A new beginning

There have been many times over the past year when I have wanted to add to this blog, but something or the other always came in the way and it took the backseat. But now that my schedule has kind of cleared up, I would like to try and write something atleast once a week.

So, for starters, this is going to be catch up from the last post!

Now that I am at Art Center, I further believe that design can be used to change the world. What I wrote in my application essays became the basis of my research paper last term - "Design's Potential Role in Transforming Public Services in Rural India". In it I identified seven areas that we need to look at - (1) Energy (2) Healthcare (3) Transportation (4) Education (5) Information and Communication Technologies (6) Water and Sanitation (7) Financial Services. I looked at interesting things happening in the areas already, like SELCO, Aravind Eye Care, etc. And compared it to solutions developed elsewhere in the world like Lifestraw, Wizzit, etc.

In conclusion, I developed my own principles that I believe I need to address while designing for rural India.
1. The value of research and co-creation
2. Entrepreneurial nature of rural India
3. Role of women in the rural society
4. Appropriate technology for local development
5. Sustainability and Community development
I'll write more on these later as separate posts. These are by no means the only ones and there will be additions as I continue my research and interest in the area.

This term I'm hoping to develop atleast two ideas based on these - a product for my "design for sustainability" class and a service/system business plan for my "entrepreneurship methodologies" class.

More for later.

"The Soul of India lies in its Villages." - M.K.Gandhi