Ajay Piramal on Design's Role in India's Growth

Ahmedabad, Dec 6 (PTI) India's progress will depend not only on scale but how the growth is designed, industrialist and president of Anant National University Ajay Piramal said on Saturday.




Speaking at the seventh convocation of the varsity, Piramal said designing has long been India's “quiet strength,” reflected in its crafts and problem-solving instincts.



“India stands at the threshold of a remarkable transformation today. As we work towards Viksit Bharat 2047, one truth stands clear. Our country's progress will depend not only on scale and speed, but on how thoughtfully we design our growth,” he said.




Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the country's future will be shaped not only by policies, but by how imaginatively we design our development, Piramal noted.


“It's how we transition from ‘Make in India' as an aspiration to ‘Design for India'. As prime minister Narendra Modi has said, we must not only manufacture in India, but also design in India -- for India and for the world,” he added.






During the ceremony, degrees were conferred on 299 students from courses such as Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Design and MSc in Sustainability and Built Environment.




Dr Sridhar Vembu, Padma Shri awardee and co-founder of Zoho Corporation, was the chief guest on this occasion.




Addressing the young architects, Vembu said, “Our cities, as they get bigger, are becoming more unlivable. It is an urban planning problem. It is a problem that only you, your generation, has to solve by applying the thinking of sustainability, design, architecture, and urban planning.




“Concrete is not suitable for our climate as it gets very hot and it traps the heat. We need to build for our climatic conditions, we have to use materials that are suitable for us, like mud,” he said.