So many students , anxiously waiting… the wait appears endless..

I would say, “Keep your cool , guys”.  Live for the moment. Give your all to whatever you are doing now -be it your 12th standard exams, or your job.

Stay focused on the ultimate goal.  Visualise yourself as a designer , every morning you wake up and every night before you go to bed. There is tremendous power in visualisation.

If you have time on your hands, start compiling your portfolio. Collect all the great peices of work you have done in the past 2-3 years - be it doodles, or large oil paintings, a brilliant morph you created on photoshop or that intricate stitch you sewed on your hanky..

Give your fingers some exercise.  Join up for clay modelling, craft or origami classes.  You will not feel out of league at the studion test.

Most of all, keep your options open! Apply to other upcoming design schools like DJ Academy in Coimbatore, MIT, Pune and the brand new institute at Indore called Design Institute of India, NIA, ICAT, IILM, Satyam and other colleges at Delhi.

Applications to these institutes are available now. So go ahead, call up the counsellors and find out if these institutes have what you want.

Be proactive and make sure that you realise your dreams…

Wish all of you the very best!

10 Dec 2007, Pallavee Dhaundiyal-Panthry,The Times of India

With the government announcing a national design policy earlier this year, it has now become imperative for design institutions and designers to rethink their role in the context of global economies, especially in Asia. With this in mind the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, is focusing on creating new talent, while designing new programmes and organising exhibitions in collaboration with institutes abroad. While announcing its seventh design summit, which takes place on December 12 and 13 in Bangalore, Darlie Koshy, director, NID, stated: “The summit this year assumes a greater significance from the perspective of implementation of the national design policy. It is poised to become a roller coaster of ideas.” The summit, titled ‘Leadership through Design’, being held in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), aims to assess the current scenario, future trends and promote design in the Indian industry. This year, Italy is participating as a partner country at the summit and will also showcase Italian design from the post-war period to the present. NID also plans to launch a Master’s programme in design entrepreneurship, to be delivered in collaboration with Stanford University, US. It would be in line with Stanford’s global team-based design innovation programme ‘Course 310′. Once the modalities of the joint venture are finalised, a few of NID’s students would be sent to Stanford for a period of nine months as part of their ongoing Master’s in design entrepreneurship programme. “The training in Stanford will cost us $1,50,000 per student. For funding, we have already requested help from some corporate houses in India,” informed Koshy. The other two Master’s programmes that NID plans to launch are contemporary retail management and design for health.

Hi,
After Rai barelli, its Kannur in Kerala which will have the next NIFT campus in the 12 acres of land issued by the government for the purpose. Close to existing textile and apparel industry, it is ideally located and will hopefully, promote the industry in the state. Please visit
http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/19/stories/2007091953470400.htm
for more details. Read More »

In the list of unapproved institutions, drafted by AICTE , I noticed PEARL ACADEMY. The list has about 104 such institutions, which have been running courses with foreign collaboration without AICTE approval.

Now these institutions will be given a notice and a time frame within which they need to take necessary steps to meet the AICTE norms, failing which these institutes will be asked to shut down by their respective state governments. Read More »

Recently I came across an article on the net, which  mentioned a drug peddler roped in by the Delhi police. On questioning he revealed that his most of his supplies were made to Delhi NIFT students. Drugs are not new to prominent institutes like NIFT.  Read More »

The following is an INTERVIEW  published in Finiacial Express on July 9th, 2007

 DP SINGH ‘Our aim is to consolidate the existing infrastructure’

 In his first interview to the media after taking over as chairman, National Institute of Fashion Technology, DP Singh talks to C Jayanthi on the institute’s journey down the years, its initiative to rework curriculum to suit market needs and its work with rural artisans. What is the future course for NIFT? Read More »

It is that time of the year, when exam results are being announced and students after their 12th standard, are looking for ways  and  means of securing a seat for themselves in colleges of repute. NIFT, MIT, Symbiosis have all annouced their first round results.  AFD is flooded with calls from escatic sucessful students as well as dissapointed ones. We rejoice or greive with each one of them. Read More »

Sorry for  a long absence.  AFD has been busy the past month conducting Workshops for the second round of NID exams. We invite students who have just finished their studio tests to share  their experiences with all through this blog. Like we predicted, the lengthy NID application form which was scrapped this year came back as a studio test exercise. There were no other major changes in the pattern of the NID studio tests this year. Read More »