Singanapalli Balaram

Balaram is Founder Dean, DJ Academy of Design, Emeritus Professor of CEPT University and former Chairman of Education, National institute of Design, India.

Also Balaram is author and Designer with 47 years of experience in Design Education. He Is one of the pioneer group Design teachers who started design education in India.

Recipient of 4 patents for his innovations.

Conferred the Helen Keller award for his work for people with disabilities.

Honored with the international Ron Mace ‘design for 21st century award’ for Universal Design, the only Indian to get this honour.

Honorary Advisor, ’Design Issues', the prestigious international journal, (USA).

Published widely. Books include "Thinking Design"(second edition), “Design Quotes”, “Q&A on Education”, “Adalaj”; Chapters in -'Universal Design Handbook'  'Teaching Universal Design' ‘The Idea of Design’  ‘Britannica encyclopedia’ “Cotton” and “Design : Critical Primary Sources”.

Designer of award winning Oxygenator, Energy saving stoves, National Exhibitions, Water-purifier, Bicycle and Crutches.

Founder, Craft Development Institute, Kashmir for Government of India to mitigate Socio-political unrest with design development.

Organizer of worlds’ first UNIDO-ICSID meeting on “Design for Development” resulting in the seminal ‘Ahmedabad Declaration’ which paved way to India Design Council.

First to coin the word ‘majority world’ to replace the ‘developing world’.

Co-author of the historic ‘Universal Design India Principles’ (UDIP) under Jamsetji Tata Universal Design Chair.

Resource expert at the International workshop on “Design for the elderly” held in Philippines.

Keynote speaker at the apex International conferences on Universal Design held in Kyoto (2006) and in Hamamatsu (2010).

Organizer, India’s first International conference on “Universal Design and development” (2015) resulting in ‘Convention on Universal Design’.

Winner (for DJAD) the reputed NCPEDP-Mphasis National award for Universal Design (2015).

Winner (for DJAD) the Grand Award of International Association of Universal Design (IAUD) for ‘Universal Design Education in the context of development’ (2016).

http://www.djad.in