For the designer India offers inspiration, complexity, and challenge. It is a world in which the symbols, colors and patterns of its ancient culture mix with the unmistakable signs of a booming economy. Timeless spiritual traditions infuse an ambitious population, 70% of whom are under 35 years old. While India is today the very image of globalization it is also an intensely rural and localized population. Design has been identified by the Indian business community as a critical factor to India’s growth.

Innovation from Necessity is an exploration intended for design professionals and business people who want to further their understanding of this multi-dimensional culture, in its cities and villages. This two-week tour will begin in the business capitol of Mumbai (Bombay) where we will meet leading Indian designers and experience the richness of this magnificent city. Then to the legendary Rajasthani city of Jaipur and its unparalelled craft traditions. From Jaipur we’ll travel to the village of Tilonia in the Ajmer distict of Rajasthan, home to the Barefoot College, where traditional skills are being adapted to make rural villages economically viable.

Our final destination is Ahmedabad, a fascinating business & design center. We’ll engage in discussion with students and faculty of the National Institute of Design, the premier design school of India, visit the magnificent Calico Textile Museum , and experience Indian design ingenuity ‘off the beaten path’. The trip will conclude with the International Kite Festival where we’ll join millions of kite fliers on Ahmedabad’s rooftops.