Veteran journalist and Padma Bhushan awardee Sir Mark Tully asked the students at the 30th Convocation ceremony of the National Institute of Design,on Tuesday,to work towards the India you want to see,adding that this should be done in an Indian way. The administrative structure of this country is not designed for India. It is the British colonial system and what India needs is an Indian system, he said. He was the chief guest at the occasion which saw 223 students receive their graduate and post-graduate diplomas across 18 disciplines. He added: You must be aware of the enormous privilege bestowed upon you and ensure that they are spread more wisely. Tully also spoke about the demographic bulge Indias future as a young nation,adding that it can either become a deficit or a dividend. Private institutions,on the whole,are going to end up serving only the wealthy. The demographic bulge can then become a deficit if the explosion of expensive private education persists,leading to a population,which will be dissatisfied and ultimately dangerous for peace and progress, he said. Salman Haider,former Foreign Secretary and chairman of NIDs governing council,said the institute has been consistently outward looking. It is aware of the new trends at the global and the national level and is paying attention to the requirements of all sectors,especially sections of the population with special needs who should not be forgotten,he said. Haider expressed his support for NIDs proposal to be acknowledged as a Centre of Excellence,and said it will serve as a thrust and impetus for design in India if the institute is included among the egalitarian institutes of this country. NID Director Pradyumna Vyas outlined the institutes progress over the last year from joint courses and scholarship tie-ups with foreign universities,promotion of design for special needs and socially responsive designs,industrial associations in education,and the approval to set-up four new NIDs across the country.
