A 'Serif' existence!

Mukesh won a National Award for Information Graphics for the second time. (The China Journalism Award, approved by the Central committee, conducted by All-China Journalists Association. It is the highest award for journalism in China) Mukesh was my student when I conducted a series of Design Workshops for the staff of "The Week" publication at the Malayala Manorama office at Kochi, Kerala. Apart from being a wonderful designer, he lives upto his name by singing all hot songs of the legendary singer Mukesh. His works can be viewed at http://mukeshez.blogspot.com/ Mukesh Mohanan

Happy 2021 Came across this interesting example of Perception Shift Typography by Avani Kale. Avani Kale is a design student at Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. She is on her way to become a UI/UX designer and has a keen interest in lettering and typography, especially in Indic scripts, and when she's not working, she loves to experiment with Kannada letterforms. She is also the recipient of the "Best in Typography award" at the Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. Designer: Avani Kale Instagram: @aartvani

Design Charcha : Q&A on Design and Life.   "Design Charcha" is an online initiative by Prof G V Sreekumar, IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay, to provide a platform for students and public to interact with Design Academicians. The interactive Q&A session is conducted through Facebook Live All are welcome to ask questions : Students, Designers, Teachers, Public......all are welcome! You can can ask any kind of questions, it is NOT mandatory to ask design related questions. We will appreciate short and specific questions.  Next  Q&A  session will be on Friday, 5th November in Facebook To participate, fill the Google form here https://forms.gle/zFNbzXvWsH8bQVuC8 Link to live page:  Facebook.com/gvsree Recorded sessions can be viewed in Youtube. All friends are requested to subscribe to this channel. A short customised name for the channel can be set up only after we reach 100 subscribers. First three sessions were named "Chai...

Lots of questions are asked about how to use Hindi text in Indesign and Illustrator . I get atleast three to four mails/whatsapp text every month with the same question. What I recommend to users of InDesign: 1. Download and install any Unicode compatible Hindi (Devanagari) font. If you like Mukta font, it can be downloaded free, from  https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Mukta?preview.text_type=custom 2. Type the text in Hindi in  https://www.google.com/inputtools/try/ 3. Copy the text 4. Paste the text in text box of InDesign 5. Select the text in Indesign and change font to Mukta or any Unicode compatible Devanagari font 6. Then go to Window>>Styles>>Paragraph Styles (or press F11) 7. In Paragraph Styles >>Create New Paragraph Style>>Edit "New Paragraph Style">>>"Advanced Character Formats" and change the language from English to Hindi (India) 8. In Paragraph Styles >>>Justification>>in "Composer" >>...

These are my most favourite talks in YouTube, which I feel all my friends, students and well wishers will benefit from. Treasures of knowledge... Special thanks to all the Gurus and speakers. Ten powerful Ideas from ancient India by Roopa Pai https://youtu.be/b9UvkK2xxr0 It's not a solution if it's not affordable : Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty at TEDxGateway 2013 https://youtu.be/C3CXhwJjnk4  India is not chaotic: Devdutt Pattanaik at TEDxYouth@DAIS https://youtu.be/xKOh9DfQBgU Significane of Gayatri Mantra Explained in Hindi by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar https://youtu.be/zJ6qSih27aU Wisdom of Gayatri Mantra - Pravrajika Divyanandaprana https://youtu.be/Gc4zYw11Emw   How To Understand Mythology, Vedas & Puranas? | Sri Sri Ravi Shankar https://youtu.be/A0ObSI0ULUs Time, Space and Mind - A Talk by Sri Sri Ravishankar https://youtu.be/6i298ZsmvO4   Use your brains | Khurshed Batliwala | TEDxSIUKirkee https://youtu.be/UkrhN...

When a young eight year old boy, Adi Shankaracharya, while wandering in Himalayas, met a sage who asked him, “Who are you?” The boy answered with these verses, which are known as ‘Nirvana Shatakam’ or ‘Atma Shatakam’ Mano Buddhi Ahankaara Chittani Naaham Na Cha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghraana Netre Na Cha Vyoma Bhumir Na Tejo Na Vaayuhu Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham I am not the mind, the intellect, the ego or the memory I am not the ears, the skin, the nose or the eyes I am not space, not earth, not fire, water or wind I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am the absolute bliss, the eternal Shiva Na Cha Praana Sangyo Na Vai Pancha Vaayuhu Na Va Sapta Dhaatur Na Va Pancha Koshah Na Vak Pani-Padau Na Chopastha Paayu Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham I am not the breath, nor the five elements I am not matter, nor the five sheaths of consciousness nor am I the speech, the hands, or the feet I am the form of consciousness and bliss, I am the absolute blis...

My answer to a very popular question from students and friends:  Which are my favourite tools for Calligraphy? I am not at all a master of Calligraphy, but here are my favourites, arranged in the sequence of my love and comfort with them. Left to Right: 1. Camlin Brushpen 2. Itoya Calligraphy Double header markers 3. Pilot Parallel Pen - and Pilot Inks 4. Sharpie chistel tip marker 5. Luxor super chistel marker 6. Kabir steel nib pen 7. Edding Calligraphy Pen 8. Apple Pencil on iPad Pro with Tayasui app. (The pencil kept slanted, next to Pilot ink Namiki Black , is an old non-apple stylus I used for Calligraphy in iPad)

Many people ask me about which prayers do I believe in. A few years back, I read an interview with a priest in a famous temple and his views really impressed me. He said that he never asks anything from God. He believes that everything we have and we see are creation of God and he gracefully accepts everything he has and those he doesn't have! It really changed my outlook towards prayer and I stopped asking things from God. Of course, I do my prayers, but I dont ask God for anything specific. I just ask for his blessings. My guruji, Sri Sri Ravishankar ji once talked about the difference between prayer and meditation: Prayer is asking. Meditation is listening. Just for the benefit of many friends and students who asked about prayers, I am sharing some of my "all time favourite" prayers.  There are so many, but the best ones which may be good for the next generation is listed below. You may read up on their meanings and interpretations, create your own notes and view poin...

G.V.Sreekumar Professor, IDC School of Design, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076. Maharashtra, India. Email: gvsree@iitb.ac.in, gvsiitb@gmail.com Tele: +91-22-25767834 Facebook: facebook.com/gvsree 
Instagram: @gvsree
Twitter: @gvsree YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/gvsree Blog : https://gvsree.blogspot.com/ Born : 18th December 1965, Trivandrum, Kerala Education : Master of Design (M.Des) in Visual Communication, Industrial Design Centre (IDC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, Maharashtra, India. 1992. BFA (Applied Arts), Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. 1990. Experience : •    June 2000 till date: Faculty Member at The Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. •    2 years with Jasubhai Digital Media as Group Art Director of  various publications including CHIP, Digit, CHIP specials, CHIP Hindi, Computer ...