VERNACULAR FURNITURE OF INDIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Assistant, DICRC
Abhishek Ruikar, a Senior Research Assistant, is associated with Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre since May 2017. He is a part of the project ‘Vernacular Furniture of North- West India' and has traveled extensively to the states of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. His interest in understanding details and making has contributed in developing detailed furniture drawings. He has been involved in leading furniture drawings of Rajasthan and supervising furniture drawings for Punjab and Haryana. He also has interests in photography and is currently exploring his interests in details by designing and making sequential tactile puzzles as a hobby.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Graphics Assistant, SADACC
Amy was Graphics and Communications assistant at SADACC 2019-2020. She has an MA in Communication Design and is a freelance artist, designer and researcher.
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Anshula Prehar is an architect by education; she completed her bachelor's in architecture from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab. At DICRC, she was involved in the project Vernacular Furniture of North-West India - Phase Punjab and Haryana, wherein she actively participated in the field visits across Punjab and Haryana and in preparing field notes, drawings, typology charts, maps, presentations and newsletters. She is passionate about design research, traditional building practices, indigenous communities and likes to travel, document and tell oral stories.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- New Media Designer
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Bhargav Padhiyar is a new media designer and alumni of National Institute of Design, India(NID). From the time of his graduation project, he started working on how new media be explored and designed for enhancing the traditional craft practices of India; this project was also part of the Craft Innovation fellowship at DICRC. In 2020, he again joined DICRC for the "Celebrating Clay" project to reconnect work with the Craft Community of Gundiyali. His interest lies in digital heritage, museum and exhibition design, transmedia storytelling and speculative design.
Job Titles:
- Teaching Assistant, CEPT University, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Graphics Assistant, SADACC
Charlotte Reeve is a creative arts professional, based in Norfolk, UK. Her background is in illustration, having completed her BA at Norwich University of the Arts in 2014. Whilst working at The South Asia Collection, she photographed objects in the Trust's archive as well as designing content for exhibition displays and publicity materials. She currently works in creative events with a focus on festivals and artistic engagement.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Assistant Curator, SADACC
Curatorial Assistant at The South Asia Collection Museum. I have previously worked in curatorial, collections management and heritage engagement roles, chiefly for Museums Sheffield, the National Trust and the Public Cataloguing Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Senior Research Assistant, DICRC
Daksh Dev, an Architect, born in October 1995, grew up in a small village of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. This project has provided him the opportunity to travel and learn from various traditions and cultures across the northern and northwestern regions of India. The learnings from his travel have majorly influenced his sensibility towards traditional skills, local building techniques, materials, and the ingenuity arising from limited resources.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Dr Ruchika Arora has lived most of her life between India and England. Her stay and experiences in India have passionately interested in her in Islamic arts and architecture in India. Ruchika Arora holds a PhD in Architecture from England, which focused on Islamic architecture. She is very passionate about reviving culture in a contemporary context whether it is through restoration of monuments, or research leading to publications to generate awareness.
Job Titles:
- Principal Researcher, SADACC
Dr. Ben Cartwright is the Collection Curator for The South Asia Collection Museum. He is a co-author of Sahaj and Anaikya and the forthcoming book on Punjab and Haryana. He is fascinated by the everyday uses of vernacular furniture, how the crafting of furniture has changed over time, and what happens to furniture pieces when they leave the everyday. He currently works on several projects on the crafts and art history of India.
