Designing the India story

Divya Thakur, one of India's best-known names in design, and her studio, are curating a show in Mumbai, which celebrates the Indian way of life - and living spaces

Italians have been proud of "Made in Italy" for many decades, and being the "Best of British" has been a part of Britain's design vocabulary for well over a century. In the Indian design industry, however, being proud of 'Indian-ness' is perhaps just a few years old - because a cultural hangover over all things European and American lasted many years after Indian Independence.
But there have been some who have always believed in India, much before "Make in India" became a catchphrase. Among those is Divya Thakur, who started her career in advertising back in 1990s. She soon became a name to be reckoned with in her field and, in 1999, set up her own company called Design Temple.
Today, she's a well-known curator of Indian design and also has her own retail store in Colaba, Mumbai. The store retails products designed by her studio and also collaborates with other designers. Says Thakur, "After setting up Design Temple, I realised that it is on-ground challenges that force most product designers in India to become entrepreneurs - to find an outlet for their work. With that intent, we started Design Temple, an experimental outlet for contemporary Indian design. Over the last six years, we have been delighted to collaborate with all kinds of creative minds - fashion designers, photographers, even florists."
At the same time, Thakur has ensured her studio remains active as a creative consultancy, be it working on imageries for Taj Group hotels, conceptualising the title design for such Mira Nair films as The Namesake and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, or working on book designs with various members of the creative community, including photographer Sheena Sippy and artist Atul Dodiya.
Thakur is a member of the Indian design community who's both an insider and an outsider: she works in the industry running her studio and retail space, and also externally as a consultant. She has a unique perspective and this makes her the right person to put together a seminal show on Indian design.
She is also a regular on every Indian fashion magazine's best-dressed list, as she has a nonchalant but decidedly Indian approach in her own personal style. India Cool is just something that comes naturally to her.
From December 8 to January 22, 'Design: The India Story' - Thakur's brainchild - focuses on design in India's living spaces, and is being held simultaneously at the CSMVS Museum (formerly known as The Prince of Wales Museum) and Max Mueller Bhavan (MMB) in Mumbai.
At the CSMVS Museum, the exhibit will highlight objects used in our everyday lives, and is called 'Objects Through Time'. Says Thakur, "Although the word 'design' did not exist in ancient Indian vocabulary, and was transplanted on Indian soil less than 200 years ago, the country has always had a very evolved manner and system of creation. Like many other old cultures, India followed the evolutionary process." Hand-picked objects from the categories of appliances, kitchenware, seating, surface decoration etc will speak of Indian culture and heritage. At the Max Mueller Bhavan, 'Ideas Through Time' will be on display. Inspired by the tradition of itihaas (meaning history in Hindi), this exhibit aims to resurrect ideas scattered across the country's timeline.
As a show, 'Design: The India Story' will give you a snapshot into design and an overview that will chronicle the history of the industry - one that Thakur has been an active part of.
Formal research for this exhibition began last year with another show Thakur curated - 'India Past Forward' in Millesgarden, Stockholm. And for the past three months, her five people-strong studio has only been working on 'Design: The India Story'.
In many ways, this show has been at the back of her mind since the start of her career. The first show that Design Temple formally curated was 'India Indigenous' over a decade ago in Milan, as part of an initiative facilitated by Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce. That show celebrated organically-designed objects from the fields of fashion, products and graphics. Since then, Design Temple has regularly commissioned shows in India and abroad.
One of Thakur's career highlights was working with London's Victoria and Albert Museum and another milestone was a video installation on imagined furniture during Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Thakur is quick to point out that an exhibition like 'Design: The India Story' would not have been possible without partners - be it her venue partners or her on-the-ground partners like Asian Paints. "If there was an award for the most supportive brand to creativity and design, it would go to them," she says. Another inspiration and partner has been Godrej, a true "Made in India" brand known for its rich archives. And the fact that her first client Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, has supported her is proof that Thakur knows her stuff.
Of course, 'Design: The India Story' is about as "Make in India" as you can get, but, according to Thakur, "Make in India" is much more than a slogan. She says, "Making in India is more challenging than 'thinking' in India. If make is meant to imply industrial prowess, then, by and large, India needs to change its attitudes and make a conscious effort to return to its legendary excellence in order to make "Make in India" a success."
She believes the time is here and now, for true design that speaks of 'the India story'. "Like everywhere else in the world, the design industry in India is made up of different egos and ecosystems. The day the focus shifts from personality to actual work, we will emerge as a unified industry. This, by the way, has already started, with young designers - like Nikita Bhate - who, unknown to most of India, are doing brilliant work and gaining international recognition."
For Thakur, being proud of her Indian heritage is much more than her own studio's work. It is about a way of life.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com

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