Theme: Defining 'Change'

In a world where change is the only constant, yet it is never realised the same way, it becomes important to take a step forward to contextualise this change amidst the domains of design and the world within which and which it manifests. We welcome you to join us and our Speakers in exploring facets of change from the subtle to the seismic, from the personal to the collective.

Alliance Française de Delhi
72, KK Birla Ln, Lodhi Gardens, Lodhi Estate
Delhi, Delhi, 110003
India

Akanksha Thapa

Communication and Culture Architect

In the vast landscape of architecture, Akanksha is always eager to explore beyond the confines of convention. Her journey began in Rashtrapati Bhavan, where she first embraced architecture beyond blueprints. Now, as Principal Associate at Studio Archohm, her multifaceted skills in design and architecture extend to communications, research, branding, publications, awards, and pitching. Not content with traditional boundaries, she also spearheaded dtours India, intertwining design and travel to inspire new perspectives. Her role as Outreach and Design Head at The Design Village underscored her dedication to learn, make a difference and exploring new ideas in architecture. Her never settle for less attitude make her what she is today.

Akarsh Goyal

Interaction Designer

Akarsh is a neurodivergent interaction designer and a dancer, embodying an entrepreneurial mindset, who thrives at the intersection of creativity and functionality. Currently designing at Innovaccer, a health-tech unicorn, he has over 4+ years of industry experience, and a track record of crafting intuitive, delightful, and scalable interfaces by leveraging creative, data-driven insights. His compulsion to shoot ideas and relentless pursuit of validation underscore his collaborative approach. A strong blend of his quest for excitement, emphasis on frugality, and a passion for storytelling, combined with an admiration for human values, drive him to design dynamic experiences that are impactful and deeply human.

Akshita Maheshwari

Textile Design Practitioner

I am a final year fashion and textile student. For the past few years, I have dedicated myself to be a conscious designer, committed to integrate mindful practices into my jobs and routines. Recently, I have discovered my interest in working as a textile person within the context of healthcare mainstream practices. This allows me to serve the textile’s functional purposes. My approach to design is deeply rooted in origins, narratives and process.

Anusha Dhawan

Artist

An architect turned visual artist, and educator, Anusha currently Heads Impact and strings industry collaboration and exchange at The Design Village. With a continuing experience in curation and processes for silo agnostic design education, Anusha has been leading and mentoring projects across multidisciplinary design domains, curating design project briefs and processes to respond to real world challenges. She runs a design cell & think tank - housed within an academic institution, created and facilitated modules on image generation, spacial narratives, systems design, climate responsive design, participatory design and high impact social change projects along with a peculiar interest in methodologies for learning that sit with real-time practices in the world.

Gunjana Kharbanda

Graphic Designer

Gunjana Kharbanda is a boundary-pushing multidisciplinary designer on a quest to explore every facet of creativity before declaring her true calling. With a Bachelor's degree in architecture and a Master's in Graphics and Communication, she embodies versatility and innovation in her approach to design. Currently working for a textile brand called The Shop, for her, the intersection of design disciplines is not a limitation but a source of boundless inspiration. In a world where specialization is often prized above all else, she stands as a testament to the power of diversity. She firmly believes that being proficient in multiple domains is not just beneficial but essential in today's era of rapid change and innovation. With every experience, she inches closer to finding her true calling, but until then, she will continue to embrace the joy of exploration and the thrill of the unknown.

Lena Ragade Gupta

Practising Architect, Writer, Academician

Lena is perpetually engaged in observing, making correlations, introspecting and discovering Eureka moments in all of these experiences. She constructs built and unbuilt environments and deconstructs contexts. She advocates and practices partial self-sufficiency in energy and food resources and thrives on doing the tight-rope walking between the empirical and the esoteric, the big picture and the cellular. An avid reader, a compulsive writer and an incessant traveller, she lives her brand.

Mridu Sahai

Educational Design Strategist

Mridu is an interdisciplinary designer (and a reluctant entrepreneur) who loves doing a variety of things. Her interests are driven by cross-cultural interjections across design and architecture. Traversing from education to practice, academia to management, since 2011, Mridu has been instrumental in initiating and running one of India’s first design thinking colleges called The Design Village with a vision to impact through design. Mridu started her career with a notable architecture firm, Archohm. As a partner at the studio, she handles a versatile portfolio that actively contributes to finding contemporary directions in Indian architecture.

Mudita Pasari

Educational Design Strategist

An Educational Design Strategist, Mudita works with experiential and experimental strategies within educational, environmental and social systems, dabbling with a variety of scales and approaches. Working in the capacity of a creative leader with an array of organizations and responsive design collectives, Mudita is carving a rather atypical image of a pedagogue tinkering with diverse mediums of awareness, action and learning. An advocate for decentralized museological experiences, Mudita is a Gatherer at heart, often most comfortable in keenly observing people, ideas and spaces— contemplating, curating and gathering for life.

Sagar Gupta

Higher Education Growth Strategist

Sagar Gupta is a growth strategist in the higher education sector. Trained as an architect and city planner, who started his professional journey as an educator, and then transitioned to management and marketing: he deploys cross-disciplinary thinking, a user-centric mindset, and data-driven approach in all his projects. A thinker: who firmly believes in mapping the field before the play begins, Sagar is always seen occupied figuring out the why(s), when(s), how(s), and if(s).

Sourabh Gupta

Architect & Entrepreneur

Sourabh is an architect, an entrepreneur and a wanderer. He started his architecture studio - Archohm in 2000. The studio’s interdisciplinary nature attracts an eclectic mix of people and induces a unique perspective to design. The studio works across scales and typologies and has diligently contributed to shaping the built environment of the country. Sourabh has also incubated and brought multiple design organizations to life like the Design Village Institute, Design Factory India - an experience design firm, and Gomaads – a product lab among others. “Beg borrow steal, get the job done” is his dictum in life, a life lived through design. Restless most times, Sourabh is always dreaming and doing.

Souvik Mukherjee

Visual Communications Branding Strategist

A visual communication strategist, Souvik is a quintessential storyteller weaving compelling narratives through design. Specializing in visual brand design, he is captivated by the intangible nature of branding and its profound impact on individuals and has honed his expertise in crafting compelling brand identities. With a diverse portfolio, Souvik has collaborated with brands such as Ducati, Kartel, and Barilla. His keen interest in crafts and community development drives his research efforts, exploring the dynamics of global communities.

Vatsal Agrawal

Brand Builder & Storyteller

A Master of Arts in Fashion Management from prestigious Domus Academy (Milan, Italy) and University of Wales with Distinction, Vatsal has traversed the luxury industry over the last decade. Trained in Made to Measure by Ermenegildo Zegna, pioneer of luxury menswear, Vatsal headed the creative force behind Eudaemon, an upcoming personalised menswear brand. A design aesthete, a storyteller and brand ontology enthusiast. Passionately weaving stories and narratives, he brings a multifaceted approach to brand building and communicating cultural chronicles.

Vishwanath Kashikar

Educator & Architect

Vishwanath speaks 6 languages, yet is often lost in thought. His journey in education has come a long way; from watching his mother make teaching aids for 1st standard kids, to playing the role of a teacher every year on teachers day, to teaching his classmates during his architecture education, to becoming a tenured associate professor at CEPT University in Ahmedabad. After about 10 years of teaching, he realized that more than students, teachers are in need of education! And of late he is tinkering with education for society at large.