Gagan Gupta, Charanjeet Kaur, Rana Abdulim Haveli, Jaswant Singh Lambardar, Amar Kaur, Laabh Singh, Reshma Kaur, Charno Ji, Soam Kaur, Jeeto Kaur, Amreek Singh, Bholi Kaur, Kulwinder Singh, Gurdev Kaur, Bhadaur Singh, Ram Singh, Bhola Singh, Shaheedan Singh, Jarnail Kaur, Surjit Singh, Mithu Khan, Khushi Khan, Pritam Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Pritam Singh, Harjinder Singh, Harjinder Singh, Bhutta Singh, Amarjeet Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, Master Jagtaar Singh, Gurdev Singh Soni, Nachhattar Singh, Amarjeet Kaur, Baghla Furniture House, Harwans Singh Dhillon, Gurjan Singh, Sukhveer Kaur, Sukhveer Kaur, Jagdish Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Charanjeet Kaur, Hardeep Kaur, Tej Kaur, Rani Kaur, Jagdev Singh, Darshan Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Darshan Singh, Gurdev Singh, Gurtej Singh, Chota Gurusar Gurudwara, Chota Gurusar Gurudwara, Swarnajeet Singh, Balwinder Singh, Jarnail Singh, Chanan Singh, Harbans Singh, Arjan Singh, Darshan Singh, Krishan Singh, Surjeet Kaur, Sardar Balwinder Singh, Hardev Singh, Rustom Massey, Galmer Singh, Gurusewat Singh, Bawa Singh, Balbir Singh, Lal Chand, Surinder Dhir Haveli, Gurtej Singh, Kala Singh, Budhram Thekedaar, Kila Singh, Charan Das Sharma, Chhinderpal Kaur, Thana Singh, Guran Dutta, Sohan Singh Mankoo, Davinder Singh, Hazrat Seyfeddin Farooqi, Sukhchain Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Mohinder Singh, Karamjeet singh, Manjeet Kaur, Sardar Kirpal Singh, Kamaldeep Kaur, Surinder Kaur Rashpal Singh, Sukhwinder Kaur, Avtaar Singh, Sardar Harmesh Singh, Sardaar Gurmail Singh Toor, Rajinder Singh, Surjeet Kaur, Dara Singh, Kashmir Mohammad, Rajinder Singh, Dhyan Kaur, Sardar Rughbir Singh, Garjeet Singh, Satinder Pal Singh, Arshveer Singh, Ranveer Siyag, Krishna Lal Sihag, Balram Rinua, Raghav Sachdeva, Soni Mistry, Balbir Chand, Mahender Singh, Mangat Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Pooran Singh, Mistri Jagga Singh, Brijlal Jaiya, Tez Kaur, Kirianwala Pind, Bohar Singh, Madan Lal Bhatti, Harbhajan Lal Chatradh, Bantaram Chatradh, Jagtar Singh, Sarjeet Singh, Amreek Singh, Kashmir Singh, Amreek Singh, Mukhtyar Singh, Ajit Singh, Sandeep Singh, Shri Pothimala Sahib, Resham Singh, Surjeet Kaur, Agwal Singh, Jaswant Singh, Prem Singh, Manjeet Singh, Garmeer Kaur, Karanjeet Singh, Pritam Singh, Jaswinder Singh, Dr. Mohan Singh, Sukhpal Kaur, Praveen Kaur, Sukhvinder Kaur, Pyaro Bai, Paramjeet Kaur, Pyara Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Vijay Kumar Samariya, Purana Bazaar, Ashok Kumar, Raj Kumar Haveli, Vijay Kumar Samariya, Des Raj Singh, Babu Ram, Kuldeep Tailor, Malkeet Singh, Tarsen Singh, Dashmi Paatshahi Gurudwara, Kuldeep Singh, Hoshiyaar Singh, Bagicha Singh, Karnail Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Kripal Singh, Balwant Singh, Hardeep Singh, Kamal Kaur, Jagpal Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Satnam Singh, Sohan Singh, Roshi Singh, Karamat Sahib Gurudwara, Balwant Singh, Kaka Singh, Mithu Singh, Gurprem Singh, Hardev Singh, Channa Ramji, Jeevan Singh, Darshan Singh, Balwinder Kaur, Pyaara Singh Sohi, Karniyal Singh, Gurjeet Singh, Baldev Singh, Gurnaam Kaur, Jagsir Singh, Bikkar Singh, Baldeep Singh, Darshan Singh, Paramjeet Singh, Kulbir Singh, Basant Kaur, Charanjeet, Jagdev Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Jasveer Ram, Hukum Chand, Jasbir Singh, Jasmer Singh, Manjeet Kaur, L.D. Gupta, Punjab Emporium, Patiala City, Sukhwinder Singh, Mr. Hardeep Singh (Tourist Information Centre), Shyamlal Jain, Jagannath Jain, Mehar Singh, Karam Singh, Jaswinder Kaur, Tejinder Pal Singh, Gulbaag Singh, Ram Nath, Bahadur Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Sikandar Singh, Jagdev Singh, Surjit Kaur, Balwinder Singh, Davinder Singh, Ajmer Singh, Darshan Singh, Maghar Singh, Bachani Devi, Yashpal Sharma, Kamala Devi, Balkar Hans, Prem Singh, Dr. Mohd. Rafi, Dharamjeet Singh, Modan Singh, Sewa Singh Wood Works, Dhanna Singh, Rehmat Qawal House, Rana Muhammad Ali Khan, Master Tara, Sardar Balraj Singh, Sardar Gurnaam Singh, Sukhraj Singh, Angrez Kaur, Pratap Singh, Naseeb Kaur, Mukhtyar Singh, Jaginder Kaur, Harjinder Kaur, Ramandeep Kaur, Sadagar Singh, Baljinder Singh, Gurtez Singh, Chur Singh, Hardeep Singh, Prithvi Singh, Motiram Ji, Surjeet Singh, Ajmer Singh, Baljit Singh, Bhutta Singh, Nichattar Singh, Sukhminder Singh, Kulwant Kaur, Lakshman Singh, Mehar Singh, Balwinder Singh, Teja Singh, Jagbir Singh, Sukhdev Kaur, Preetam Kaur, Shinder Kaur, Mohinder Kaur
