Designed to change

Attendees go through the award entries at an exhibition in Bangalore

Writing a bank cheque is easier than you would like to believe, but the thing with changemakers is they are cognizant of the difference between donation and contribution. And it was the latter that was at the heart of The Design: Impact Awards, a social initiative that seeks to promote product designs that are built to tackle social issues ranging from pollution to physical disability.

The programme by Titan Company Limited in collaboration with Tata Trusts, took shape in 2016. It was followed up by extensive research that included identifying social and environmental issues plaguing the country and achievable parameters based on which applicants were distinguished. "We went through many iterations and a lot of research to be able to come up with a process and became the platform that we are today. We had the vision that we will focus on product design, since it is one of our strengths, and it will be pan-Indian and pan-sector versus concentrating on one particular sector. The thought was, 'How do we use design to build a platform and leverage it in the social sector?'" says Ritika Gupta, Manager, CSR, Titan Company Ltd, about how they envisioned the project.

An agricultural project made by one of the participants at the DI competition

A year later, when Gupta and team arrived at a watertight application process and the competition was opened to participants in August 2017, it received entries from across the spectrum including fresh-out-of-college students, grassroots innovators, doctors, and IIT, NID, and MIT, US students. The winners of the project were announced on July 24, and this week, the 100 best entries from the competition will be exhibited at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

The initiative supported projects such as a AnuPath, a palm-sized laboratory which helps with diagnosis at the fraction of the actual cost and enables healthcare in remote areas by means of being mobile, USenseTM, a credit card-sized device which detects the presence of four major uropathogens causing urinary tract infection in just 30 minutes with colorimetric readouts visible to unaided eyes, Nanosolution, a liquid-based solution which treats waste water and has been used to recycle water in bus depots in Bangalore, and Zerodor, a mechanical valve which tackles odour in urinals thereby eliminating the need to flush both built in a bid to save water. Of the 993 entries across 13 sectors, eight made it to the final list and these winners will now receive a R65 lakh grant each to continue building their projects which help tackle a range of issues beginning from water shortage, to making medical health available in grassroots areas, empowering the agricultural community with cutting-edge products, and arming the differently abled with mobility.

Speaking about the overall experience Gupta shares, "It was fantastic because I learned so much and it was interesting to sit through the presentation and pitches of the participants and see their projects come to fruition. I am from the design background and it was an eye-opener because it made me see how design could be used to address many social issues."

Uttam Banerjee, Zerodor

It was great to be a part of this. My team and I learnt a lot, and made amazing friends. The process was immersive and we got wonderful insights into multiple aspects, beginning from design to the overall business that we are trying to enter into the field of sanitation. We learnt from our co-participants as well. We've been a part of many such events in the past, but to be honest, this one is the best so far.

Sachin Dubey, USense

The journey has been enriching, from the application where new elements were captured that made us think about our products in more detail, to the workshops and engagement programs where meeting fellow entrepreneurs and mentors reinstated our belief and resolve to impact society with technology and product innovation. The lessons throughout helped us refine the plan and product. Presenting these to a grand jury in the finale was a brilliant experience, but the icing on the cake was the award ceremony where the team surprised us by bringing folk-rock band Swarathma to compose a powerful song for each winning product.

On: October 25 to 28, 10 am onwards
At: 91 A, Rani Baug, Veer Mata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan, Byculla East.
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