The Interior Department of JD Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangalore organised a talk session for the II and III year BSc. in Interior Design and Advanced Diploma in Interior Design students on 13th September 2019. The session was presided by Ar. Prof. R. Anantha Ramu, Chief Architect (Retd.) ISRO.

Ar. Prof. R. Anantha Ramu, is an accomplished architect with 40+ years of experience wherein he worked as Chief Architect at ISRO Department of Space and is currently teaching Architectural Design, Architectural Photography etc. He is currently the Principle Architect at Aesthetic Architects and teaches across institutes in India and USA. Apart from his architectural laurels, he is also an accomplished Architectural Photographer and model maker.

The session commenced with an ice breaker wherein he asked the students to introduce themselves and share their hobbies along with the reason they undertook the course. This helped him to understand their areas of interest and bust any myths associated with the profession of interior designing.

Given his expertise in photography, Ar. Prof. Anantha Ramu, also shared some tips and tricks with the students on how to take a good photograph, the importance of lighting and perspective. Just like taking a good photograph, he emphasized the need to have a keen eye for detail, which is imperative for designing as well. He informed the students that unlike conventional interior design projects, where aesthetics plays an important role, the design at ISRO is functional and the materials too need to match this requirement.

Ar. Prof. R. Anantha Ramu, took the students through the design of the satellite centre. He explained to the students that the usage of the colour white in the interior of the buildings due to the visibility of dust on white floors and walls. It is imperative for the station to be dust-free. For a set up wherein the functionality is a criterior; flooring, lighting and materials used for such a set-up need to be in sync for usage and meet the demands of the requirement. Ar. Prof. R. Anantha Ramu, encouraged the students to visit ISRO Satellite Centre (Currently known as U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) and Space Centre for satellite launching at Sriharikota.

Ar. Prof. Anantha Ramu further answered the questions which were put forth before the session which they had shared with their respective faculties. He emphasized that rather than starting on one’s own, post the course one must first take employment with a firm and learn all the nuances of the trade. He advised joining a medium-sized organisation as it would help to explore different departments. Starting an own organisation is an expensive affair, as it entails expenditure for the setup and infrastructure along with the salary for the employees. This cannot be achieved immediately after the completion of the course. Competition too is quite tough and one must be able to survive in the industry.

Apart from talking about interior designing and architecture, Ar. Prof. Anantha Ramu also shared some life anecdotes, wherein he encouraged students to follow their passion with steadfastness. He was impressed by the students’ cheerfulness and enthusiasm. He lauded the faculty and institute for their contribution towards their educative efforts.