Amit Shah calls for IPL-like platform to boost design careers at NID Gandhinagar
Synopsis
Amit Shah's IPL analogy at NID Gandhinagar cuts to the core of a real problem: India produces design talent but lacks the commercial infrastructure to make design a credible career. His call for a dedicated commercialisation vertical at NID — and his pointed comparison of Pratap Bose's global invisibility to a hypothetical Japanese designer — frames this as a national competitiveness issue, not just an education policy footnote.
Key Takeaways
Amit Shah inaugurated the Incubation and Innovation Centre at NID Gandhinagar on 17 May .
He called for an IPL-like commercial platform for India's design sector to make it a financially viable career.
Shah urged NID to create a dedicated vertical for commercialising design work and linking designers with industry.
Indian designer Pratap Bose's vehicles were showcased; Shah highlighted the disparity in global recognition for Indian designers.
He called for design integration across sectors including semiconductors and chip manufacturing .
The event was attended by CM Bhupendra Patel , Piyush Goyal , and Deputy CM Harsh Sanghavi .
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, 17 May inaugurated the Incubation and Innovation Centre at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Gandhinagar, calling for an ecosystem similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL) model that could transform design into a financially viable and socially respected career for young Indians.
The IPL Analogy
Drawing a pointed parallel with cricket, Shah recalled that even celebrated cricketers once earned next to nothing from the sport. 'Sunil Gavaskar ji used to receive Rs 500 for a five-day Test match. Parents used to tell children, 'What will you do? You will starve. Prepare for exams',' he said, addressing students, faculty, and officials at the event.
Shah argued that the IPL fundamentally changed public perception of cricket as a profession. 'After the arrival of IPL, parents now say, 'Play cricket, you may become something',' he added. The minister said design needed a comparable commercial and institutional breakthrough to achieve similar social acceptance.
The Commercialisation Gap
Shah identified a structural gap at the heart of India's design ecosystem: creative talent exists in abundance, but the machinery to convert that talent into commercial value remains underdeveloped. 'Here, there are people of design. There are no people here who commercialise it. NID will also have to bring these two together,' he said.
He urged NID to establish a dedicated vertical focused on commercialising design work and bridging the gap between designers and industry requirements. He noted that NID was established in Gujarat specifically so that the commercial potential of design disciplines could be 'explored one hundred per cent.'
Recognition and Global Exposure
Shah also addressed the disparity in international recognition faced by Indian designers. Referencing vehicles designed by Indian designer Pratap Bose, which were showcased at the event, he said Indian designers with comparable capabilities often received far less global visibility than their foreign counterparts.
'If the same car had been designed by a Japanese designer, could there be any comparison between the recognition received by Pratap Bose and by the Japanese designer? There can be none,' Shah said, highlighting what he described as a systemic undervaluation of Indian design talent on the world stage.
Design Across Sectors
The Home Minister stressed that design education and awareness needed to be expanded across a wide range of industries, from industrial parks to semiconductors and chip manufacturing. He described NID as an institution that links creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and said India needed an environment where young people could choose design as a profession with confidence.
Who Was Present
The inauguration was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, along with NID officials, faculty, and students. Shah also toured the Gandhinagar campus and interacted with students and faculty during the programme.
The event signals a broader push by the Centre to position design as a strategic sector, with NID potentially serving as the institutional anchor for a more commercially integrated design industry in India.
Point of View
But the harder question is institutional: who builds the commercial layer he is calling for, and with what mandate? NID is an academic institution — grafting a commercialisation vertical onto it requires funding, industry partnerships, and governance clarity that a speech alone cannot deliver. India's design sector also suffers from a recognition deficit abroad that goes beyond individual institutions; it is rooted in how Indian intellectual and creative output is valued in global supply chains. The Pratap Bose example is telling — a world-class designer with limited global name recognition despite major automotive work. Fixing that requires trade diplomacy and brand-building at scale, not just an incubation centre.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Amit Shah say about India's design sector at NID Gandhinagar?
Shah said India's design sector needs a platform similar to the IPL model in cricket — one that converts creative talent into commercially viable and socially respected careers. He made the remarks at the inauguration of the Incubation and Innovation Centre at NID Gandhinagar on 17 May.
Why did Amit Shah use the IPL as a comparison for the design sector?
Shah used the IPL to illustrate how a commercial platform can transform public perception of a profession. He recalled that cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar once earned as little as Rs 500 per Test match, but the IPL made cricket a financially attractive career. He argued design needs a similar structural shift.
What did Shah say about commercialising design at NID?
Shah said NID currently has design talent but lacks the commercial infrastructure to monetise it. He urged the institution to establish a dedicated vertical that bridges designers with industry requirements and commercial platforms.
Who is Pratap Bose and why did Shah mention him?
Pratap Bose is an Indian automobile designer whose vehicles were showcased at the NID event. Shah cited him to highlight the disparity in global recognition between Indian and foreign designers of comparable ability, calling it a systemic undervaluation of Indian creative talent.
Which sectors did Shah say need greater design integration?
Shah mentioned a wide range of sectors including industrial parks, semiconductors, and chip manufacturing, arguing that design education and awareness need to be expanded well beyond traditional creative fields.
