The elective, titled “Shilp Sangam: Rooted in Heritage, Shaping the Future”, foregrounds the richness of national and international craft traditions, highlighting indigenous knowledge systems and the inherent sustainability of traditional practices. Through hands-on making, collaborative explorations, and reflective conversations, participants engage with the many dimensions of craft—its rituals, cultural meanings, and relevance in contemporary contexts. In an increasingly digital world, the focus shifts back to hand-building and the values of humility and respect embedded in the act of making, both for the process and the practitioner.
This year’s Open Electives aims to transcend conventional boundaries by inviting traditional craft practitioners as ‘design/maker teachers’ from varied regions and practices to conduct exploratory workshops with students. This pedagogical approach seeks to reframe how craft is perceived and engaged with in design education. The collaboration is expected to generate creative diversions, encourage unbiased interdisciplinary exchange, and enable rigorous yet alternative outcomes that foreground diversity of thought and contemporary concerns within traditional frameworks. Students gain the opportunity to co-create with craft practitioners while uncovering the historical and cultural foundations that shape these practices.