DESIGN DEVELOPMENT OF AN INDIGENOUS TRICYCLE RICKSHAW
Phase 6: Planning for consumption Step 1: Design for maintenance
6.1 Economic development in India and role of design
India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Even then it is considered as a developing country. India has completed 59 years of Independence. Based on its emphasis in Science and Technology, it stands self reliant in these areas. However, India does not have a policy either for design education or design industry until now and in its absence, benefits of science and technology have not been translated in terms of improved standards of life, in absence of better products and services.
The following facts are the indicators of the ways and means of appropriate context specific design development of tricycle rickshaw and its manufacturing to reach to the society for its use.
6.1.1 Measures of development
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income are often flaunted as the measuring sticks for development and prosperity of a country. Similarly energy consumption per capita is cited as a measuring stick for progress of a society. However these should not be applied uniformly all across the world. This is because in case of a country like India, the GDP and per capita income does not take into account the non monetary wealth generation by the women folk constituting 50 percent of the population.
Similarly in western countries power consumption in Kilowatt of electricity is considered as a yardstick of progress of a society. However in case of Indian context, many part of it is still not even properly electrified. Energy need is met through petroleum product to run prime movers for many applications that can be otherwise operated using electric motors if electricity were readily available. Energy requirement is also not uniform in all parts of the country and also widely varies among different strata of the society. Being a semi tropical country, most part of the country except trans Himalayan region do not need heating in the winter and thus energy requirement is low. Only in the summer, one needs air conditioner to escape the heat. Majority uses electric fans in the semi- urban and urban areas.
In the rural areas traditional housing using building materials such as mud block keeps the heat off. Air coolers using cooling power due to evaporation of water in low humidity condition has been used from time immemorial and at present efficiency has been enhanced through the use of electric fans and pumps to circulate air and water. Small scale industries initially catered to this sector but medium scale industries too stepped in recent times.
It clearly indicates that, measures of development where large populations’ lifestyle can not be equated with others, well being within indigenous resources would be appropriate.
A scale of satisfaction may be a yard stick, and it could be achieved through indigenous development to suit Indians in its specific contextual requirement.
6.1.2 Science and technology in India
India has the distinction of having the largest technical and scientific manpower in the world. Indian engineering and technical education system is recognized globally as one of the best. India also has a well established engineering industry as well as consumer durable industry and industrial growth is commendable. Against this background of industrial growth, these achievements failed to improve the living standards of people within the country. This can be related directly to its effort for building its industrial structure rapidly since its independence. Import of technical know how is imperative to catch up with the latest advancements in Science and Technology. The technological transfer to India from abroad has led to design transfer as well, resulting in low indigenous development in design abilities. This ‘design dependency’ has made Indian products less competitive in the world market and has adversely influenced the export performance. Due to its failure to develop indigenous design & development capabilities (Munshi, 1985), Indian market continues to be flooded with foreign products that in many cases meet consumer aspirations but not their needs and self reliance. There is a gradual change, however even now a majority of the products introduced in India are designed abroad and these are either manufactured in India due to cheaper cost of production and transportation or to obtain tax benefit claiming it to be locally manufactured product. It is the automotive sector that a few successful products are designed and manufactured in India.
In Product Design Engineering India appears to be better compared to product design.
To ensure industrial growth, along with improvement in the living standards of its citizens, it is important that we choose the priorities properly. Industrial Design in particular can play a significant role in this growth and economic development (Bonsiepe, 1973), employment generation and exports in future (IDC, 1997). Academic intervention and research in industrial design is taking a preferential shape.
6.1.3 Design education in India
Compared to industrial development, formal industrial design education activity started quite late in India. It is only in early sixties that design education programme started with establishment of National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad and later in the same decade with the establishment of Industrial Design Centre (IDC) in Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) in Mumbai. NID offered diploma level programmes initially and then started offering post graduate programmes with specialization specific to various applications. IDC being part of an IIT system of technical education catered to the post graduate levels and that too in industrial design and visual communication only.
Till 1994 India had only these two institutes offering design education. Situation has changed in the last decade with few other institutes offering design courses in master level stressing product design.
With disparity in income level in the country, large rural population, poor infrastructure and fast degrading environment, depleting natural resources, philosophies of designing for the masses form an integral part of this new design education with responsibility of preserving India’s diverse culture, crafts and environment. Philosophy of Design should consider functionality as well as to build an identity for Indian design itself. These aspects is ideal not only for India but for any other developing countries. Starting in the nineties, Centre for Electronics Design and Technology (CEDT) in Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) and Instrument Design and Development Centre (IDDC) in Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) as well as ‘Design Programme’ in Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) followed suit at different times.
In late nineties, Department of Design (DoD) in 1997 was established in Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) to offer undergraduate level programme leading to B.Des (Bachelor of Design) in Product design and Communication design. This is the first bachelor degree offered in design in India and is starting Master programme in July 2007 aiming to cultivate need specific specialisation. Indian industry wants designer with strong engineering background. Thus a designer must be able to design as well as detail out the product completely to take it up for production. Gradually Indian design education is taking shape towards achieving this goal and many private institutions are also sharing this responsibility in building design reliance in India.
6.1.4 Philosophy of design education in Indian context
At a philosophical level, design commits to improve quality of life. There is a pre- occupation in developed market driven economy of western countries to concentrate all the efforts of design to design and redesign most of the well functioning consumer product with a view to create obsolescence to earlier products and create new demand essential for the survival of their materialistic economy. But restricting the design inputs to products from engineering industry would not be adequate in a developing country like India. Ideas of ‘product’ and ‘industry’ have changed to include new areas that were mainly left to Art earlier. In the context of developing nation, the philosophy of Design Education (Das, 2005; Ramachandran, 2005) should be to achieve the following:
6.1.4.1 Preservation of diverse culture within India
India has a rich tradition and culture. Continuous transfer of ‘western’ design has brought into the country Western habits and value systems, creating a crisis in our cultural identity. These cultural identity needs to be preserved. Industrial Design sensitive to the local cultural heritage can create a cultural identity overcoming the imitative, borrowed culture. It is possible through design intervention in documenting traditional and existing knowledge, and dissemination through developing newer products. It should be in tune with availability of local resources and to satisfy the contemporary need. An example would also be appropriate to cite here is, with rapid computerization, one such need is designing computer interface for different languages in India. It is not only a challenge but an opportunity.