M'shtra tech institute starts design course

Roping in the father of design engineering in India, H Kumar Vyas, Maeers's Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) has launched MIT's Institute of Design (MIT's ID) at its Rajbaug campus, near Hadapsar.

Speaking of the need for an additional design institute in the country, Vyas, who is also one of the founding members of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad said, "There are only 6-7 design institutes in India, producing about 400-500 design engineers per annum, while the industry requirement is for 1,000 engineers."

Being an autonomous course, it will be different from that of the other institutes in the country.

"The institute will network extensively with the industry to create industry-ready professionals," said Dhimant Panchal, while discrediting the present breed of design institutes in the country for their Victorian attitude and impractical curriculum, which is not suited to the industry's requirements.

Fashioned as the Design Habitat, MIT's ID is spread across 25 acres and is a part of the 125-acre Vishwashanti Gurukul World School campus.

It offers to broaden the streams into Industrial Design with specialisations in Product Design, Transportation Design and Interior Space and Equipment Design and Communication Design with specialisations in Graphic Design, Display and Event Design, Animation Film Design and Film and Video Design.

"The last course is dedicated to the late Raj Kapoor from whom the group had acquired the property in 2003," said Sunil Karad, executive director, MIT's ID.

Currently, in the midst of the selection process, "The institute has received 500 applicants and would be selecting 60 students at the undergraduate level and 60 students at the postgraduate level," said Kumar adding that the course is slated to begin on August 1. The annual course fees is Rs 95,000.

The group also announced that it would commence its Vishwashanti Gurukul World School on August 1, with 300 students in the first year. The institute has adopted the International Baccalaureate Organisation Programme of Studies.

"The entire project will take five years to complete and we will then have 1,200 students from standard 1 to standard 11," said Sid Rose, director academics, Vishwashanti Gurukul World School.