec 25 Chandigarh, which saw some of the brightest minds from the design industry coming together to discuss the future of design in India and the world. The second day of the festival, organised in academic partnership with Chitkara Design School, was a testament to the power of design and how it is shaping our world in innovative ways. Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University said she was hopeful that the Festival will open up global avenues for not just Chandigarh but all of North India. “The tenets of design are no longer confined to merely the aesthetics of objects or their functional purposes; it has become a driving force in shaping the future of our society… By bringing together experts from all fields of design, we can create a collaborative environment that encourages experimentation, innovation, and creativity”, she noted.

The keynote address delivered by David Kusuma, President of World Design Organisation, on ‘Designing a New Era: India’s Impact on the Global Design Landscape’ emphasized the need for India to lead the way in design and how design can be used as a tool for social change.

Azmina Poddar, MD at Accenture, moderated a panel on ‘Putting Life Centricity and Sustainability at the heart of your choices’. Poddar emphasized the need for designers to create sustainable solutions that are centered around people’s needs.

The panel discussion on ‘Designing a Bold Future: Opportunities and Innovations in India’s Design Landscape’ was moderated by Ramneek Majithia and featured David Kusuma, Azmina Poddar, and Sachendra Yadav, a Cloud UX Solutions Specialist at Google. The panel discussed the importance of innovation and how design can be used to create new opportunities in India’s rapidly evolving design landscape.

Fashion designer Masaba Gupta was the biggest star presence, delivering an insightful session in an interview by Sanyukta Shrestha on ‘Fashion Forward: Charting the Course for India’s Fashion Design Industry on a Global Stage’. While Gupta is the Founder-Owner of House of Masaba, a luxury fashion brand known for its fusion of traditional Indian textiles with modern silhouettes and designs, Shrestha is a Nepalese-born British fashion designer known for her sustainable and ethical bridal wear. In this talk, Gupta shared her insights on how India’s fashion industry can gain a foothold on the global stage and how designers can use their creativity to push boundaries and break stereotypes.

Sudhir Sharma, Founder and CEO of Indi Design, delivered a talk on ‘Design, Tech, and Culture: Future of Indian Design’. Sharma discussed the need for designers to embrace technology and how Indian culture can be used as a source of inspiration in design.

The second panel discussion of the day, ‘The Design Revolution: How Technology and Innovation are Shaping the Future of Design’, was moderated by Manpal Setia and featured Gagan Sahni, Head of Design at Absolute, Kireet Khurana, Indian Animator and Filmmaker, Sudhir Sharma, and Gopal Meena, Vice President – Strategy Initiatives, Chitkara Design School. The panel discussed how technology is changing the way we design and how innovation can be used to create new solutions to old problems.

The festival ended with a felicitation of Robin Aggarwal from TiE and Lalit Kala Akademi by David Kusuma, and a vote of thanks by Festival Director, Ankur Malhotra. The two-day Chandigarh Design Festival 2023 organised in academic partnership with Chitkara Design School was a resounding success, showcasing the power of design and how it can be used to create a better future for us all.

‘I came mainly to hear Masaba Gupta, she’s such a girl boss, but it turned out there was so much more to experience than just glamour today, I did not expect this at all!’, said one of the young attendees. ‘Who knew fashion was more than just beautiful models in beautiful clothes walking on the ramp’, commented the mother of one of the students at Chitkara Design School, ‘The Festival helped me understand better why my child chose to pursue this field, and the immense scope that lies ahead for him’.