Job Titles:
- Collection Manager, SADACC
Hannah Bentley has an MA in Museum Studies from the Textile Conservation Centre (University of Southampton) and has 20 years' experience working in museums in the UK, specialising in collections management. She is currently completing a PhD in the School of History at the University of East Anglia.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Haritha has done her Masters in Landscape Architecture and specialisation in interior design in B.arch. She worked as a Research Assistant at DICRC. Her scope of work included on-field study, documentation, content writing and developing technical drawings. Her interests lie in exploring new narratives in art, architecture and culture.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Hitali Gondaliya is working as a project designer after graduating from UMASS Amherst with a M.Arch degree. Before pursuing master's studies, Hitali joined the DICRC team to help with the ongoing documentation of the vernacular furniture products of North-west India. Her passion for working with the DICRC team was derived from the genuine desire of understanding the culture and importance of century dated furniture for each community that were involved in the project. In the process, she learned to interpret the details and document the complex joineries of the furniture objects which according to her is one of the most important learnings as a designer.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Isha Bodawala, Being an Architect by profession she always has her roots in designing. But apart from that her interest took her into the field of research, where she became a part of Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), at CEPT University for its one of the most significant projects ‘Vernacular furniture of North-West India'. Her interest lies in painting, historical research and product designing.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Jason transcribed oral history interviews and catalogued the book library while volunteering at The South Asia Collection. He is a research apprentice at the National University of Singapore's Department of Architecture, currently assisting with a project on the transnational histories and technopolitics of air-conditioning in Asia.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor, Head of Exhibitions at the Faculty of Design
- Executive Director, DICRC
Jay Thakkar is an Associate Professor, Head of Exhibitions at the Faculty of Design, and Co-founder and Executive Director and Co-founder of Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CRDF at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India. He has worked on various design, craft, education and research projects in India, Europe, and Australia. Notable books co-authored by him are Sahaj, Prathaa, Matra and he has authored Naqsh. He is also a recipient of the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) and Simon Digby Charitable Trust (SDMC) research fellowship. He has received gold medals from the CEPT University and the GICEA for his research work.
Jeannie has had a life-long interest in crafts and travel. Born in the Potteries (UK), studied at the London School of Furniture followed by establishing an antique shop in London. She has lived and travelled extensively in Iran, S. Arabia, Pakistan, India, China and S.E. Asia with her husband Philip.
