NID’s 45th convocation marks a subtle shift

At its 45th convocation, the National Institute of Design conferred degrees on 505 graduates, but this year marked a quiet first. The ceremony was held in Gandhinagar, not Ahmedabad, shifting the spotlight to NID’s satellite campus. Addressing students, ISRO Chairman Dr. V Narayanan spoke about risk, resilience, and learning from failure. The subtle change of venue signals more than logistics. It reflects an evolving stance on design democratization, where institutional gravity is shared rather than centralised. As India produces thousands of design graduates annually, such spatial decisions matter. They show how access, visibility, and legitimacy can be redesigned through subtle shifts, not grand declarations. Sometimes, expanding design’s future begins by redistributing where it gathers.

Sometimes, expanding design’s future begins by redistributing where it gathers.