IIT Guwahati Mourns the Passing of Prof Nadkarni, Founder of the Department of Design

Prof. Sudhakar Nadkarni, who founded the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati and launched the first undergraduate design programme among the IITs, has passed away. From the Institute’s logo to its convocation robes, his sensibility shaped how IIT Guwahati looks and feels, and generations of designers carry his teaching forward. Prof Pratul Chandra Kalita (Head, Dept of Design, IIT Guwahati) writes a warm, heartfelt tribute on behalf of the design community at the Institute.

Published 22 October 2026 | Category Personnel & Staffing | Office Dept of Design

The story of IIT Guwahati is inseparable from the vision of a remarkable group of founders who shaped the Institute in its formative years. Among them was Prof. Sudhakar Nadkarni, the founding Head of the Department of Design and one of the pioneering architects of design education in India.

In 1997, Prof. Nadkarni established the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati, launching the first undergraduate design programme among the IITs. What began as a bold and innovative experiment has since grown into one of the country's leading centres for design education.

Prof Nadkarni's influence extends far beyond the classroom. The IIT Guwahati logo, convocation robes, degree medals, and the early shaping of campus traditions and events bear the imprint of his design sensibility and vision. He helped create not just a department, but an identity.

A graduate of Sir J. J. School of Art and the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG), Ulm, Germany, Prof. Nadkarni dedicated more than five decades to nurturing design education in India. He played a founding role in three landmark institutions: the IDC School of Design at IIT Bombay, the Department of Design at IIT Guwahati, and the design programme at WeSchool, Mumbai.

Yet, those who knew him will remember not only his achievements, but also his warmth, humility, wit, and boundless curiosity. Even at ninety, he retained the enthusiasm of a young designer eager to learn, create, and inspire.

Prof. Nadkarni leaves behind a legacy that lives on in the institutions he built, the students he mentored, and the generations of designers he inspired.

Thank you, Guruji, for your vision, wisdom, and unwavering belief in the power of design. Your legacy will continue to guide and inspire us for years to come.

We will miss you deeply.