Kamaljeet Singh, Amarjeet Singh, Sahil Kumar, Sachin, Jagdish Saini, Dharamchand ji, Jayprakash ji, Dhyansingh Sheoran, Dharamchand Sheoran, Nawabzada Riazuddin Ahmed Khan, Pramod Dhanpatrai, Mahender Kaur, Kesar Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Dharam Chand, Naresh Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, Rajwinder Singh, Bhola Singh, Kaku Singh, Ravinder Kumar, Devi lal, Ramdulari, Aatmaram ji, Tekchand ji, Bodhram, Ram Swaroop, Hoshiar Singh, Balraj Singh, Master Tekchand, Balraj Yadav, Sant Raj, Bhagat Singh
I was lucky enough to volunteer at the SADACC Trust, helping to improve the storage and documenting of their collection. I now work as the Project Conservation Lead at Oxburgh Hall, maintaining my passion for collections care and conservation.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Advisor, CEPT University
- Member and Professor at Faculty of Design
Kireet Patel is a founding faculty member and Professor at Faculty of Design, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He is an advisor at Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University. Kireet Patel is a pioneering educationist in the area of traditional crafts. With a strong base in design theory and a deep interest in crafts, his inputs in design studio inspire students to experiment with the forces of nature. He holds a Diploma in Architecture from the School of Architecture, CEPT (1989). He is the co-author of "Arayish: Wall Paintings of Shekhawati",(2006) the SID Research Cell's first monograph in the Space Making Craft Series.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Kirtan Shah has done his M.Tech in Geomatics from Faculty of Technology, CEPT University, Ahmedabad (India) and B.Tech in Civil Engineering from Indus University, Ahmedabad (India). Kirtan is passionate about the latest GIS Technologies. He has good knowledge of Cartography, Photogrammetry, Spatial data analysis techniques and Satellite Image analysis. He loves to do Spatial data analysis and to find out correlation between different things based on their locations. He is interested in helping climate change policy makers by various GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques. Currently he is working as Research Assistant at DICRC, CRDF on ‘Vernacular furniture of N.W India' and the ‘Celebrating Clay: Crafting Futures' projects.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Illustrator
- Interior Designer
Kush Bansal is an interior designer graduated from Faculty of Design, CEPT University, Ahmedabad. He was professionally involved in designing and making wall murals and artworks. Kush has contributed to Anaikya: Vernacular Furniture of Rajasthan through his illustrations of vernacular furniture.
Job Titles:
- Collection Photographer, SADACC
Working at the South Asia Collection I photograph all the new collection pieces that come in. Making sure they are presented in an accurate and detailed light, this is crucial work I thoroughly enjoy.
Luca Kaussen is currently pursuing a Masters in Strategic Design at TUDelft, Netherlands and has a bachelor degree in interior design. His background in different design studies let him to create a jewellery brand while working as the voice of the user on digital interfaces. He aspires to create impactful experiences to generate social, environmental and economical value alike.
Job Titles:
- Principal Researcher, DICRC
- Senior Research Associate at DICRC
Mansi Sathyanarayan Rao is a Senior Research Associate at DICRC, CEPT University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of heritage (particularly crafts and material culture) and ideas of development. Mansi is a Principal Researcher for Vernacular Furniture of North-West India and the Project Team Leader for Phase II: Rajasthan. On this project, her role has been crucial in developing the methodology and managing the research on all phases of the project. She has been interested in researching the links between design and material culture perspectives to study vernacular furniture.
Job Titles:
- Principal Researcher, DICRC
Mitraja is a co-author of Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat, published by CEPT University Press. She was the Principal Researcher for Phase I (Gujarat) of the Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project. Mitraja studied Architecture at D.C.Patel School of Architecture, V.V.Nagar and went on to pursue Masters in Interior Architecture and Design (MIAD) at Faculty of Design, CEPT University with a Major in Craft and Technology.
At The South Asia Collection, I helped with many tasks that included: creating an Online Collection for objects archived at the museum, building the India and Pakistan Remembrance Oral History project, maintained the Museum website by adding new content to showcase their diverse collection and provided IT support. Currently working as a Web Developer on various projects.
Whilst at The South Asia Collection, I worked as an IT Support Assistant, helping with the day to day technical side of operations alongside my studies at university. Now I am living and working in London as a software engineer for a games company.
Job Titles:
- Architect
- Designer
- Research Assistant, DICRC
Nupur Gurjar is an Architect, Designer and interdisciplinary researcher who uses a systems-level approach for critical thinking to address societal challenges through human-centered design. She has professionally worked in different cities in India and the US on Design strategy, Experience and Service Design and worked as a Research Assistant at DICRC between 2018-19. She is currently a Research consultant for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Niger, UN and is a Masters student at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
Job Titles:
- Graphics Assistant, SADACC
Job Titles:
- Chemical Engineer
- Founder, SADACC
Philip originally trained as a Chemical Engineer and studied for a PhD funded by NASA. He worked for a major engineering-construction company in California and subsequently represented them in Iran and Saudi Arabia. A journey through Pakistan in 1979 with his wife Jeannie, however, was life changing and they went on to found the SADACC Trust further developing their interest in the Arts & Crafts of S. Asia and adjacent countries.
