What is education? When I try to define it in terms of what I have experienced, the first phrase that strikes me is 'all-round development'- of the body, of the mind, of the soul and of the spirit. I don't think the system we are learning in has been able to give me all that. It has given me more of memory than learning, more of knowledge than application, and more of dullness than skill.
It's very tough to fight a system. I couldn't. But what I did was put in my absolute best in everything I did. I find that this approach helps, and I fully intend to apply it in my further education, in my career, and in life.
For my further studies, there is a certain kind of education that I have in mind, which I want; rather, I need very desperately. After a lot of thought, I chose Design as my career, and I feel the education that I will get in course of getting trained for my future, comes closest to what I have in mind.
I want an education involving freshness, creativity at every stage; in which one can actually enjoy the process of learning. In such a case, one naturally feels like putting in his or her best. I feel the need for an education that actually takes that crucial step in making the term 'all-round development' an actuality, rather than an ideal. And design incorporates this.
Design is a field, which makes use of a combination of three aspects- scientific thinking, artistic ability, and a practical approach. As far as the individual is concerned, it involves a person's mind as a whole, and not just his or her memory. It requires a lot of hard work, talent, knowledge and a passion. And the more I think about it, the more I realise that this is exactly what I want to do- in my further studies, in my career, and in life.
Besides wanting a good education, there are many other reasons for my choice. I feel that once an individual loses his creativity, he can never be happy, no matter what. And the flowering of one's creativity is essential for growth of one's personality, which comes about through design. And I believe that I have not let my creativity wither so far, and I do not propose to do so in the future.
Also, design helps you learn from your surroundings, as well as from yourself. So, the qualities of awareness, sensitivity and alertness are imbibed in the individual in the course of education.
And the beauty of design is that it is a profession in which you have to involve yourself, totally, fully to understand it, and to learn.
Since my chosen area of specialisation is Graphic Design, my goals are very specific. I feel that of all modes of communication, the ones involving visuals have the strongest impact. And where there are visuals, design- especially Graphic design- comes into play. Like they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words". And thus, it can be used as a very effective way of enhancing communication. And this is seen in television, print and films.
Along with my career, I specially intend to use design as a means of instilling social awareness, in various ways. To quote a recent example, after the Gujarat earthquake, effectively designed posters and campaigns helped people to donate towards relief. There are many such examples, like the polio immunisation programme, Kargil war etc. Since graphic design incorporates technology in design, it has a very far reach and this will prove to be very helpful in social causes.
Also, one more of my aims is to bring Indian art to the forefront. If we look at it, all our knowledge of the cultures of ancient times is through what artisans of those times have left us. Indian art of those times- in the form of architecture, paintings, motifs, coins, carpets and jewelry- is acknowledged as the most beautiful in the world, but is not to be seen to a very large extent in present works. By blending Indian art with that of other countries and areas, we can create something new, and facilitate the beginning of a common world culture.
I feel that I will be able to achieve my goals, as I have been interested in drawing, painting and cartooning throughout. I also have the ability to design on computers, as I have learnt computer-aided design as an extra-curricular activity in college. I also enjoy writing, reading and have a reasonable knowledge of Indian art and architecture.
And lastly, though one may have many dreams, the most important thing is to find effective means to fulfil them. I hope that I can pursue design as a career, and make use of my creativity effectively. And I specially hope that I will not have to make a compromise in the quality of education that I will receive.

Aarthi Parthasarathy