5th Semester

(Design workshop)

 

All along, I saw bamboo from a student’s frame of mind. But I felt my perspective broaden regarding this fast growing, renewable, multifaceted resource over a duration of two weeks at NID Bangalore for the World Bamboo Day from September 15 to September 24, 2016. The first week taught me to acknowledge the resource in a way I never had before, whereas the second week made me comprehend it with the industry’s outlook.

 

During the first week, not only did I begin to respect bamboo for its adaptable nature, but I also began to appreciate the perks of working in a group with strangers. The conflict subsided between ‘design or art orientation’ and ‘exploration or output’ and it was gratifying to see different minds move towards one goal, attempting to create a universal system using bamboo.

 

Week two was packed with industrial visits, out of which the contrast between two stood out to me. The role played by their significantly different target markets compelled me to question myself. Would my focus be on quality or quantity? How would I price my creations? Would I employ the unemployed or only pay heed to experienced workers?

 

But amidst these questions and our tight schedule, I realised that there was a lot more I learnt apart from the obvious. It took me over a thousand kilometres and fourteen days to gain a broader perspective, but it was worth it. Bamboo is now more than a commodity, group work is more than chaos, the market is more than just a means of livelihood and sometimes the sources of knowledge that lie outside workshops and lecture halls are the ones that leave the strongest impact.