Job Titles:
- IT & GIS Consultant, DICRC
Piyush Shah has more than 9 and a half years of professional experience in GIS and spatial data management. He has been associated with DICRC since 2012 and has contributed his expertise on the technical aspect of craft digital documentation. He co-authored four research papers focusing on heritage management and GIS, one of the abstract have been selected for publication at 24th CIPA Symposium at Strasbourg, France.
Pooja Acharya is an artist born and raised in Bengaluru. She took to the paint brush at an early age of 3. Realising her love for art and painting in particular, she shifted from Sciences stream to graduate with a degree in fine arts from Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. She draws inspiration for her art from places and faces, believes art is a universal language for people of all races.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Teaching Assistant, CEPT University, CEPT, University
Priyanka Shah is currently pursuing a Masters in Strategic Product Design at TUDelft and has a bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture from CEPT University. She is driven to design actionable omnichannel customer/employee experience strategies to help companies innovate and shift to being life-centered while preserving the company's self-interest. She aspires to design highly impactful strategies, driven by curiosity, fuelled by diverse experience, and sustained by pragmatism.
Prof. Krishna Shastri was the Dean and one of the founders of the Faculty of Design, as well as Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CRDF, CEPT University. Prof. Shastri was awarded Diploma in Architecture from School of Architecture, CEPT University, India (1969) and Masters in Architecture & Urban Design from School of Architecture, Washington University, Missouri, USA (1972). Her deep interest in education can be observed during her 12 years in USA, where she was actively involved in designing curriculum and infrastructure for various community colleges and projects. She has been a visiting professor at School of Interior Design, University of Kentucky, USA (2003) and professor at Interior Design Institute of Louisville Technical Institute, USA (1978-81).
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Assistant at Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre
- Senior Research Assistant, DICRC
Radha Devpura is a Senior Research Assistant at Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University. She has travelled extensively in the regions of Punjab and Haryana for the project ‘Vernacular Furniture of North-West India'. She was involved in recording oral narratives and understanding the cultural nuances associated with the vernacular furniture in these regions. Radha studied Bachelor's in Architecture from Institute of Design Environment and Architecture (I.D.E.A), Indus University, Ahmedabad. She is enthusiastic about travelling, reading, writing, and capturing oral narratives.
Job Titles:
- Principal Researcher, DICRC
Rishav Jain is an Ast. Professor - Program Chair for Master of Design(Interiors) and IMIAD at the Faculty of Design, and a Research Expert at DICRC,CEPT University, Ahmedabad. His research and writings explore the idea of craft beyond traditions and craft beyond objects, dwelling into an exploration of the contemporary perspective on Building Crafts in India.Rishav is the Principal Researcher for VFNWI- Phase III Punjab. As part of this project, he has also been instrumental in developing the visual identity for all phases, ideating and designing the dissemination of the myriad outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Industrial Designer
- Principal Researcher, DICRC
Samrudha Dixit is an Industrial Designer by education and a Research Associate at DICRC, CEPT University. As a key researcher on the project, he toured extensively, interviewed craftspeople, documented, drew and collated information throughout Rajasthan and Gujarat. His material processes expertise led to a deeper understanding of craft techniques, and construction details of vernacular furniture represented through technical drawings in this project.
Sandipan Goswami is a student at University of East Anglia where he is studying Data Science. He specializes in working with Big Data and process automation. He is currently exploring the connection between Arts and Technology
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Designed and helped to build the current The South Asia Collection website, showcasing past and existing exhibitions. Created a new sign up process for the museum mailing list which is used to keep subscribers informed of the progress of research projects. Scanned and archived a number of documents, so that these can be preserved and shared digitally. Currently working within the Fulfilment team for Waitrose.com, analysing and creating the most efficient routes in order to complete online deliveries.
Job Titles:
- Student, Faculty of Design, CEPT, University
Job Titles:
- Collection Photographer, SADACC
I worked with SADACC for several years during my studies at the Norwich University of the Arts, photographing objects for the museum and helping on displays.